Snow Days & A Beautiful Beginning to 2022

 The first week of the 2022 gave us in Kentucky the best gift this year—winter came!

And as you can see, we were ready for it!!!

Hallelujah for the Lord giving us a whole day of watching beautiful, fluffy, snow fall!!!

After a December that felt way more like a terrible case of the worst of spring with an F-5 tornado, flash flooding, and warm gray days, we deserved a cold, seasonal white winter to enjoy.

Right at about 5-6 inches, our area received a perfect blanket of snow that came in the form of big fluffy flakes that began in the early morning with the sunrise (somewhere behind the snow clouds) and ended mid afternoon. It fell gracefully throughout the day, the perfect way to watch it fall from swollen snow clouds to the frozen ground. It stuck right away! 

Truly, I don't know if me or the kids were more excited! 

We gathered all the snow gear we could find and all the warm hats and gloves and scarves for it was honestly bitter cold, but our excitement kept us outside over 15 minutes! 

Tiny tongues caught snowflakes, snowballs were thrown, snow angels made.

It’s a lot of dedication for moms to get everyone all layered up and ready from head to toe, including ourselves, and bundled like Ralphie and Randy from the Christmas Story! When it’s 11 degrees outside, every inch is covered in at least four layers here! Why, in just a matter of moments we are back inside and dropping clothes on the rugs in the mud room and setting them in front of the electric fireplace we have in there to dry before our next outing.  

It’s a lot, yes, but once I’m out in the brisk air and feel the snowflakes on my own cheeks I come alive!! I understand why kids love snow so much, because I still love playing in the snow!

          

This snowfall came with brutal temps so the outside play may have been few, but that means we come in for mugs of hot cocoa, which I enjoy making from the Hershey’s recipe on the cocoa container. I also add a handful of marshmallows to melt in the cocoa on the stove and then top with even more fluffy marshmallows in the mug! Perfect to sip while watching a movie. Later I had a deliciously fresh cup of my favorite Starbuck Christmas blend coffee in one of my favorite mugs, my brother Taylor brought home for me from Washington D.C. There’s nothing like warm sippers in hand and cozy blankets to snuggle under on snow days!

In these cozy pictures you’ll still see our Christmas trees still up from Christmas, but now we have everything put away at this point except a few twinkle lights to liven up the long winter nights. I’ve learned that gives me joy!

I’m so glad the Christmas trees were still up so we could enjoy the snowfall and the twinkling lights together! We rarely ever get December snowfalls like this, although I remember vividly a few Christmas snows growing up.. the last was the year we married in 2004. It felt like a perfect Christmas miracle! 

I gathered the kids and read to them a new precious book my sister gifted them for Chrismas about Jesus. They played while I read. I don’t read to them all as much as I used to or as much as I would like to, but when I do it warms my heart so much! 

The following day I awoke to a glistening white outside, and I knew I absolutely had to bundle up and get back in the frosty snow globe of a world. 

The sun made the snow crunch under our feet!

Rosemary and I played in our yard while the big kids snow boarded down the neighborhood hill nearby. We had such a good time!! 

My big two probably walked up that hill a dozen times or more so they came back in cold, tired and wanted to zone out on the couch with a movie.

Being this is only the second or third measurable snowfall since we lived in this house, I’m still in awe of how pretty everything looks. The edges of the reflective pond were frozen while the rest were smooth as glass, as you can see.

In the surrounding woods, every single branch and limb, highlighted. 

Our home looks dreamy dressed in winter white, so I had to snap some pictures to remember just how pretty she looks!

To cap off an already exciting week, we took the kids to the movies to see Sing 2 the following day once the roads were fine to travel on, and we had a sweet “date night” with our kids, which we haven’t done in months! Cheesy Pagliai’s Pizza was devoured in our favorite corner booth after the movie and then a visit to my my grandparents’ home in town topped off the night with extra joy!

It really has been a very full and busy month, but this new year, so far, has been abundant in the Lord’s favor and blessings on our family! 

