ITS AS GOOD AS THE MEMORY!

 Do you ever long for a special meal, or soup, or cake, or cookie from someone who is no longer with you?  Something that a special person prepared without even knowing the effect that food item had on you, and maybe not realizing the effect they had on you, themselves?  Maybe you didn't realize their effect on your either - until they were gone!

I was a very lucky person growing up.  I had so many special aunts who in their own way helped shape the person I am today.   Each one gave me something special - some skill, some advise, some wonderful memory that I can relate to only them.  

It might have been a story of my ancestry, or a lesson in crochet, a warning about the perils of youth...  A lesson in gardening, a passage from the Bible - a shared family recipe....

One of my Aunts, made the most amazing Apple Kuchen.  From the time I was just a little snot, I remember her in her kitchen on the farm, encased in her generous hand-made apron, rolling out dough on her kitchen counter.  Her home always smelled of baking, and warm milk, with a tiny hint of fresh hay added to the mix.

She said Kuchen, with the German way of pronouncing a K.  Like the K was caught deep in her throat and she had to get it to her tongue first before she could spit it out.  No one said Kuchen like her... at least no one, I knew.

And the taste!  My Golly, the taste!  Her warm Apple Kuchen right out of the oven had no description at all - just pure taste followed by complete satisfaction.

Being a kid, I wolfed it down in less than two bites, but even so - even now, I remember the flavour.

So I started trying every Kuchen recipe I could find.  None of her family had her recipe, because she never used one.  Of course she didn't - that's why it was so darn perfect!

None of the recipes I tried were anything like her KKKuchen.... ( that's not a typo)!

Until last week...

I was back on the hunt again, and found a recipe that turned out to be really good, actually - it is almost the same, but not quite as wonderful as My Aunt Anna's Apple Kuchen recipe.

I have actually figured out the missing ingredient in every recipe I have tried -  it's her - she is what is missing.  Her and her generous home-made apron, her kitchen that smells like baking, warm milk with a hint of fresh hay, and her pronunciation of Kuchen.

As it turns out the recipe could not be any simpler than it is.

So just in case you have had this very same dilemma - I'm going to share the recipe I found, with you.

Enjoy!

Apple Kuchen

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup butter

Mix with pastry blinder and press into a  8x8 square pan

..............

4 cups apples peeled and sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together and place on top of crust in pan.

.........

Topping:

1/2 flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together and sprinkle on top of apple layer.

Baker at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.  Refrigerate leftovers ( if you have any)

A COLLAR FOR CHRISTMAS!

 This post is extremely personal to me.  That's because it is about my husband, Gary.  

It was not an easy decision to make this post, because Gary is a very private person who doesn't like to be in the spotlight - in fact if truth were told, I had to really work on him to convince him that his story was special enough to even be told!

If you met Gary for the first time, you would say he's a quiet fellow, friendly, a nice guy.  All those would be true.  His gentle soul was what first made me love him, all those years ago.

But he is also fiercely loyal to those he loves, and he also has a generous amount of stubborn determination, when life demands call on him to use it.

Gary was born in Chicago in 1956, he is 64 yrs old, and we have been married for 36 years.  

In 1977, when Gary was 21 years old, he had a tragic accident, that should have ended his life - He fell 32 feet from a Ferris Wheel at a small amusement park in Justice Illinois.  

The accident was remembered in a column in the Chicago Tribune called "What Ever Happened to..." in 2009.

Have a read:

Gary recovered his injuries, but what he didn't share with the press in the Update above was his recollections of the fall itself.  Only those close to Gary know what he felt as he plunged the 32 feet to the ground.  

He recalls having no fear in the seconds it took for the bar of the cage he sat in to swing out, and for him to reach the small arcade roof, which he crashed through, essentially breaking his fall before he hit the cement pavement.  What he did feel was a presence, as if someone was with him, cradling him as he fell... a feeling that has stayed with him all his life.

Fast forward thirty years or so.  Gary's vision which has been poor due to severe myopia is deteriorating rapidly.  After being assessed by several specialists, Gary is told that he is going blind and there is no cure.  He can no longer drive, or work, and is now confined to our home.  He has begun falling down stairs and having accidents around the home due to his inability to see.

