Hello...

Hello,

How have you been?

Did you enjoy Christmas?

I really hope so!

Our Christmas was delightful!!!

We spent time together as a family,

we played games, went to church,

watched some old movies,

ate some yummy food,

opened gifts, read,

napped,

played some more games...

I could go on and on.

God was so good to us during this time

and gave us plenty of

Christmas treasures to tuck away!

I am so blessed!!!

Sometimes, I just pinch myself

to see if I am dreaming!

Nope, not dreaming

Blessings are abundant

here at the cottage!

I am so thankful!

I took a little

unintended

but

delightful

blogging break!

Our internet went out for awhile

and while waiting

(not so patiently)

for it to be fixed

I discovered a few things.

First, I discovered that I was

becoming an internet/blog busy body.

and who wants to be

an internet/blog busy body?

Not me!

Second, I discovered that I spent

more time on this ole computer

than I really thought I did.

Third, I discovered that

hanging out with my family

and friends is simply

WONDERFUL!

So, with all these discoveries I have

decided to take another break.

At least until Jen goes back to school

and the cute engineer is back at work.

See ya then!

~Nancy~

Christmas Treasures...two

The next Christmas treasure

came as a birthday surprise!

A few years back Katie

(my first born)

had the opportunity to

study abroad in Israel

for a semester.

She came home bearing gifts,

but there was one gift she kept secret

until my birthday.

Now, there is a story here

that is just precious to me

and probably only me

but I am going to bore you all with it anyway. Ha!

You see, Katie LOVES to surprise people!

My birthday is in the fall and

we had just visited her at school

not to long before my birthday.

So, not for one minute did I think she

would even try to come home for my birthday.

Boy was I WRONG!

I woke up that morning

thinking the cute engineer was

going to take me out for breakfast.

(which he did)

Before, I could even put my feet on

the floor the bedroom door

flung open and in

came Katie sporting

the biggest ole smile on her face.

Yes, I began to cry

(cuz that is what this sentimental momma does when surprised)

Katie had come home sometime in the

middle of the night!

See, I told you she likes to surprise people.

She had yet another surprise for

this momma.

One she had kept a secret for months.

She gave me a box

and exclaimed that it was an early

Christmas gift

"that I would want to open early"

I opened the box and in it was the

most beautiful nativity set

I had ever seen!

She had brought it back from Israel.

I just love it!!!

Like I said before

this is not a treasure because it is a material treasure.

It's a treasure because my sweet girl

put so much thought and

effort into the

SURPRISE!

What are some of your Christmas treasures?

~Nancy~

Christmas Treasures

As I began to unpack the

Christmas boxes

I found myself pondering

many of the memories that are tied to

our Christmas treasures.

(Slowed me down for a while)

As I pondered, I found that many of these

memories filled my heart with

comfort, joy and even a giggle or two!

So, I thought I might show you a few

and tell you some of the stories behind

my Christmas treasures!

Twenty three years ago

the cute engineer received temporary orders

to New London CT.

We knew we would only be there three months

so, we did not move all of our things.

We rented a very cute little house

that was furnished with a bit of this

and a bit of that.

One day during the holiday season

the cute engineer came home with

four, three piece place settings of

Christmas dishes.

I was giddy.

Since then he has added to this collection

every Christmas.

One year he was on a trip to the UK

and hand carried this

beautiful covered veggie dish back.

I can still see his shy grin as he

gave the girls their gifts

and then pulled

out mine.

All three of us were delighted with each of our gifts

and thought

(still do) that he had hung the moon.

I do cherish these dishes not because

I have beautiful Christmas dishes

but because

they came from the heart

of a man who has walked beside me

for more than half my life.

More Christmas treasures to come

Have a lovely evening!

~Nancy~

Tonight Is The Night!

Tonight is the night!

I have been wanting to see

Wicked for a

REALLY

long time.

Last month for my birthday

the cute engineer bought tickets

and

tonight is the night.

YAY!!!

Enjoy your evening!

~Nancy~

Torn Between...

Tonight

I am torn between

putting the borders on this

stack-n-whack quilt top

or

should I finish getting the

Christmas dishes out

and put away?

What's a girl to do?

