signs of the times.......

i saw geese flying south this morning.

even though this makes me feel slightly melancholy, there is an undeniable excitement in the air that even a sworn summer lover like myself can't dispute.

the mornings are growing crisper, the days have grown shorter, and the pumpkin has become a pleasing orange.

corn on the cob, and ripe tomato have been declared 'sweet ambrosia'!

summer, i shall have to defer in honor of a most tantalizing autumn.....

♥

She's Really moving!

My younger sister is moving to my neck of the woods! She will be living with my mom, just down the lane from our home. How fun to have my own sister so close by!

Now if we could get our other sister to make the move............

maybe I should say 'if we could get our BIL to make the move' then our other sis would be here too.

:-D

I was visiting CT LOG CABIN this evening and she has posted a yummy looking recipe for PumPkin Fudge! You should hop over and have a look see.

http://logcabinprimitives.blogspot.com/

It is another of our favorite pleasures to be able to listen to the Galloway Highlanders They are very good, and the song of the pipes just calls me home.....

Only two more days left until we leave for Ft Bridger Wyoming. All of our children and grandchildren will be here this year! Rain or shine, ( and we always get both) we have the best time together!

Don't for get to try some PumPkin fudge! :-D

more of the same.....

This is the water man for lack of a proper name! For part of the time he is at Rendezvous he dresses as an 18th century man selling water. (his water is in bottles down in one of his buckets) He is all dirty and his clothes are raggedy. We know it's really rendezvous when we see the water seller! :-D

I love the following picture, 18th century and 21st century side by side. : D

for a good short video about ft bridger rendezvous.......... scroll up on the left side of my blog & click on the tepee.

Oh, and Becky over at Tennessee Ridge Primitives has invited us all over to have another Halloween freebie!!!!

http://extremeprimitives.blogspot.com/

remember she only has them on for a limited time.....:-D

♥

Bridger Boom

Just getting hyped to go!!!

whatcha workin on wednesday......

Well, like I said on Monday...this is crunch week here at the Stone House. We are getting ready for our annual trip to Ft Bridger for the yearly rendezvous! We camp and laugh and play cards and when the fort opens we go ( wearing our period proper clothing...) and participate in the rendezvous activities! Leslie, you should come and bring your family! Wyo is not too far from PA is it? (smiling )

So,

Today I am sewing DH some drop front knee britches! Out of linen. Hummm. These will be a different kettle of fish for him to wear. Not as heavy of fabric as Wranglers! LOL We play cards with my Mom this afternoon, and I am making traditional taco's for my pot luck dish. Later on I am hoping for time to run to my daughters and help her sew a linen "Robe 'a l' Anglaise a la plolnaise" Why is it that 18th century pattern instructions are almost unrecognizable to read as being English?

I was able to go to a TS is Idaho on our way home from our road trip, and found some fun treasures. I scooped these books up for a dollar each. They are old time life books. They have lots of colonial as well as the more "fluffy" (quoting LBC's word) country look. They have lots of helpful info. I was excited to find them.

Janene showed us her sweet clock this morning and I. AM. SO. IN. LOVE. WITH. IT. I am going to be on the look out for one that I can re-do similar to hers! If you haven't seen it, go have a look see!

http://janene-primitivelifestyle.blogspot.com/

Here is a little clock that I picked up at the TS. I think I may have a thing for clocks! lol

Not sure how I'll re-do it yet.

While we were tripping we stayed a night at my Sister's home, and she fed us the most incredible breakfast ever! We had our choice of yummy honey butter, or freshly made from freshly picked, Huckleberry jam , on hot scones, Hash browns, eggs ( for them that likes em) and these beautiful little steaks wrapped in Bacon, hot off the grill! The steaks were Buffalo! Never eaten a Buffalo steak before. It was sooooooo good! (ya, even LBC woofed his down) Thanks Anne! She sent us home with some Huckleberries, and a jar of her highly coveted pickled asparagus! Which we did manage to wait to open until the kids were all at our house. (and I did threaten all of their lives if they didn't save any until their dad got out of the shower....LOL) It goes pretty fast once opened!

See how pretty it looks in the jar!

Just got a reminder call to go tie quilts at the church......so I will most likely not get too much done on the knee britches this morning!

That's how it goes huh! :-D

LBC is loving school, and is signed up to try out for the school play, The Wizard Of Oz. Hope he gets a part. Have a great day and don't forget to visit Leslie

http://sweets-mycountryhome.blogspot.com/

and see what she as everyone is working on this Wednesday!