Instead of becoming a victim of his circumstance, Gary walks to a nearby Lutheran church, where he once was employed as an organist.  He meets with the Pastor, who has known Gary for a long time.  He explains his need to feel useful, and his desire to do something, even though his options are extremely limited. 

The pastor points Gary to a organization called Lutheran Volunteer Ministries, where volunteers are trained to visit shut-ins in hospitals and care homes to bring spiritual care and comfort to the people they visit.  Soon Gary is Volunteering at Misericordia Hospital and participating in personal visitation as well as group spiritual care gatherings.  His vision continues to deteriorate, and in desperation he visits his local optometrist who refers Gary to one more specialist for consultation on his blindness.

After several visits to the new specialist, Gary is slated for surgery ( removal of massive cataracts) and within months, he can once again drive and work and function in the normal world.

Gary is offered the position of co-ordinator of Lutheran Volunteer Ministries, which he accepts and he throws himself into his new vocation with all he has.  He begins study in Theology and progresses from

Lay-Minister
to a Deacon.  He begins performing  monthly church services in Personal Care homes, and then progresses to church services to congregations in a church setting.  

Gary continued his studies and now he has received Ordination from the Independent Lutheran Synod as a Pastor.

At 64 years of age, Gary has achieved his life- long dream, and I am so proud because I know first hand how difficult this journey has been.

If ever a life has been powered by the hand of God -  Gary's surely has.

- - -

I was going to get him a new wallet for Christmas ( he needs it), but instead I am shopping for a special shirt and a special collar. 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Pastor Graumann.

IT IS A WONDERFUL WORLD!

With all that is going on, and has been going on in our world this year, it is very easy to get caught up in the negative sentiment that seems to be prevalent everywhere you go, and pretty much with most of the people you meet or associate with.

I suppose it is our own choice as to whether we join that sentiment, or not.  I choose the not version of this conversation.

That's why for a very long time, I have been searching and finding like-minded people on social media.  

That statement might immediately turn you away from this blog post.  So be it!  That also is your choice!

Last fall I happened across a You-tuber from Northumberland England called Kate.  Her Youtube channel is called The Last Homely House.  When I started watching her channel it was The Last Homely House East of the Sea.  Why wouldn't you check out someone who had a channel name like that?  It was her channel name that first drew me to check out her channel.

Kate is almost exactly the same age as I - right down to the month - and I often think we could be twins in our thinking, our love of gardening, animals, and crafting. 

Her channel is not over the top - it's just Kate being Kate - doing what she loves and taking you along through her ordinary day - even when it's just cleaning out her craft room drawers.

When the Pandemic hit and lockdowns were occurring all over the world, Kate created a virtual "LIME GREEN SOFA" in her home, for all her beloved subscribers and viewers.  It was a place we all could gather together to sew or knit, visit, have tea, snacks and conversation.  In other words - she invited her viewers to connect to her and to one another through her channel.

Her idea sky-rocketed!  People from all over the world, including myself started participating with the idea of the "Lime Green Sofa".  Her comment section became a place to have a conversation with other like-minded people, and so Kate took the idea one step further and introduced the lime green sofa to Facebook on her group The Last Homely House East of the Sea.

The Lime Green Sofa Facebook group has only been up for a few weeks, but it too has just exploded.  I have no idea how many members are there already, but the group continues to grow daily.

One woman!  One woman sitting in the comfort of her sewing room where her computer sits off to one side, has connected thousands of like-minded people!

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that she has accomplished more in her short time on Youtube, than any celebrity or politician has in their entire lifetime.

Well done Kate...and Norma, and Eileen....

Who are they, you ask?  

Not telling - find out for yourself!

I have found new friendships, some even close to my own home.  Think of it - a woman half the world away has introduced me to someone in my own area. 

Let that sink in awhile - 

The World IS a Wonderful place - because of people like our Dear Kate.  

Kate  - Thank You from the bottom of my heart.  You have made a difference - and in my mind - that counts for so much more than most of us can hope to accomplish in our lifetime!

October is Out - November is Moving in!

 It seems to me that October went by very fast this year!  

As October's go, it was a particularly special one this year.  I turned 65 on the 13th, and although I really don't get into the number aspect of age a whole lot, I have to admit that this one stung, just a tiny little bit.