The busy hasn’t been stressful like it can be sometimes, but instead it’s been refreshing~all good things. Have we had changes to adjust to? Yes, definitely! But also I’ve carved out time with some of my favorite people, that’s been long over-due because of different factors over the course of the last 12-18 months. 

Many of you know I have taken a break from social media. It’s not only helped me focus to get everything done but enjoy it all to the full and be completely present!! I needed to simplify some things for a bit and for me that starts with the clutter I carry in my mind. 

I really want to remember this peaceful season and listen to all the Lord is speaking to me. He is speaking, and moving, and in our family He is redeeming what the locusts had eaten in the previous year!! 

His great faithfulness is like the morning sun!!!

Favorite Recipe Repost! Chocolate Chippy Pumpkin Bread

My favorite time of the year has arrived! Autumn is full-blown here in the Kentucky countryside, and with the cusp of my birthday, along with the beloved Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons—there is just something extra-special in the air even amidst the strange year we’ve all had. Some things never change, and it’s good to be able to focus on the simplicity of these things now more than ever! Like the rising sun, the changing seasons actually bring comfort as the Lord has established them, and I’m reminded again that He is in control. 

Speaking of comfort, there’s nothing quite like the homey fragrance of bread baking in the oven! Every autumn, this pumpkin chip loaf is my favorite quick bread to make, as I’ve made it dozens of times over the last decade, and we never tire of it! It’s the Goose Berry Patch Autumn In the Country recipe that has become a tried and true for our family. When my kids ask for chocolate chip pumpkin bread, this is the one I make! Spiced with cinnamon, laced with chocolate and full of pumpkin, this treat really hits the spot—especially with a cup of steaming coffee!

If you’re a long-time follower of my blog, you may remember me actually blogging this very recipe under Chocolate Chippy Pumpkin Bread 10 years ago when we lived in the “little house on the prairie” in Madisonville, KY! I had tweaked that recipe a bit, but today I’m sharing with you the original recipe from the cookbook, which is now how I made is pretty much every time. 

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s not only consistently good, but it makes two loaves. I usually keep the chocolate chips out of one loaf (though not always) and give that loaf to a neighbor, friend, parents— whomever we want to bless that day. Of course, sometimes keeping both loaves is the best idea, and you can easily freeze one for later!

I have thrown in delicious additions such as butterscotch chips, walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries over the years, for a twist on plain pumpkin bread, but my kids’ always want the chocolate chips…I don’t blame them there! Chopped pecans are just as yummy, in my opinion!

If you want an easy treat to throw together for a cozy after-school snack or breakfast, or even dessert,  I hope you will try this delicious pumpkin bread!  

As the mornings become frostier outside, the breakfasts get warmer inside, and the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin is a great way to wake the rest of my family up!

Chocolate Chippy Pumpkin Bread

3 c. All-purpose flour

1 t. Baking soda

1 t. Salt

2 t. Cinnamon

4 Eggs

2 c. Sugar

15-oz. can pumpkin

1- 1/4 c. Canola oil

1- 1/2 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips (sometimes I use mini chips)

Combine flour, baking, salt, cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside. 

Beat together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a large bowl; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. 

Fold in chocolate chips; pour into two, greased loaf pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean. 

Cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to finish cooling. 

Makes 2 loaves.

With the leaves changing colors outside and the temperature just perfect with extra crisp mornings, I’ve been sipping my second cup of coffee outside on the porch or on the swing most mornings this week!

This photo of Kylie at the pond was taken last week, and the leaves on the trees have really turned since then! As you can tell, we are trying to enjoy the outside weather on the pretty days. Today is actually a gloomy and misty day here, but the blue skied days have been extra clear as the humidity has moved out!

In Kentucky the crisp air that means it’s the perfect time for a bonfire and hayride. It’s time to get out the sweatshirts, sweaters, cardigans, scarves and boots! Cider, s’mores, chili and cornbread and all the coziness fall offers!

Our leaves will be at peak color in just a couple days now, and we have a full, fun weekend planned with out family to look forward to!!! 

I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend on the last couple days of October and stays safe. 

See you in November!!! 