I had better get a move on it!

♥

Monday August 24th, 2009....

Well......today is the DAY!!!..........................

Today, I have been married 30 years! can you believe it?

Here we are 30 years ago!

( I'm standing on a suitcase here....time has certainly changed a few things huh... )

Do we look young or what? (no laughing from any of you )

I have truly been a blessed woman to have lived with this man for 30 years! Hopefully I can have that many more......and all of Eternity!

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

I'm not sure I should show an after 30 year photo....... 29 years, and still going strong of raising kids kind of makes you look like you're in your 50's or something.....LOL

However....................

TODAY, AUGUST 24TH 2009 , IS THE FIRST DAY OF 7TH GRADE FOR LBC!!! WAHOO! OH YA, UMHUMM, OH YA, OH YA!!! UMHUMMM!!!!



He was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited this morning that he didn't even grump (too much) about changing sprinklers ! He has his lunch money (all $2.00 of it) tucked safely away in his wallet, (where I know it's burning a hole) waiting until his lunch time comes so he can leave campus and run across the street to the grocery store and buy his lunch ...high school style! ( he's only waited 6 years to be able to do this! ) He looked way handsome, and I thought I should have a picture to show you, but he thought, and I quote, "I look way too sexy for the camera" and maybe he did at that! LOL
I hope this day brings him everything he wants it too!

....and hopefully he won't get stuffed in the trash can by an older kid this first day! :-D

.....well, a kids gotta have something fun to look forward too.......

( small town school....7th -12th go all together.........)

It's also the DAY our oldest grandsons go to 1st grade!

WOW!

They will be gone the whole school day now............

*

just

mom and

the baby ( who is 2 )

*

home

*

'alone'

*

all

*

day!

*

.......until the new baby comes in Dec....
http://ouradventurelifeandotherstuff.blogspot.com/

Please forgive me dear bloggers.....I'm hopelessly behind!

It's crash week at the Stone House..... because it's the week before we leave for Rendezvous.......I'm just so busy doing everything that should have been done in the winter time, so I wouldn't have to have 'crash week' in the fall......LOL ......... maybe in the NEXT 30 years I'll get it all together......

........if you haven't been married 30 years yet, and you have it all together,

I strongly dislike like you.........

( OK, I would have said hate right here, but someone I know may be reading this! LOL)

*

In Hymn Of Praise

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

words and music : Clara W McMaster, b. 1904

arranged and preformed: Paul Cardall

Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue blue sky, Whenever I feel the rain on my face Or the wind as it rushes by, Whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by our lilac tree, I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings He gave me my ears that I may hear the magical sound of things. He gave me my life, my mind, my heart: I thank him rev'rent-ly for all his creations, of which I'm a part. Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

We do live in a beauitful world don't we.

Hi. We are back from a fast and furious road trip!

We saw these beauties! I never get tired of seeing them!

And we saw this western icon.

And as much in between and on the way to and from as we could fit in!

Whew! Fast road trip!

It was sooooo good to get away for even a few days!

Talk to you all next week.

Mormon Ad - Homefront - Swashbuckler

I came across this somehow, and it makes me smile. There really isn't anything more important than spending time with our children.

Have you ever eaten chocolate dipped twinkies?

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like following the supposed behavior of Lemmings? HUMMMMM. Well that's the kind of day I had today. To make matters worse, I think the biggest part of it was self inflicted, which is not all together any sort of comfort. But like so much dirty laundry, it all got sorted out in the end.



Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Will somebody slap my face! ( Thanks in advance, I needed that.)



OK, Now that that is mostly out of the way......... I just wanted to ask, if any of you had indulged in any S'mores this weekend?

Any Creamsicles?

Any Lemon Pie?



I broke out of the traditional mode as far as S'mores were concerned, and I bought some coconut marshmallows, ( of which I did snarf more than my fair share... I told you ...) and some cookies and cream chocolate bars. In my opinion, the plain Jane S'mores are still the best to be had!
We did have some creamsicles, but I spaced off the pie.....( got to carried away reminding everyone else, that I couldn't even remember myself! lol )




BUT, I tried another way yummy treat! Chocolate dipped Twinkies! Have you ever tried them? They were soooo good. Our # 2 daughter and her husband had just returned from a trip on the Oregon coast, and they brought some of these beauties home for us to try. There were Cherry flavored chocolates ones, Watermelon flavored chocolate ones, Strawberry, lemon, orange, and cinna bun flavored ones. I was sold right then and there. I loved the cherry and watermelon flavored ones. They would be fun to make for a special occasion. I don't think they would be too hard to conger up.