The very first thing I thought about on my birthday was my Mom.  She was 61 when she passed away in 1984 - four years younger than I am now, and yet somehow, I considered her a lot older than I believe people consider me.  Does that make sense?  Maybe I am the only one who thinks this - maybe everyone else does think of me as an elderly person - who knows!  

But all that "thinking" has passed now, and instead of pondering my age, I am moving forward to new ventures.  My body may reflect my age, but my mind is that of a much younger person... or again - so I believe!

So what new ventures are ahead, you ask?

Well for one thing, I really want to get my Youtube channel running better than it is.  I need a better camera and some editing capabilities so I can progress to more professional looking Vlogs and Podcasts.  My equipment is pathetic and very frustrating to work with - that has to change - and soon!

Secondly I am determined to get my Etsy shop up and running before Christmas.  I have a lot of work to do towards that end, but hopefully now that gardening season is really over I will have time to really devote to this task.

To that end, I am organizing my studio ( again).  I need space to store my Etsy inventory, I need space to do my packaging/ shipping stuff, and I need to get my computer organized to handle all the "business" end of my shop.

Filling the shop won't be a problem - I have more than enough to open the shop already.

I also am planning A Special Advent Calendar Event on my Youtube channel for this season's Advent.  Starting on Sunday November 29th, I will be doing a video a day for Advent.  Consider it a door opened every day, but instead of getting a piece of candy or chocolate, you will get some kind of Advent treat - from me.

There will be music, crafts, stories, baking, readings, decorating... something different every day from November 29 until Christmas Eve.  

I will be co-ordinating my event with my blog.  So for instance, if we are going to make something together - I will post the pattern or recipe, here on my blog several days before the video - so you can gather your supplies and make along with me.  

I will also post the schedule for the videos a week in advance here on the blog, so you can see what is coming up every day for that week.

I can't wait to get started, I think it will be a fun way to get us to Christmas Eve during a time, when fun is difficult to imagine.  If you are stuck at home - join me - I think you will be entertained enough to want to come back every day for the entire month.

So Out with October 2020 - November is just around the corner - and it's going to be a busy Month!

Stay well everyone.

OCTOBER IS HERE!

 

Can you believe it's October 1st already?  Where on earth did the summer go?

Here in Manitoba Canada, we are just weeks away from our first snowfall.  Yes, snow!  Typically our first snow is around Halloween, but last year we had a huge snowstorm on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend ( the second week of October).  

That wasn't normal, and no one was near ready to start winter that early - but we did - the snow stayed until April... it was a very long winter indeed!

Hopefully there won't be a repeat of that event this year.

As nasty as last fall was, this fall has been glorious.  The colours have been brilliant this year, and although a lot of the leaves are already on the ground, there are still some places around where you can find some gorgeous fall colours.

I took these photos a week ago on one of my morning walks...

As pretty as these colours are, nothing beats our unbelievable prairie skies - especially when they frame a golden crop of corn waiting to be harvested.

I took this photo this week while we were stopped on the highway for construction vehicles to pass.  There was a storm promised for later that day, and in this photo you can start to see the clouds moving in to the area.  The combination of blue sky, huge puffy clouds and the golden dying stalks of the corn just took my breath away.

Is that not a beautiful view of a approaching storm?

I hope we get more days like this one through the month of October.

So much nicer than snow...

MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL - LITERALLY!

 Yesterday I walked past my front steps on the way across the street to my neighbours house.  As always my eyes sought out my flower beds that flank each side of the stone steps leading to my front door. 

My eyes were checking out my fall daisy plants which are just about ready to burst out in beautiful little purple - blue blossoms, and then I noticed a pile of dirt, which I couldn't remember being there before.

I stopped walking and really took a good look and there was not one mound of dirt, but 6 mounds in formation that loosely resembled a question mark.  it took me a minute to realize that I was looking at a series of mole hills appearing like a mini-city in my flower beds and front lawn.

It's not the first time we have had moles on our property.  The last time was about 4 years ago, when mounds started appearing in our large garden in the back yard.  It was early spring, and I had not yet planted my garden, but it took no time at all until the yard was covered with hills.  

