Vacation

This will be my home for the next few days.

Happily,

Hope

Parsley

I have been so busy working outside lately I haven't been noticing things in my fridge. So this evening I did notice my parsley and thought, "well, look at you, aren't you are just staying fresh." I had read before that herbs keep longer in  the fridge if they are in water. Well, I tried it and it has to be close to three weeks and well, just look at it.

My husband took me literal when I told him to go fly a kite.

 

Happy day to you,

Hope

And the winner is...

Beverly G.

Yes, sometimes...particularly when I need a couple extra pockets. One of my aprons has a perfectly-sized pocket for my cordless phone. :) My favorite apron is looking well-worn with several stains so a new one would be wonderful.

I hope you enjoy your new apron. 

Please email me your shipping information.

A goodnight to all,

Hope

Making Homemade Cleaners

The other day I had my mom, two sisters and first cousin, Maggie, over to make homemade cleaning supplies. It was kind of like a workshop. Except there was no teacher- we were all learning.

I looked up a few recipes online and I will share them with you. We have all used the products for two weeks now and love the results.

Charity, me, Maggie and Faith. Mom took the photo.

The supplies.

Momma's hands, that create beautiful things.

You can make your cleaners smell as you'd wish.

There are so many essential oil options. The neat thing is that some have natural, germ-killing abilities. Here is a list- cinnamon, eucalyptus, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, lime, orange, peppermint, rosemary and tea tree.

 A lot of laundry detergent recipes call for fels naptha soap, but you can use Kirk's Castle, Zote or any natural, cleaning soap. I added two different kinds to mine and it smells divine. The recipe says to use 3 Tbsp. per load and that's what I have been using and our clothes come out clean. 

 All done and ready for work.

Click on the product for the recipe.

Fabric Softener

Glass Cleaner

Laundry Soap

All Purpose Cleaner  

(Mrs. Meyers Copycat Countertop Spray)

Enjoy,

Hope  

An Apron Giveaway

The older I get the more sentimental I become. I guess it a part of aging and understanding why people do certain things. My Grandma Rhodes always has an apron on. She sometimes wears an apron on top of another apron so she doesn't mess up her good apron, only Grandma. But now, since I wash my own clothes and cook in my own kitchen- I understand why my Grandma always wears an apron. It's not just because it's what old people do- it's because it saves your clothes from a lot of stains. And in the long run- it saves you from a lot of washing.

So everyday that I am in my kitchen, you will find me wearing an apron. And for that reason I want to share an apron with you.

It's a whole apron- but I usually fold the top down. I have an apron like this and love it. You can string a hand towel through the strap and dry your hands from right where you are- instead of hunting for a towel. Not that I do that or anything.

To enter just answer the following question.

Do you wear and apron in the kitchen?

It's really a yes or no question. 

Add a few bits of why you do or why you don't.

This apron is supplied by Kitchen Kupboard, my mother-in-law's kitchen store.

She recently remodeled and it looks like a new store. She has a wonderful variety of kitchen products. Not only that- it is a local store with friendly help. Go to her website for more information.

Deadline May 21.

No shipping outside USA and Canada.

Winners will be selected using www.randompicker.com. One entry per person.
Winner will be announced on my blog page Tuesday evening. Please include your email address so I can contact you. If you feel uncomfortable leaving your email address be sure to look at my page Tuesday evening and you can email me your information for shipping address.

Let the giving begin,

Hope

A Visitor

I had a tiny visitor the last few days. He had chubby cheeks, blue eyes and dark brown hair. He is a giggle box and loves his aunt Hope. He told me so.

Caleb Paul | Best cheeks ever for pinching.

Not only was Caleb here, his mother happened to come along, too.

Come see me again, I'll give you candy when you are old enough.

Shhhhh... don't tell your mom,

Aunt Hope

Thankful

No it's not Thanksgiving... but I am very thankful today. I'm thankful for my husband and family. 

My cousin, Michael, and his wife, Lynette, recently had a full-term, stillborn baby boy. They have two, precious girls and this was their first boy. My heart aches for them.

Why is it that we hold the ones we love a little more dear when we are faced with death? How can we so quickly forget how fragile life really is?

I'm asking myself these questions.

We get caught up in life, our own lives, not looking at the big picture. Small, trivial matters take over things that we should be doing to build our heavenly home. You can borrow money, but you can't borrow time. So today, I challenge you to enjoy the stage of life you are in- not wishing for this or that. Make the most of what the Lord has given you. Be content.

   

Here is a small glimpse into the mound of things I am thankful for. I snapped these photos when I spent a day at home with my family on Saturday.

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, 

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him."

- Colossians 3:17

I'm thankful for you, too,

Hope

Rhubarb Bars

Our friendly neighbor always gives us an open invitation each spring to get as much rhubarb as we want from his patch. I always look forward to rhubarb because it is a sign of more fruits to come in the summer.

I wanted to make rhubarb bars, but could not find a recipe for them in the three cookbooks I looked through. So I meshed a few recipes together and came up with this rhubarb bar. I wont tell you how many I have eaten. A short testimonial from me.

 Use a cookie scoop to add the top layer. 

Much easier than trying to do it with a spoon.

Smooth the scoops of dough out and bake.

Drizzle with glaze and off to a picnic you go.

Rhubarb Bars

Dough

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Filling

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. strawberry jam

 4 cups rhubarb, chopped

Glaze

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. cream

In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix

well. Add flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking dish and cover with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper also.

Spoon 3/4 of the batter into the baking dish and spread out.

In a saucepan whisk together water, sugar and cornstarch. 

Heat until thickened, remove from heat and add strawberry jam

and vanilla. Add chopped rhubarb and stir. Pour over dough and top

with remaining dough using a cookie scoop. Smooth out dough,

letting the filling show at some places. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 
or until the middle is set and comes clean with a toothpick.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

Mix together glaze and drizzle over bars before serving.

Enjoy,

Hope