Have a great evening

~Nancy~

A Thankful Heart

It's the VERY early morning hours of

Thanksgiving

1:25 to be exact

and I am waiting up for

the cute engineer.

He went to deliver some special treats

to his 3rd shift guys.

Both of my sweet girls are tucked

in their beds here at the cottage

and my heart is about

to

BURST!!!

with thankfulness.

To say that this year was an

easy one would be a great big lie!

It has been the most heart wrenching year, EVER.

I don't think I have ever cried so many tears.

My heart has ached over the choices my brother has made,

A gradual loss of another family relationship

and the ever proud tears of watching

your kids grow up and take that

leap from your house to their own.

Tonight as I sat in my warm and cozy cottage

I was pondering this past year

and

my heart just began to fill up

with a peace

that could only have come from

my Heavenly Father.

I am so thankful for

this past year

and

all of it's ups and downs.

The LORD has been that strong tower.

He has hemmed me in.

He has been the light unto my feet

and the lamp unto my path.

Oh, how I love Him!

"But he said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore I will boast all the more

gladly about my weaknesses, so

that Christ's power may

rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

May Christ's power

rest on all of you!

That is my prayer for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

~Nancy~

The Great Search...

Thank you all for sharing

your chili recipes with me!

This search has been

so much fun!

and

tasty too!

We tried this one last week

and

it was AMAZING!!!

(while technically it isn't chili...it is WONDERFUL!)

Green Chile Chicken Stew

6 chicken thighs, skinned and boned

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 small potatoes, preferably red, peeled

1 cup green chile, chopped

1 14 ounce can chicken broth (I used homemade)

Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks.

Salt and pepper and shake them in flour.

Brown the chicken the the hot oil,

add the chopped onion and garlic

gently saute until the onion is slightly soft.

Add chopped potatoes, green chile, and chicken broth

Simmer about 20-25 minutes until the chicken

and potatoes are done.

More broth or water may need to be added.

Feel free to make it your own!

I did tweak this a bit...

I added more green chile

and another clove of garlic.

I hope you all will give this a try!

IT REALLY IS AMAZING

We are looking forward to trying

each and every one.

Thanks again for sharing.

Have a great day!

~Nancy~

A Fine Tuesday Morning

Hello bloggy friends!

How are you this fine Tuesday morning?

It is such a nice fall day and I would

love to make some chili,

I have made the same recipe for years

cuz

that's what the girls loved

but

come to find out

it is not a favorite of the cute engineer.

So, here is where you all come in.

If you have a yummy chili recipe

and you are willing to share it.

Please let me know.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Have a great day!

~Nancy~

Quilting Love Affair

My love affair with quilts began

forty-eight years ago today

when my grandmother gave me

my very first quilt.

I love that her hands embroidered each stitch.

I love that she quilted this by hand.

I love that she didn't finish it because I came early

and she wanted me wrapped in something warm.

My next quilt was given to me when I was a teenager.
It also was from my grandmother.
She took old material from things that she had worn
or that my aunts and uncles wore as children.

I LOVE THAT

When my girls were young my sweet MIL

gave me the next quilt.

She knew my love for all things old

and blessed me with this lovely quilt.

I can not for the life of me remember who made it.

(Denise do you remember?)

I love that these women took the time to make such works of art!

Last year about this time

I received this Christmas quilt.

My BFF Julie sent it to me.

Julie and I have done life together since
Nike tennis shoes

(with the red swoop)

were

THE END ALL TO BE ALL
coveted teen age shoe to have!

To me, a quilt is a warm hug
from someone
SPECIAL!

~Nancy~

Today, I am joining Dayle at

A Collection of This and That for

The Airing of the Quilt Party

Take A Guess...

I have just a few minutes before I head off

to do some sewing with a few friends.

We had such a lovely week end!

How about you?

Now, our week end was lovely because

we were visiting a special someone.

Can you guess where we where?
and who we were visiting?
I'll give you a few hints...
this special girl goes to a school with the initials LU
and it was a long drive!
The cute engineer and I are sooooooo very proud of her.
She is beautiful inside and out.
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving
when she will be home for a whole week!

Go ahead...
take a guess!

Have a great day!

~Nancy~

A Beautiful Day...