I had seen mole hills many times at my Uncle's farm, I knew about them, but never was much concerned whether they were there or not.  Mole hills in my own yard - well that was a horse of a different colour.

I immediately set about trying to find someone in town to "deal" with my problem.  I remember asking several people what I should do.  One suggestion was stick some Juicy-Fruit gum in the hole for them to eat - and then they would blow up!  Yuk.  

Another suggestion was to put a hose down the hole and drown them out - Yuk, Yuk!

We went to the hardware store looking for a trap and honestly there were no traps at all!

In the end a kind old fellow came to my aide, and with a trap that looked like a guillotine turned supreme torture chamber -  he trapped and disposed of the critter without my even seeing it. Yeah!

So here we are - four years later and they have decided to take up residence in my yard again.  Once again I am asking for help from my neighbours - mostly retired farmers.  You'd think they have traps?

Apparently not - they left them on the farm -  have never needed them in town! 

Really?  Never?  I'm from the city, and now I have needed them twice!

Again I get the advice on how to trap them.  Find the hole, put the trap in, don't cover the hole, some say... cover the hole tightly, say others!

I'm told they have claws like a badger... are the size of a large rat.... are ugly beyond description.... 

Do I want to do this?  Do I want to see this mole?  NO and NO!

And then I look outside and overnight they have added another house to their town!

Now I am told that each mound of dirt is a room.  You know - one to store food - a birthing room - I guess they have a living room and a bathroom?  No Sunroom tho - they don't like light.

Hubby has warned I am on my own with this -and I just want to stay up in my studio and keep writing!

Am I making a Mountain out of several Molehills?

You bet I am!  I'm procrastinating too!

I don't even have a trap yet!

OH could someone please come over and deal with this for me!!

I can't call the old guy who helped me before - he was killed in a tragic accident just months after he got my mole.  I'm so sorry Mr. Blake - we all miss you so much!

I think I am being tested.  Buck up, city girl - you're in the country now - get some grit!

I need to take a deep breath, get off this desk chair and get to the hardware store!  Do I really have to do this?  Really?

Pray for me... or pray for the mole... I don't know.  Maybe pray for us both!

Wish me luck?

I'm getting off the chair now....

THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN FALL - EXCEPT MAYBE THIS "OVEN APPLE PANCAKE!"

 I'm not sure there is anything better than the season, of Autumn /Fall.  Mother nature pulls out all the stops on this the last true season of the year, and even if for some of us the season is rather short - it still is as beautiful and glorious as they come!

It happens to be my favourite season.  I was born in this season, so that might explain why I love it so much, but I think it's the way that fall prepares us for a different pace that I love the best.

The colours are spectacular, but then the leaves are shed and cover the ground... Mother Nature is saying "Gather your blankets, harvest the food that I have grown for you, rest now, gather your strength - I'll turn down the light and make your days shorter."

I try to allow Fall's influence into my life, by doing some of the things that the season suggests.

I gather my harvest and store it for the winter.  I pick up my knitting needles that have been sitting in a bag most of the summer forgotten, and I get back to making those socks, and blankets, mittens and shawls. 

 I go to bed earlier,  I sleep much better;  I make more hot satisfying meals, and I take more time enjoying those meals.

Fall is the only time we get to pick apples from the tree and this year the apples are plentiful in our community.  On my walks around town I have been watching trees load themselves with plump apples for the past couple of months.  And now they are ready to pick.

Everyone is giving apples away here, it's been an incredible harvest this year.

My neighbour picked 500 lbs of apples from one little tree and very kindly shared a garden-wagon full of them with me.

So yesterday I spent my day peeling coring and freezing apples to use this winter.  

One of my favourite things to make with apples is   OVEN APPLE PANCAKE.  I thought I had shared the recipe here before, but I can't locate it so, I am going to share it again.  

It's perfect for Brunch, or a special breakfast, or even an evening meal.  We have ours for our supper  along with some sausages or ham.  It is a recipe that you will make over and over again - I can promise you that!

So here is the recipe.

Note:  I make my pancake in a quiche dish, or a very deep pie plate because the batter really expands and will go over a regular sized pie plate.