After my DH got home from work, I flung myself against his rock hard and much taller chest, crying "wow is me, your son is yours for the rest of the evening, work him until his small fingers fall off", an then I drove into town for some hamburger buns. This may not see like much of an adventure to you, but for me, to just drive into town (16 miles one way ) for one item is not something I very often do...... But it was a much needed adventure, an may have even saved my total sanity, except by this time it had mostly returned.... I did manage to remember the hamburger buns, (which is a miracle in itself ) and I even went to Alco to find some fabric. I was not disappointed. I picked up a few pieces, some black vinyl to make a new seat cover for the 4 wheeler, and two other pieces to make some 18th century "housewives". The 4 wheeler seat will be a "no sew" project and DH will do that, the "housewives" will be a hand sewn project that I will take with me in the car this week. I will try ( Oh I know Master Yoda says there is no try, only do...) ( I'm pretty sure Master Yoda was never a busy mother...) to get some pictures of them when I get them finished.

I am sorry that I am again showing you blurry pictures.....

There is something so calming about touching fabric...can't explain it, but I surly do enjoy it! I also bought some wintergreen mints for on the way home, which must be chuck full of some kind of "calming" something or rather, because I know they make me feel better! LOL . I blissfully enjoyed myself the drive and the evening sky. I love love love the evening time! I think it is my favorite time of day. I remembered I had a camera in my purse, and so I snapped a few pictures for you to enjoy. This is what an August evening looks like in my neck of the woods. These pictures were all taken within minutes of each other, some are looking east, some west, some south, and some from my yard.

I love where I live. It has a different kind of beauty that other places, not as green as some, but lovely all the same. I hope you can take some time this week and enjoy the evening beauty in your neck of the woods.

So, in keeping in consistency with my memory, I can't remember if I showed you my ornies from my swap in July? Here they are. I have been enjoying them and now it's almost time for a new swap. The theme for July was simply, Primitive Icons.

Well, that's it for most of the week for me. We are going out of town for a last "fling" before school starts. :-D

What is in a name??? (edited and added to.... again )

Sometimes Blogger is so slow to update ya know it? Well, in between the time I posted this post this morning, and came home and peeked on line again, I found something else I wanted to share with you........ so I added it to the end of my post......... :-D

Mercy Warren Otis

Grammy Linda/Behind My Red Door asked us a very good question this week, What's in a name? You can read her complete post here ....... http://behindmyreddoor.blogspot.com/



Anyway, this question got me to thinking, (I know, that's twice this week...scary huh ) And I decided to take the name plunge.... so I can sign everything with the same name. When I began blogging in January , I did and didn't want to use my own name I felt the same way about the names of my children/grandchildren...but again, sometimes I have used our real names.........I've made it all very confusing.........


From the time I first visited her blog "Be It Ever So Humble", I have been a huge fan of Mrs. Mordecai and her pen names. http://be-it-ever-so-humble.blogspot.com/ . I know other bloggers who also use pen names. So, here goes. The lady of 'The Stone house', ( the stone house being a homestead home built out of sandstone, which would make a post topic for another day, ) ( I smile here, and you're yawning ...lol )has decided to completely go by the pen name, Mercy Otis.


Why Mercy Otis???


Humm. Well, she was a strong willed woman, mother of 5, who was influential in the cause of Freedom during our American Revolution.


Still with me? ( brave souls...)


At this point in my post I had meant to tell you, in a nut shell mind you, a little about Mercy Otis....If you truly want to know more about this real life woman, you can find her on Google! lol



So, 'Mercy Otis' wishes to remind you all that today is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day, and to indulge in some lemony goodness!


Have a great Week end... see you next week!


ooppps..............can't close just yet.
I was looking at my Sis's post today, and she has a fun chocolate cake recipe.

5 minute Chocolate Mug Cake

5 minutes in a microwave! can you beat that? I'm sure you could fill a cookie sheet with mugs full of cake batter and do enough for Sunday dinner desert! Go check it out and get the recipe and tell her hello.
http://parkersest2002.blogspot.com/
Looks yummy to me.

Now I'll say...

Have a great weekend everyone, and don't forget to eat some lemony goodness! Oh, and some 5 minute chocolate cake!

maybe we can compare notes next time we meet.......♥

I can't believe I missed it!/ edited version...