        

 

Gooey and Delicious S’mores Bars

 

Happy October!!!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two months since my last post here, but life has been a bit wild the last several weeks of summer. Let’s just say that I am very thankful to begin a brand new month and season—one of my favorites—Autumn!

I wanted to share with you the easy and delicious S’mores Bars I made today! These are similar to the amazing bars my sister, Faith, makes and a bit different from the ones I made years ago.  I’ve always thought Faith’s bars were some of the best and my kids gobbles them up when she makes them for our family gatherings, so I was excited to try these out today.

As today closes out the kid’s first semester of school, which has felt a bit grueling for this mama, I wanted to celebrate in some way. We aren’t taking any trips this break, but I thought we could have some staycation fun at home and in the area! The weather is supposed to be nice next week, but not so much this weekend. My plans for a bonfire with s’mores was ruined with the downpour of rain that came all afternoon. 

On the other hand, the putter patter of rain and rumbling thunder lent itself to the coziest of homes with my candles burning and coffee flowing, so I decided to “pivot” my plans and make s’mores bars for dessert! No bonfire required for the classic combination of graham crackers, chocolate and gooey toasted marshmallows. 

To be tucked in my kitchen’s baking nook is the coziest spot in the house when it’s a rainy day, and that brings me great joy! I gladly pulled the ingredients out, a bowl and spoon and the pan and got to work! Oh, and I can’t forget the cozy instrumental music to complete the mood. 

I will say, these bars are best eaten the same day because the marshmallows tend to get tough after too long. To eat a piece warm out of the oven is the very the best time! I snuck a piece for myself while the kids had their quiet time, and I made a steaming cup of Mexican coffee to sip with it. While thunder was rolling was rolling, wind picked up outside and the torrential rain was much more than I expected, I felt very blessed and safe inside. 

Anybody can put these delicious s’mores bars together and your kids might even like to help! Hope you get a chance to make these if your bonfire gets rained out or if you want s’mores for a small crowd!… they will satisfy your craving for sure!

• S’mores Bars

1/2 c. Sugar

1/4 c. Butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. Graham cracker crumbs, divided (I crushed them myself.)

1/2 c. All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

2 c. Mini marshmallows

1 3/4 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat Oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with baking spray; set aside.

Combine sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla in a bowl; mix well.  Add 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt; stir until just combined. Press evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 8 minutes. When removed from the oven, sprinkle onto partially baked crust the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and remaining 1/4 c. Graham cracker crumbs.

 

Continue baking 5-10 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown. I added Hershey’s pips to the top once out of the oven to give it the quintessential s’mores look to me! In my opinion, enjoy a piece while it’s still very warm with a glass of cold milk or strong coffee! 

To find joy in the everyday things is a gift. A good recipe, the time and love I put in baking for my people, and the enjoyment of each bite is a small but wonderful pleasure I hope to pass onto you in these simple, delicious recipes.

Hope you have the best weekend!!!

A Cozy Tea Party!

I had the honor in mid- July to do something that became one of the highlights of my summer! I was asked to host a lovely “tea party” for the young women of our youth group as a part of a special weekend retreat they were participating in. There was no doubt in my mind that I would say “yes”.

I am passionate over few things more than:

(1.) loving on fellow women and young women who are the next generation of our church. 

(2.) Anything related to adding beauty in our lives by simple pleasures, such as tea parties, sipping from lovely china, eating delicious food and sharing in feminine and exquisite things. I firmly believe lovely things as this are a reflection of our Creator’s attention to the detail in our lives. 

(3.) Sharing our own home as a gathering place.

(4.) Greatest of all— serving Him wherever He calls me and bringing others into the light of His love!

This tea party was to reflect the effort and attention of our loving Heavenly Father has brought to each one of us!  I believe my part was more than just offering a space, but to prepare.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and throughout the Bible God gives us examples of how He loves us by preparing for us!…

David says in Psalms that God prepares a table before me in the presence of our enemies. 

Jesus Himself said before ascending that He is going to go and prepare a place for us in Heaven! 