OVEN APPLE PANCAKE:

1/4 cup butter 

1/3 cup brown sugar

Ground Cinnamon, light sprinkle

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2-4 apples ( enough to cover the bottom of your pan) peeled, cored and sliced

Set oven to 425F

Melt butter in your pie plate or quiche pan. Stir brown sugar into melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon.  Place apples over sugar mixture, enough to cover the bottom of your dish and cook in oven for 10 minutes.

Beat eggs, add milk, salt and flour.  Stir to moisten.  Pour over apples, return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve inverted so the apples and syrup are on the top.

Enjoy! 

SEVEN MONTHS OF CHANGE!

 It's been seven months since my last blog post.  Looking back at the last few posts I had written I realize that the world is a much different place than it was even seven months ago!

Hello Everyone!  Welcome back to Erndalesnmore!

It has been much too long since I sat down at my computer and wrote anything, quite frankly.  I'm not even sure why that is - but it is a fact!

The Pandemic is here, it hadn't quite reached us here in Canada in February, but unbeknown to us, it was very close indeed!

We have gone through the first wave, and now if the authorities are correct, we are about to hit the second wave.  We have all faced challenges, some who have lost loved ones have faced unbearable heartache.

Personally I believe we should all have learned something very valuable through this experience, however the human race being what it is, I don't think that has necessarily happened.

So Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 have come and gone.  We will never see this time again. 

I hope you kept well and I hoped you kept busy doing the things you love, as much as possible.

Long before the Pandemic I had decided to completely revamp my gardens in our back yard.  I had been planning and drawing out plans for months by the time that spring hit, so when it did I went into action and made that project my reason to get up and outside each and every morning!

I can tell you I worked like a dog!  ( where did that saying come from anyway?)  But I did.  I moved structures, I dug, I planted, I made new structures, I weeded, I trimmed, I chopped, I carried, I hauled, and occasionally I sat and observed and changed my plan.

My Year 1 overhaul plan worked.  My garden plan was everything I'd hoped it would be - and then some.  

I took video of my progress from April to the September, and those video's are all on my Youtube channel "Whatever the weather may be".  If you are interested pour yourself a coffee and check them out.

Here is a brief  view of my progress...

I can't wait for Year 2 of my garden plan to come to fruition.  But until then, it will be more planning, more drawing and more dreaming!

A POSSESSED KNITTER!

It's about bout time I got back on here and wrote another blog, I'm thinking!  Good intentions sometimes don't really turn out the way we intended - that certainly seems to be the case with me, of late.

But I'm here now, and really I have been kind of busy doing a lot of different things.

Let's catch up...

So here we are, already almost halfway through the month of February.  How did that happen?

I've been knitting like a possessed woman - really I have.  I can't seem to help myself.

So here is what's currently on the needles.

 First - The Ardent Shawl - which I am making for my daughter-in law, Sasha.  I have only started this project, so there is a lot to do on this one.

Second, I am slowly depleting my small ball stash of yarn with this project  - the Mitered Square blanket.  This piece is starting to get quite warm to sit under while I work on it, so I might soon put this one away until fall, and finish it then.  It's bright, colourful and will make a nice large blanket to snuggle under when watching TV next winter.

Next I decided to treat myself to a Subscription kit, from Annie's.  This is a knit sampler afghan.  Every month I will receive yarn and patterns for squares until the  afghan is complete.  I received my first month at the beginning of the month, in the kit was two skeins of yarn, bamboo needles, patterns for  the first three blocks, a cable needle, a darning needle and some stitch markers. 

The blocks I am working on are indicated in the picture below,  and the second image is what the completed afghan will look like.

 

I also have a pair of socks on the go.  I'm loving the way these are turning out.

I have completed a few things as well.  

First here is the first Ardent shawl I made - this one for myself.  It turned out beautiful.  I think Sasha's will be even nicer as it is in a much finer yarn so the lace will be more noticeable in her shawl.

Then I made this little bookmark for one of my piano student's who had a birthday last week.

And Valentine's gifts for the grand-daughters - handmade scrunchies and headbands.

As well as a little black beanie hat with a rainbow pompom , which was special requested by 5 yr old Azaria.

See what I mean by possessed?

Seriously I have even out-done my own self!  