Google tells us, That..............

"National S’mores Day is an annual event that is celebrated every August 10th. S’mores have been around for a long, long time. The Girl Scouts invented the tasty treat way back in 1927.

For many people, s’mores conjure up memories of youth, camping trips and memorable moments spent around the campfire with loved ones. The ooey gooey goodness of warm chocolate and marshmallows sandwiched between two graham crackers over a cracklin’ campfire. Delish!"
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I was reading a post today on Country Pleasures, where I learned that 3 days ago was National S'more Day.

http://countrypleasures.blogspot.com/

Thanks for bringing this to our notice Sue!

Had I know this day loomed on the horizon, I would have planned for it. As it was, the S'mores Day julibee passed by unnoticed and uncelebrated! ........LOL

Here's a little 'S'more' trivia for today....The Hershey Company produces Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars for 746 million S'mores annually, while 90 million pounds of marshmallows are annually produced! No small amount. We all love the ooey gooey of warm chocolate and marshmallows I'm guessing.

We've tried short cut Smores, using chocolate covered cookies instead of the chocolate bar and graham crackers. Not the same . A first for our family this year, were S'mores made with Resses Peanut butter cups instead of Milk Chocolate bars. They were good, but I would rather eat the peanut butter bar plain, little bite by little bite! But I'm a S'more traditionalist, preferring to use the original 1927 recipe.

Summer time isn't the only time we eat S'mores. We eat em all winter long, standin around the burner of our kitchen stove roasting marshmallows on dinner forks.




You can find all kinds of recipes and variations on Google. And for all of you die hards, here is a S'more promotion/contest for you to enter. (not sure of the deadline)
http://kraft.promotions.com/smoresiwg/page.do?page=splash.html

added wed evening, aug 10th......
My friend Brandi says the toasted coconut and Carmel swirl marshmallows are yummy! So there is another variation...

I love the coconut marshmallows just plain. In fact I don't buy them any more because i just snarf the entire bag down ! We had Carmel popcorn balls at Home evening a couple of Mondays ago, and they were made using the Carmel swirl marshmallows. They were way good... (just a little side note that has nothing what so ever to do with Smores.....).


I would recommend some S'mores this weekend. My personal preference would be to indulge while sitting in camp chairs around the fire pit out in my yard. Yummy Good Times.








***


AND, did you know, because I didn't, that Webster's Dictionary has add the word 'staycation' to it's pages?



AND AND, tomorrow, August 14th, is National Creamsicle Day? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popsicle







AND AND AND, Saturday, August 15th is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day? http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Lemon-Meringue-Pie/Detail.aspx

Have a very ooey, gooey weekend everyone! And don't forget to eat a creamsicle tomorrow, and some lemon pie on Saturday!

Panache.....

So, do you have it?

(French word in origin that carries the connotation of a flamboyant manner or reckless courage)

I left a comment on a fellow blogger's post this morning that has got me thinking. (ya, novel idea huh) Why not have Panache every day of our lives? Humm?

To answer to my own question, I would have to say no I don't have a lot of Panache. But reconsidering, in all fairness to myself, the answer may be, sometimes I do. Yes, there are times when I have Panache, and then there are times when I am sadly lacking it. I think I place to many restrictions on myself. But as of today, I'm vowing to have some PANACHE in each and every day! To be bold, to make a jingle when I move, to have a little sass, & to show how much I love my life. I want keep my DH's life so stirred up, that he'll wonder which side is going to be up this time! I want him to miss me when I'm not with him. LOL ( can he truly be happy in a calm and drab atmosphere?) If you have Panache, I tip my hat to you ! I want to be like you when I grow up !

...........And speaking of growing up,........ my oldest grandchildren are 7 today! Unbelievable!

Happy Birthday Baby A and Baby B!

Last time I went to TS I was lucky enough to snag this bowl. Don't know how old it is, or who made it. I do know it's old, and I love it.

Onto more old.....
My daughter gifted me with this old cupboard. Many years ago it had been in the kitchen of her home. I need to clean it. Don't know that I'll re paint it, but I may do some sanding and staining, and I think I'll add some doors. I Love it! Can't wait to get it done and placed in it's spot.

AND, this is how it goes with a 12 year old! I asked him to pose for posterity. There we are! LOL

Have a great day everyone! I'm off to birthday shop, and while I'm at it, I think I look for a nice apple green Jeep for myself! ( just want to add some Panache to my life! ) ♥