We want to look like our Father, and so we too prepare! Our hearts needs to be prepared first and foremost. He wants a clean and pure heart after Him. Then I believe we prepare outwardly for others, out of love, as He does. Preparing requires planning, throughtfulness, and time.

Psalm 139, Psalm 23, John 14:3

So,  I prepared!

I began with prayer! I prayed over the whole evening weeks in advance and for the young ladies who would be there. I prayed for the leaders behind this special weekend retreat who were bringing them and pouring into them as Titus 2 women.

I prepared by deep cleaning my home—for after the many months of all of us living here together it was needing a good deep clean!

I sat on the floor for two hours and cleaned our Mahogany antique table and chairs. I first vacuumed all the crumbed in and around the cushions, and then I scrubbed the cushions and peeled off the play-doe and old food stuck in all the grooves. Carefully I washed the wood and then shined it with a wood polish. The chairs, the table top, and even the delicate legs until they gleamed! It was the first time in many, many years that I have deep cleaned this table and chairs, and they looked almost as good as new, despite some nicks and scratches I couldn’t buff out. 

It was ready for company and gleaming afterward!

Washed the tables cloths and ironed them.

Ironed the napkins and folded them, and I ironed them crisp again. They weren’t perfect, but I gave it my best! To bring out the iron these days is truly as occasion in itself. ;)

My wonderful mom and husband helped over a couple days time to get the kids out of the house so that I had extra time to get these tedious jobs accomplished in a much quicker time!

I went out to my flower gardens, and I picked lots of flowers that were distributed in vases for the tables and around the kitchen—all around the house. I also brought some flowers and greenery at Kroger that I mixed into some of the arrangements. 

Hydrangeas, black eyed Susans, and zinnias came from our property. My go-to decoration for years for any occasion is flowers! As you will see in the pictures, I experimented with where each arrangement would land, but I try to keep vases low, narrow or clear glass for the table which is the best for conversation. 

I got out all of my china dishes and washed them all. I also got out my crystal goblets and washed them. Same with the serving pieces. Most of these aren’t used enough to not wash beforehand.

I borrowed! Thankfully I was able to borrow some beautiful silver flatware from my mother-in-love and more cut crystal glasses from my mom. The pretty gold flatware and various serving silver utensils, tea pots, napkins and a few other things from church friends to complete the simply elegant look of this party. 

My husband helped me polish the silver until it gleamed!

There was not a paper product to be seen at this event! These girls deserved the best!

Next, I began to dress the tables. Such fun! It was like my house was playing dress up! I always do this the day before an event.

Three tables with three different sets of china. I thought it would be endearing and more like a tea room to have several tables all dressed differently while still coordinating.

It’s in the details!

Sweet napkins placed on the round table in old fashioned patterns of pastel flowers winding was a fun companion to my “Country Rose” china. 

Tiny creamers and candles twinkling. 

Cut crystal ready for strawberry lemonade.

Lemon and sugar bowls and honey pots were later placed around. 

Classic, elegant, simple and inviting. Nothing stuffy but everything planned and pretty.

This lace, though! 

My grandmother gifted me this delicately trimmed out tablecloth many, many moons ago. It’s just the perfect size for the small oak table we brought upstairs for the tea party!

This table cloth, I adore! It was ironed well but still pulled a bit, however the fresh green and cream combination is serene and soothing in the inky blue dining room. I knew the gold would be gorgeous in here! We went with gold accents in the dining room and silver in the kitchen. 

We rearranged our dining room furniture, and I am enjoying it much more this way. I think with the table extended everyone can get around it easier with it like this.

What do you think about the large new picture  above the hunt board? 

It’s very me! I LOVE it!! It looks like an old farmhouse you would see tucked away down one of the country roads around here. I think I could definitely live there!

Our wedding China is gorgeous— still the prettiest I’ve seen! It makes me wonder why I don’t use it more often. The soft creams and golds together remind me of our wedding.

I lit candles and turned on soothing worship music.. Kari Jobe on Amazon music to play through the house and set the tone for feasting in His presence. 