This is the day the Lord hath made!

It was a beautiful fall day!

and I had the privilege of spending

it with some beautiful women,

who were sewing some beautiful quilts!
I wish I had pictures of their quilt blocks

,

but the would require that I remember to

take the camera out of my purse.

Hahaha

I do, however have a little peak

of a few of my blocks.

(all made from the same fabric)

We had such a great day!

How was your day?

~Nancy~

Friday Night Date

The cute engineer came home Friday evening

with BIG plans for the evening.

Now,

don't get to excited

like I did.

His plans were...

to rake the back yard.

I knew the backyard

needed a good rake'n

especially since the city is

planning on a pick up day this week,

but

I thought we would take care of that task

on Saturday.

My plans were foiled by

weather.com

There was rain on the way!

and with rain in the picture

the cute engineer was on a mission.

Sooooo, we gathered the necessary tools...

rake

tarp

gloves

and we could not forget

(even if we wanted to)

Libby, our gardening buddy.

Out we went...

Libby was such a big help!

Hahaha

all she wanted to do was play ball!

We raked and raked

and took trip after trip

hauling leaves to the front.

I am happy to say...

IT'S DONE

YAY!!!

Now, we can plant some more bulbs.

Hope you are having a great day today!

~Nancy~

Hmmm...

Can you guess what we are doing this week end?

Enjoy your week end!

~Nancy~

Oh My...

I can't believe it has been

a whole week since I was last on this

ole blog of mine.

Jen came home!

She was home a very short two days,

and we made the very best of those two days.

We shopped, we laughed, we ate her favorites,

we watched a few movies , visited the salon,

had a girls night out,

there was even a few sister spats.

Oh, the joy!

This mommas heart was overflowing

to say the least

AND

THEN

she left just as quickly as she arrived.

What makes her leaving bearable is

that she absolutely

LOVES

Liberty!

and

could not wait to get back.

Thank you

LORD!

Shortly after she left

I was headed up north.

The cute engineer was just so sweet

and planned a few days

of

rest and relaxation.

IT WAS AMAZING!

I have to tell you...

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!

He is so good to me.

We are back now

rested and relaxed.

Thank you, cute engineer

So... what have y'all

been up too?

~Nancy~

So Excited!!!

After two long months

(on my end)

Jen is coming home tomorrow.

I'm so excited!!!

So, I best be on my way...

I have comfort food to make

cookies to bake

and flowers to buy!

See ya in a few days.

~Nancy~

Enjoyed Blessings!

This past week I was really, really, really busy...

Enjoying some very sweet blessings!!!

and...being the good blogger I am I only have one picture to show.

I enjoyed spending some sweet time with the cute engineer.

Katie and I went to a barn sale.

I spent some time in the garden

and at my favorite garden center.

I was able to sew a bit

I finished the Underground Railroad quilt.
and signed up for another quilt class.

While all of this was amazing

and I am very thankful for these sweet blessings.

The sweetest blessing of all

was a lovely cup of coffee and

some uninterrupted time in His Word!

Enjoy! Your Blessings Today

~Nancy~

Couch Potato

This week end I was nothing but

a COUCH POTATO.

I curled up in my

favorite blanket

on my favorite couch

with a book and remote in hand.

(Ok, and maybe my sewing machine was used a tad)

I hardly moved for the whole week end.

I was a tad bit under the weather

and now that I am feeling better.

Watch out!

my favorite garden center

cuz...

HERE I COME

It's time to plant some bulbs!

Have a terrific day!

~Nancy~

Happy Fall...

Happy Fall

Y'all

From my garden to YOU!

~Nancy~

Show and Tell...

SHOW

and

TELL

Yesterday, we tried a new soup recipe.

IT WAS AMAZING!

So, without further adieu

I give you ...

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

by: Inna Garten the Barefoot Contessa

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

4 cups leeks, white and light green parts
1/4 cup good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed

1/2 cup dry white wine

6 to 7 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

8 ounces creme fraiche

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer.

Add the olive oil, salt and pepper...toss to coat veggies.

Roast for 40 to45 minutes, until very tender.

Add the arugula and toss to combine.

Roast an additional 4 to 5 minutes, until arugula is wilted.

