Monday, December 27, 2010

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~

Saturday, December 11, 2010

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~

Thursday, December 9, 2010

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~



Saturday, December 4, 2010

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~


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

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~

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

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~

Monday, November 22, 2010

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~

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

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~

Saturday, November 6, 2010

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

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

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~

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

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~


Monday, October 25, 2010

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~

Friday, October 22, 2010

Hmmm...


Can you guess what we are doing this week end?

Enjoy your week end!

~Nancy~

Thursday, October 21, 2010

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~

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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~

Monday, October 11, 2010

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~

Monday, October 4, 2010

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~

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Happy Fall...

Happy Fall

Y'all





From my garden to YOU!


~Nancy~


Monday, September 27, 2010

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, September 26, 2010

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

Thursday, September 23, 2010

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~

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

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~

Monday, September 20, 2010

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

Friday, September 17, 2010

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~

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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

Sunday, September 12, 2010

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~

Saturday, September 11, 2010

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~

Thursday, September 9, 2010

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~

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

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~


Friday, August 27, 2010

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~

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

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 ;)

Monday, August 9, 2010

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~

Saturday, July 31, 2010

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)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

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