In the excitement of it all I missed taking a picture of the tea station…but what I did is I just rearranged my coffee bar to make room for an eclectic array of teas and boiling hot water in tea pots. It was easy to access and hopefully fun for the girls!

There was a spread of food from the best cooks and bakers in our church who dropped off their goodies beforehand. So many delicious treats that were a treat to plate up! I couldn’t wait for the girls to see it!

From perfect homemade scones with cream and lemon curd, to made-from-scratch macarons, crostini, French chocolate tarts, jam cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, pinwheels, and much more to name!!

I had yummy teas to choose from including English breakfast, Earl gray, Oolong, Paris, fruity teas, apple chai, peppermint, and more. I let the girls pick their own tea to steep in their tea cups, which was a first for most of them! I did my best to explain how to make a cup of tea and encouraged them to try more that one kind while they were here. I think they did!

I am so excited for it all to begin I had to capture the moment. 

Did I already say how much I love Jesus, I love girl time, and I love special moments like this??

Well, I’m saying it again!!! :)

I believe the Lord wants us to open our homes and let other people experience the refuge of our own abodes when we have the capacity to do so. There’s something extra special about being inside someone’s home for an experience—I know I love being invited! 

I believe he wants us to shower others with love, and while sometimes that’s taking the hand of a hurting person and walking through a storm with them, maybe it’s just inviting them over for a hot cup of tea and praying together before they leave. I believe the conversations that happen at the table are so good and can lead to relationships that deepen and memories that imprint the present chapter of our story to influence the future ones.

I experienced a beautiful thing at that tea party. I experienced the love of Jesus through this group of precious young sisters in Christ!! I was so blessed by them!  I met some of those young ladies for the first time that afternoon and through their hugs and genuine conversations, I can honestly say they are already being used by Him!

It was truly one of my favorite recent memories, hands down. 

There is Coming a Day When No Heartache Shall Come

Those who are friends with me on social media already know this, but let me elaborate to those of you who are my Cozy Little Kitchen friends. This is something you might want to grab a warm drink or an iced tea or coffee, because this is about my very personal life.

John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

As Jesus states in this verse, problems in life are inevitable. Trials will absolutely come, because we do live in a fallen world, but we can obtain peace through Him! Sometimes, the insurmountable trials we face will actually be used for the glory of God.

This year has been hard for me from the very start of it. I won’t elaborate on it all right now, and I don’t feel like I have to, because so many of the things are what most of us face in our life. The difference is there’s just been a lot of challenges happening at once. 

I have come up for air thanks to all the prayers and fasting of so many of my closest loved ones in my life!! I have had to reach out more than ever before these last 6 months in a plea for prayers over me and my family, and the Lord is answering!!!

Despite the chaos that the last several months have brought, there’s nothing as heavy as what’s happened this summer. Heath and I have had to say “goodbye” or “see you later” to two of our grandparents in June. Our family buried them a week apart.

I have never lost a grandparent. I say that with a heart of gratitude to have had all of my grandparents for over 37 years, but to say goodbye in exactly one week’s time to two of the best people I know was very hard on our families.

When Jesus tells us in that scripture that trials will come, He doesn’t end it there, instead He gives us great hope!! He says “but take heart! I have overcome the world!”. 

That means for us in Christ, death has lost its sting!!! 

Because of what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary, His death and burial and resurrection means that we as disciples of Christ have eternal salvation — we go from life into life! 

I have the blessed assurance that Nana and Grandpapa are indeed in Heaven in the arms of Jesus! They are with their parents and grandparents again! Nana has been reunited with her brother who died when they were children of a sudden illness. Grandpapa is with his brother who suddenly passed after a surgery several years ago. They are with our daughter Bailey Faith whom I’ve never met, but now they have! I know that I know they have sat her on their lap and Nana has probably sang to her. Grandpapa has probably found some wildflowers and make her a flower necklace to wear—just like he did for Kylie the very first day he met our oldest children. I’ll never forget how much that moved me to watch his aged hands pick the flowers and create a lovely necklace to place around her. That touched me so much!

Jesus has overcome the world by overcoming death on a cross, and His victory is our our victory!!!