Remove and place sheet pan over two burners.

Stir in the wine and 1 cup chicken stock,

cook over low heat, scrapping up any crispy bits.

In batches, transfer veggies to a food processor

adding chicken stock (about 5 cups) to puree.

Pour the puree into a large pot.

Add enough of the remaining 1to 2 cups of stock
to make a thick soup.

Add the cream, creme fraiche, salt and pepper (to taste)

When ready to serve add 2 tablespoons white wine

and Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

~Nancy~

This recipe came from the book

back to basics

and I did not type the directions

word for word.

If you would like the directions

as she wrote them let me know

and I will get them to you.

Sunday Verse

"Make a joyful shout to the

LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is

God;

It is He who has made us, and

not we ourselves;

We are His people and the

sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations."

Psalm 100

Waiting...

What does one do when

one is waiting for carpets to dry

and one's stuff is

ALL

over the place.

Well...if you are here at the cottage

one might sit back and watch a movie

one might read a book

or

one might bind a quilt.

I love this quilt!

It is called Summer Breeze

and comes from the book

SCRAP- BASKET SURPRISES

I made it for a friend

and can't wait to give it to her.

Have a splendid day!

~Nancy~

Sauce Day

Thank you so much for the very sweet

and encouraging words

about Carol.

I really do appreciate all of you!

This past Saturday was sauce day

at the cottage.

We made a trip to the farmers market

bringing home two bushels of tomatoes.

Kate came over and we got down to business!

I cored and peeled

she ran them through the press.

The cooking and canning was up to me

and Kate took care of dinner.

We made a great team!

Being the good blogger I am (ha)

I didn't take any pictures

until

we were almost finished!

We now have twenty one pints

and

five quarts of sauce.

Delicious

~Nancy~

Carol

I met Carol seventeen years ago.

We met at a meeting for

our girls preschool.

Through the years Carol and I

have lunched and brunched.

We have laughed and cried.

We have watched each others kids grow up

and attend different universities.

We have simply lived life.

My life has been blessed and

I am a better person for knowing Carol!

There are tears in my eyes and

an ache in my heart.

Today, I attended my sweet friends funeral.

Carol was such a sweet and gentle friend.

She will be missed deeply.

I will miss her beautiful smile,

her laugh and

her encouraging words.

(and her chocolate chip cookies)

Will you please join me in praying

for Carol's family.

Thank you

~Nancy~

"And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding,

will guard you hearts and

your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:7

For The Love Of Plaid

A few years back the cute engineer and I were out shopping

and found some plaid Christmas dishes.

Now, we are suckers for anything plaid

and so we naturally had to buy a few pieces.

A few years later we wanted to add

to our small collection

BUT

they had been discontinued :(

Not one dish to be found.

Fast forward to last week

Again, that lovely brown truck

paid us a visit.

Now, I knew I hadn't ordered anything

and I also know that the cute engineer will

from time to time have work

related things delivered to our home.

So, I paid no attention to that little brown box.

UNTIL

the cute engineer opened it up

pulling out

none other than

two cups and two bowls

of our lovely plaid Christmas dishes.

What a wonderful surprise!

So, tonight you have found us

with the pumpkin candles burning,

a movie playing on netflix

and two plaid cups of

pumpkin lattes!

YUM!

Have a great week end!

~Nancy~

My New Quilt

For the past few days I have been busy

working on a new quilt.

It's the

Underground Railroad Sampler

The book is

by Eleanor Burns & Sue Bouchard

Not only is this a book giving instructions on specific blocks

it also gives a history lesson.

Love that!

So, my bloggy friends
what have you been up to?

~Nancy

Thankful Hearts

"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the

Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,

the great King above all gods,

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care."

Psalm 95:2-7

This morning you will find a few hearts that

are praising and thanking our Great God.

The last few days we have been walking

through life with our heads blissfully in the sand.

None of us had heard of the explosion

that took place in CA. until

yesterday, when we finally turned some news on.

We heard the words San Bruno and explosion,

our hearts dropped.

The cute engineer has one of sweetest great aunts

in the world

and guess where she lives.

Yep!

San Bruno

We got word this morning that she is well

and back in her home.

Thank you LORD!!!