However all this creativity has moved time along and today I actually spent time taking slips from last year's geraniums for this year's planting season.  I ended up with 24 new plants for my pots all over the yard this summer.  How wonderful!

I don't know about you, but I have worn myself out... so I'm headed downstairs to watch the final two episodes of season 3 of the Crown.

Spring is coming - and I will talk about that next time!

Till then...

ALL ABOUT ELIZABETH!

Elizabeth came to being somewhere around the year 1900, no one can say for sure when she arrived, because no one back then, or even now really knows.

I am pretty certain her beginnings were in the United States, but exactly where is anyone's guess, but she started her life on a farm near the little village of Palo Iowa - that is known for certain.

She wasn't called Elizabeth at the beginning, that name was given to her by Mabel Owens; a little girl born in 1896.  Mabel Owens was my Grandmother.

Elizabeth and Mabel became fast friends, going everywhere together, spending hours in each other's company.  They grew up together, and when Mabel fell in love and married and moved to Canada in 1917, Elizabeth went with her, to start her new life near her long-time friend.

Married life for Mabel was hectic.  She was a busy farm wife and mother to eleven children.  After the birth of her youngest child, Mabel succumbed to pneumonia and passed away.

Elizabeth was forgotten about, as the large family struggled without their Mabel.  Mabel's eldest daughter, Margaret became the care giver of her ten siblings, and once in awhile she would seek out the comfort that only Elizabeth could give.  Just like her mother before her, Margaret grew to love Elizabeth and cherished her time with her new-found friend.

The years went by, Margaret grew up and started a family of her own.  She could see how Elizabeth was aging, so she brought Elizabeth to live with her, so she could care for her.  When Margaret moved her family to Wisconsin in the late 1950's, Elizabeth moved with her - back to the country of her origin.

I first met Elizabeth in 1972, I was a teenager  - all wrapped up in myself, as teenagers tend to be. Meeting Elizabeth, and hearing the story of her friendship with my Grandmother (whom I had never known) and then my Aunt (who I adored), I was immediately captivated by Elizabeth.  Each time I visited my Aunt my love for Elizabeth grew.

The last time I saw Elizabeth was the last time I saw my Aunt Margaret, in 2010. By this time, they were both very elderly, and when I said goodbye, I knew that it would be my last chance to do so.

Aunt Margaret passed away in 2017, and by this time Elizabeth had long been forgotten.  I missed my Aunt terribly, and thought about Elizabeth a lot, but her story had ended just as my Aunt Margaret's had.

After my Aunt passed away, I got a call from my cousin, asking if there was anything I wanted from my Aunt's home - the family were cleaning out the house and hoping to sell the property.  I asked for a few things I had made and given to Aunt Margaret over the years, and then Elizabeth popped in my mind.  I asked my cousin what had ever come of Elizabeth, and he admitted that he had no knowledge of her.  I was sad, and more than a little upset with myself that I hadn't asked about her years sooner.  I asked him to find out what he could about Elizabeth, and he promised me he would try.

Weeks later I got a call from another Aunt ( Margaret's sister) telling me that a box had arrived from my cousin with things I had requested of my Aunt's, could I come an pick it up?

I did that the next week.  Sure enough, there were the items I had requested, as well as some craft supplies of my Aunt's that my cousin thought I would use, and another unmarked box, which brought tears to my eyes the minute I saw what was inside.

Elizabeth - Beautiful old Elizabeth, who had been my Grandmother's best friend through her childhood years - and my Aunt's most beloved doll, in the whole of her very vast collection!  Elizabeth had come home to me, and now it was my turn to treasure her for awhile.

I have cuddled her, talked to her, told her stories, and in her silent reply I have felt the memories of a hundred and twenty years and three generations of love pouring out to me.  How very Blessed I have been to be her caretaker for even a few years.

She is 120 years old now, and with each passing day her precious story in my family continues.  I would love to keep her forever,  but I know that doing so might jeopardize her future.  I want to be sure that she lives on for generations to come, so I have decided to pass her forward to the fourth, and even fifth generation.

On Sunday I will be saying goodbye to Elizabeth Owens.  She will be staying with my cousin for a few months, and then she is moving to France to live with her soon to be new best friend  - Mabel's Great-great-granddaughter - Dylann Ella Jeandel.