I would like to introduce our grandparents that have graduated to Heaven to you and honor them in this space. Nana, was my husband’s mom’s mom and Grandpapa, my mom’s daddy.

Here is Betty Morgan, our Nana! Here she is a couple Thanksgivings ago with Pa, the love of her life, being married almost 70 years. 

Nana and Pa had a marriage to admire. They are beloved by all who know them!  Pa stayed right beside her in her final weeks and days and even hours, until the very end. In fact, he was at her bedside when she left this world. Though he hobbles around himself, he has been the one to cook for her and provide it all the last couple of years since her health has been in serious decline. The last few months she rapidly got worse, but we are never truly ready to say goodbye to our favorite people, are we??  

Nana exuded Jesus in her demeanor. As you can see here, she carried a warm light in her beautiful blue eyes that twinkled to make whoever she was with feel so very loved! Speaking of beautiful, she had the prettiest roses I’ve ever seen! She had a rose garden with different varieties and a couple different climbing roses that she carefully tended to so well. These weren’t stuffy gardens, but the kind that drew you in around her country home. She would bring me bouquets from time to time with all the colors in the rainbow, that smelled so fragrant and sweet! 

I will always remember how put-together and elegant she always looked, seemingly without even trying! Her skin so pretty and she always wore a nice coral shade of lipstick and nail polish on her arthritic fingers. I don’t remember her without nail polish on her fingers and toes. She wore color so well and loved wearing florals, too. I always said how I wanted to be like Nana when I grow up in the graceful manner and in the youthfulness she naturally exude!  She was not even 5 feet tall, and yet she always filled the room with her sunny disposition and endearing heart for her loved ones.

She was the best in the kitchen and taught me so much about how to bake! For many years, my favorite place to be was beside Nana in her kitchen and I have spent many times there over the course of being in their family over the last 20 years! She’s passed down to me her our favorite recipes like Nana’s Apple Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Derby Pie, and Strawberry Cake. She was known in our family for her famous fried chicken dinners, where she would invite us over and serve us her homemade fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, mashed potatoes, garden corn, and Lima beans. Always serving a delectable dessert or two with coffee afterward! I looked forward to that meal more than any restaurant. It wasn’t just about the food, but the way she made you feel when you sat at the table with her. She would always want you to get more food than a belly could handle and she loved telling stories of when she was younger or her kids were young. 

Though she lived most of her married adult life on the same small country road, she lived a full life. She proves that the very best and meaningful lives don’t have to be the most elaborate ones! Her life revolved around her family and her church, and the legacy she left is a very honorable one. We all miss her so much! There will only be one “Nana”!!!

This is hard to write, because there really aren’t earthly words to describe my beloved Grandpapa, Gerald Lowell Walker.

I’m crying as I type this out. 

I’ve been weepy lately.

Grandpapa and Granny. This picture below of them is just my favorite thing ever! If you can’t tell, they loved each other with such a deep love for over 6 decades. Granny was right beside him when he passed after she stayed there for weeks not wanting to miss a thing! 

Grandpapa’s world was absolutely God and his family and his farm and everybody knew it. The Walker family is very close-knit and loving, and I attribute that to these two and the example they set for us all. Grandpapa loved the Lord and it was evident! He loved people and would tell them about what Jesus has done for him. He wasn’t a missionary, he didn’t go to Bible school or even have a degree. He did ministry the organic, grass-roots, first church kind of way and that is simply that Jesus just exuded out from everything he did!! His body may have been slowly slipping away this year, but his spirit was very strong!  I just recently heard of how this past winter he literally gave a man he had just met the new coat off his back, because that man was cold and didn’t have a way to stay warm! That’s the kind of man I always knew him as, but he wasn’t always that way —here’s how the Lord turned a trial into something very good for His glory…

Grandpapa was a highly regarded certified welder for the pipeline, exactly like my dad is, and in fact he was the one who got my dad into welding in the first place! One of the very best, he worked on the “great Alaskan” pipeline in the ‘70s. Through his success in that job, he came back home and built his family a beautiful brick home. At this time, he wasn’t in church regularly and his life revolved around his work. In 1989 something happened where God got his attention. Tragically, his hand was blown off in an explosion on a job, and this required major surgery to repair and left him no choice but to retire from welding. If you don’t know, a good welder needs a steady hand like a surgeon. after that accident, his life was never the same! He would tell you how the Lord used that accident for His glory to turn his life around. Grandpapa saw the merciful hand of God in that accident, and his life became even more fruitful and blessed as he began walking everyday with the Lord. No doubt he would tell this story today if you asked him about it in Heaven! 