~Nancy~

Changing Seasons

Since it has been fairly cool around the cottage

it put me in the mood to change a few things around here.

I pulled out the some of the fall decorations

bought a new candle

and have been enjoying the best pumpkin lattes.

I happen to love fall!

I am looking forward to...

Wednesday night at church with a room full of second graders
the trees changing colors

mums on my porch

pumpkins

picking apples

a good roaring fire

So thankful for the changing seasons

each and everyone of them.

~Nancy~

Today

Today was such a lovely day!

I worked in the garden...mowing, trimming and weeding.

It's the simple things in life

(like dirt under my fingernails)

that make me happy.

Also tonight was the start of CBS

(Community Bible Study)

It was just so sweet to hug the necks of

some of the sweetest women I know and

meet some new friends.

Together we will be studying 1 & 2 Peter

CAN NOT WAIT

to dig in!!!

So, what did you all do today?

~Nancy~

A Special Delivery

This past Friday I heard the doorbell ring.

Excitement took over all logical thinking and

I raced up the basement stairs.

CUZ

We were expecting a special delivery!

By the time I opened the door

that familiar brown truck was driving away.

Looking down, I scooped up the package, hurried inside

and tore open our special delivery.

Oooooh they smelled heavenly!

Now, to some this may be silly

but to us this special delivery brings

back tastes from our childhood.

Both of us spent some of our childhood

growing up in New Mexico and

we both love Mexican food!!!

So, with our mouths watering the cute engineer and

I began to wash, roast, peel and seed

our special delivery.

Carefully, we package this special treat

and put them in the freezer.

BUT

not all of them ended up in the freezer.

No sir-eeee

We had Green Chile Chicken Stew on the brain.

So out came the stew pot!

We chopped, we stewed, we tasted

and

we let our childhood memories flow.

What a sweet evening!

Thanks to a special delivery.

~Nancy~

The only way to camp!

Being that we were going to be in VA. we thought

that maybe we would take a

little vacation.

SO

this is how we vacationed...

It's called a yurt

and it is the only way to camp!

We would wake up in an air conditioned tent
(it was so hot in VA and humid!!!)

make some coffee, talk longs walks, admire the beautiful lake

pet the horses, be amused by the chickens

and take a few side trips.

What a fun way to vacation!

~Nancy~

From this to this...

We went from this...

To this...

To this....

The cute engineer and I just got home from taking Jen to
Liberty University.

Her new home away from home.

Yes,

as we pulled away I did shed a few tears

but most of them where tears of joy!

She has worked so hard to get where she is

and we are soooooooo proud of her!!!

Jen, my prayer for you is that you will continue to love

the LORD your God with all your heart,

with all your mind, with all your soul

and with all your strength.

and on those days that get a little tough remember

that He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Love you sweet girl!

now...go hit those books ;)

Yummy Blessings

One of summer's yummiest blessings!

Tonight's dinner is either from the farmer's market or our garden!
Wish you all could join us for dinner!!!

~Nancy~

Dear Blog...

Dear Blog...

Please forgive me for neglecting you so...

In the past few days

I have heard stories that would curl you toes,

witnessed sin that has mastered a soul,

and I have been blessed with things untold.

So, PLEASE, Dear Blog... be patient with me

as the Lord helps me process the contents of my heart.

O, how I look forward to catching up with other's,

filling your blanks spaces

and visiting new places.

Until next time...

~Nancy~

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord,You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

(Psalm 139:1-6, NKJV)

Strolling...

Today I woke up and took a stroll around the garden.

I thought I would take you along.

It's a small garden so you won't need your walking shoes and

then, perhaps, we can share a cup of coffee or tea...if your please.

Won't you have a seat?

My family has been walking a tough road lately and

our hearts are burdened for a loved one.

Jen and I will be driving to Oklahoma this week

to visit this loved one, while

the Cute Engineer and Katie are staying home

to take care of the cottage

AND one super spunky scottie.

To borrow a quote from Beth Moore..."you won't be wasting a prayer on us"

and...just because this made me smile!

Look who was snuggled in her quilt.

Be still my heart.

Hope you have a great week end!

~Nancy~

"And He said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for My strength is made perfect in weakness." "

2 Corinthians 12:9