I have written a little book of her life as I know it, that will go with her, and I hope as she continues to pass through future generations that her story will continue to grow.

I will miss her, I surely will, but I am happy that she will live on long after I am gone from this earth.  I know Mabel and Margaret would approve...

Safe Travels, Dear Elizabeth!

LEMON RASPBERRY SCONES! A DELICIOUS TREAT!

Our small local Newspaper NEEPAWA BANNER & PRESS, is very much in the format of newspapers from days gone by.  At Christmas time they have the pages of pages of greetings from business in the area, and they have the "holiday cooking and baking recipes" section, called OUT OF HELEN'S KITCHEN.

I saved the whole section this year as there were several really good recipes to try.

This was one of them.

LEMON RASPBERRY SCONES

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cold butter
1 lemon, zested ( about 1-2 tsp)
3/4 cup buttermilk or cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup frozen raspberries

GLAZE

2- 3 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 - 1 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon zest in large bowl.  Mix to combine.  Add butter to dry ingredients with a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Add 1/2 cup frozen raspberries to the mixture and toss to coat.  Stir the lemon juice into the buttermilk and add evenly over the flour mixture. Toss with a fork, scraping up from the bottom, until the dough starts to clump together.  Stir gently and as little as possible in the bowl until it all comes together in a ball.  Avoid overworking the dough.

Turn out on a lightly floured surface.  Pat the dough into a circle.  Using a knife, divide the dough in half diagonally and each half into 4-6 slices.

Place on baking sheet and add remaining raspberries wherever it needs once.

Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

Glaze:  To prepare the glaze, combine lemon juice and 1/2 cup icing sugar in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add more sugar as needed to create the desired consistency for glazing.

Cool scones for at least 10 minutes before glazing.

These are delicious and I highly recommend them, however, I followed the recipe exactly as written and at the end of 15 minutes of baking, mine still were not cooked.  So I reduced the heat to 350 (so the bottom wouldn't burn) and cooked them a further 10 minutes.

When I make them again, I will make sure to thaw the raspberries first - I think that was the issue with the batter not cooking in the prescribed time.

I served these to guests and everyone loved them...

Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I am embarrassed at the amount of time that has gone by since I last posted here on my blog - mortified even!

I can blame many things, but I won't.  Suffice to say, I made more video's for my YouTube channel (Whatever the Weather May Be), and neglected my Blog, which I really do regret.

But it's a New Year, and one of the things I really wanted to do to start off my New Year is come back here and start writing at least a bi-weekly blog.  So may today be the first of many for 2020!

How have you all been?  Well I hope!

Since I last posted a few exciting things have happened.  First, I started the McCreary Knitting group.  We had our first meet up in September, and have met once a month since then.  In December we had a Christmas Party where we decided to make a Christmas craft instead of knitting so I made up kits of my little blue jean angels for everyone, and we spent the evening making angels and snacking on gorgeous treats that everyone brought to share. 

Now that the holidays are past us, it's time to get back to our knitting group again!

Speaking of knitting!
I did finish my fall/spring walking sweater  - it turned out great.  It's too warm to wear in the house but will be perfect for walks outside on cooler spring and fall days and evenings.

I also finished two adorable winter hats and a pair of mittens for Baby Llewyn (my nephew's new baby boy).  And winter toques and mittens for Granddaughter's Zhanna and Azaria.

I started a scrappy blanket project which is using up all my tiny balls of leftover yarn and I finally got brave enough to try the Mitered Square Blanket, which as it turns out, is simple to do.  I particularly love this pattern as you add the squares as you go and there is new sewing squares together when you are finished!  It's Brilliant!

I have purchased this pattern from Ravelry, it is the Ardent Shawl by Janina Kallio.  I am going to make two of these, one for my daughter-in-law Sasha, and one for myself.  The yarn I am going to be using in 70% silk and 30% seaweed,  by Handmaiden, purchased from Yarn Canada.

I have enough knitting projects lined up to get me through winter ( Whatever the Weather May Be)... but never far from my mind is the gardening season ahead and all that entails.

So I'll be back tomorrow with a yummy recipe I tried last week - you won't want to miss this one, it's a keeper, for sure!

See You tomorrow!

Till Then...