Grandpapa and Granny built the beautiful country home, we know today, on their farm land just after the accident, and he began to go into full time farming! Farming is all I remember Grandpapa doing. He would always be getting on or off a tractor or coming back from the hill where his cattle was. He was a cowboy at heart, and just a handful of years ago he built a small, rustic cabin on his property in the woods for himself. He built it with his own two hands and with lots of love! He was so proud of that cabin, and it’s such a serene place for solitude and rest on their farm! That’s where these photos of him and Granny were taken that capture him so well. That cabin will always be cherished by our family—Always!

We had a family fish fry almost one month to the date before his passing. It was at their house, and he was there with most of my extended family doing what we do best which is cooking, eating and laughing and playing together at the farm. I am so so glad he planned this fish fry! Oh, my. Little did we all know it would be the last time we would all be together like that and it was the last time I had a conversation with him. The Lord was good to give us one last time together. The next time I was there, was the day he passed we met back at the farm with Granny. The family met to surround Granny with love. We are, the cried a lot, and to remembered the ver best about him as we processed and released him to Jesus. He was already with Jesus, but sometimes our hearts take a bit longer to release. I will miss him with all my heart!!

So exactly to the very hour, these two amazing souls crossed over into Glory just one week apart. We went from barely recovering from one good-bye to the next. But they have no more ailments or pain in Heaven! They have brand new bodies so the loss is strictly ours. We will miss them, but we will continue to honor the legacy they build their life on and we will water the seeds of faith they planted to all whom they met along the way! The torch is passed down and we will proudly take up the eternal cause our grandparents left behind. 

This scratches the surface of them and their lives. I may write more in the future, but as you can imagine it takes an emotional toll to recollect it all. 

I want to honor my mom for a moment and say thank you to her and her siblings for caring for him and Granny at the end. They are still caring for Granny as she’s back at their beloved farm. 

Please pray for both my Granny and Heath’s Pa, especially as they mourn the love of their life and need the strength and resolve to move forward in the days ahead. They know and love the Lord so I know they’ll be alright, but I can’t imagine losing my favorite person in all the world.

I will be okay, and I am okay! The reflection of their beautiful lives have given me a perspective of truly appreciating and enjoying every single day—even the toughest ones. I am reminded that I am building a life that matters!!! What we do in our homes and in the lives around us everyday matters for generations to come and for eternity. It goes way beyond us, for this is Kingdom work!!

Thank you for the love and support you’ve shown and for allowing me to introduce you to two of the greatest people to grace the earth.

 

Easy & Delicious Grilled Corn on the Cob

Beautiful, golden grilled corn on the cob is the epitome of summertime food for me! What a perfectly easy side dish for any grilled meat. I paired this grilled corn with grilled chicken, roasted squash and peppers, and a salad. I was happy to remember the cowboy beans my mom sent home with us after out 4th of July celebration so that was delicious with it all! 

By the way, if you’re in the states, how was your 4th of July holiday?? I hope it was as good as ours was! 

We had the most mild temperatures, the prettiest skies in the world plus low humidity which made for a perfect weekend filled with celebrating, cooking and eating! It started with our favorite Freedom Fest parade (which we sorely missed after it was canceled in 2020). 

There’s nothing more Americana that a small town parade with floats, a pageant Queen, antique cars, shined up antique tractors and of course, horses. The American flags were waved, Veterans were honored, and popsicles and fans were passed out and gladly accepted!

Our annual big family “picnic on the grounds” at my parents house in the country is the highlight for me! My extended family came totaling almost 40 people, which made it wonderful!!! (We are taking back all the time lost last year..)  The food here was some of the best to eat. My family knows how to cook!

 

We ended the evening with a spectacular fireworks show. The weekend ended with me having a very thankful heart to God for my family and my church family and of course for the freedoms me have in our nation. I can honestly say whole weekend was busy but a very blessed one!!

Back to the grilled corn.. I’m sharing this with you because it’s not only fresh and seasonal but it’s very easy and simple! You can grill corn a number of ways, but this is easy as it requires no presoaking and when you unwrap it it’s basically done! The herbs add a little something extra, and I like to sprinkle those on just before serving. This requires just a few ingredients but you’re welcome of course to add whatever spice you would desire. If you love spicy, add Cajun seasoning instead of just salt. Have fun with it! 

 

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Fresh corn on the cob

Real butter

Salt 

Herbs, chopped (I used flat leaf Parsley and Basil)

Foil

Tear enough foil pieces to wrap each corn on the cob and you’ll use about 1 Tbsp. butter for each large corn on the cob. So this time I shucked 6, and I used approx. 6 Tbsp. Butter—probably just a bit less. As you know if you have followed me for a while, I eye ball this sort of thing!

Take your corn and lay it on the foil. Cut a pat of butter in half, place on the corn, and sprinkle with salt. Be fairly generous here unless you’re using salted butter. Wrap the foil around the corn on the cob really well and repeat with the remaining corn and ingredients.

I grilled the corn on med-high heat after allowing the grill to heat on high. I grilled it for about 20 minutes, turning a third of the way, a couple of times. Keep it in it’s foil packets until the very end of grilling. Don’t worry, you’ll still get some beautiful char even with the foil on. The butter and salt with distribute around the corn while it  gets nice and tender on the grill in the foil.

Take off the grill, unwrap the corn and place on a serving dish. Add some additional salt and sprinkle the chopped herbs over it all!

Fresh Watermelon Salsa

It has been so good for me to see all the life the season of summer brings! From the Farmers Markets to the lazy nearby lake towns packed with people and the local drive in burger joints staying busy! There’s an excitement in the air in the bustle of people—but it’s different than Christmastime—as this time it’s not coinciding with consumerism alone but with new experiences, adventures, nature, recreation, exercise, and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation! This bustle coincides with relaxation and rest. Man, those are two things I need these days…. who’s with me? 

What goes along with all the gatherings of people? Well, delicious and fresh food—of course!!

 I have to share this easy and freshingly delicious recipe I made for our family’s Memorial Day gathering we hosted this year. Watermelon salsa! It’s technically pico de gallo, but in this application I used it as a dip like salsa. It would be amazing on grilled chicken, I’m sure but the salty corn chips were perfect to soak up the spicy and sweet taste this salsa brings!

It was a hit!!! The watermelon was light and refreshing and the jalapeño spicy and the bell pepper sweet. So good that I’ve been craving it since. It would be perfect as a poolside treat to munch on all week long and it’s definitely special enough for the Fourth of July this weekend.

Let me know if you have tried this and what you think. I’m pretty sure my fellow salsa lovers will approve!

Watermelon Salsa, or as Ree calls it Pico de Gallo

Recipe: Pioneer Woman Cooks, A Year of Holidays

1 small seedless Watermelon

1/2 c. Red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 yellow pepper, seeded and finely diced

2 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced

1 bunch of cilantro, shopped (I didn’t use that much)

Juice of 2 Limes

1/2 tsp. Salt, more to taste

Dice watermelon and add to a large bowl. Add the onion and all the peppers and jalapeños. Throw in the cilantro and the lime juice and salt. Toss the salsa (or pico, hehe, I feel stubborn to keep calling it salsa) and give it a taste. I tasted mine with a tortilla ship so I would have a good idea if it needed something else on the chip. This would be amazing served over chicken, too! She has a couple other varieties of this recipe I want to try using mango and also pineapple, but the watermelon is just so refreshing for summer and beautiful!

God Bless America!!!