Senior Photo Sneak Peek!

I had the privilege of taking senior photos this afternoon.

It was a beautiful day with clear, crisp sky's.

We had a great time roaming my parents

farm for creative backdrops.

Juanita Landis

Joel Anderson



More to come!

Blessings,

Hope

Thanksgiving Ideas

I am already excited about Thanksgiving-
it's one of my favorite times of the year.
Crisp, fall air, clear sky's along with all the
wonderful food that Thanksgiving brings.

Last year I had a Thanksgiving dinner for our family*.

*It was for, the Noel farm, the farm owned by my Dad and

his brother. Brothers married sisters, so we are like one

big, happy family. We grew up with our double-first-

cousins living right back the lane.

We had a glorious time growing up on the same farm.

Enjoying all that you can do on a farm plus a woods

and a river. Indian camps and tree houses were built,

along with too many other things to mention.

Here is what the invitation looked like-

it was a fold over card on cream paper.

Front

Inside front cover

Inside

Back

I wish I had more photos of the food, but that always happens to me.

I have time before hand, but when you have people sitting at the table

ready to eat, taking photos is the last thing you are thinking of.

Individual, Pumpkin Praline Torte's

Blessings,

Hope

Marvelous Mac and Cheese

There is nothing like good, ol' mac and cheese.

Even if your one of those super healthy people,

I know you cheat every once in a while and chow

down on some real, American food.

This is a quick recipe, but one of my favorites.

I enjoy my mom's 2 hour, baked macaroni with

sharp, cheddar cheese, but this one is hard to beat.

It doesn't taste like the Kraft mac and cheese out

of a box, it has it's own to-die-for taste.

I would consider this recipe comfort food.

Go ahead, comfort yourself.

Just cook your macaroni and add the cheese sauce, right in your dish.

Sprinkle with more cheese.

Go ahead, be the cup-bearer for your family, you must see if

it's edible. And don't tell me you didn't take the second spoonful.

Ha, I caught you double dipping.

Then retrieve it from the oven and...

onto your plate it goes. Just look at it's goodness.

Marvelous Mac and Cheese

Cook 2 cups of macaroni in with a chunk of butter and a little salt.

Sauce

3 cups of milk

5 Tbsp. of butter

2 Tbsp. of flour

1 heaping tsp. of salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup of diced, Velveeta cheese

1 cup of shredded, cheddar cheese

In a microwavable bowl, mix together, milk, flour, salt, dry mustard

and pepper. Add butter and Velveeta cheese. Heat in the microwave

until thickened, stirring every couple minutes. Place the cooked

macaroni in your baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over it.

Stir together and top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40

minutes until the sauce has thickened but not totally stiff*.

*See photo on how it should look.

Enjoy,

Hope



Sheri's Prayer Card

Blessings,

Hope

Prayer Card Photos

My dear, sister-in-law, Sheri asked me to take a few

photos for her prayer card. She is heading to the wild
west, Eureka, Nevada, this coming year. Pray for her as she

takes this leap of faith. She has been an inspiration to me.
Her willingness to leave her job, family and home
to help the further the kingdom of the Lord.

"Therefore said he to them, The harvest truly is great,

but the laborers are few: pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest,

that he would send forth laborers into his harvest."
Luke 10:2

Blessings,
Hope

Poor Man's Steak For Two

Mom never really made poor man's steak when we were growing up,

so I decided to make it one cool, fall evening for Joshua.

Poor Man's Steak

1 lb. hamburger

1 egg

1/4 cup of minced onion

1 Handful of crushed crackers (see photo)

1/2 tsp. of salt

1/4 tsp. of pepper

1 dash of liquid smoke

1 dash of Worcestershire sauce

Mix together thoroughly and make into seven, round patties.

Melt a chunk of butter in a skillet and add patties to the skillet.

Cook on medium heat until both sides are brown.

Remove patties from the skillet. Add 1 can of mushrooms with

a minced garlic clove. Fry until garlic is soft and mushrooms

are slightly brown.

Gravy

2 cups of milk

1/8 cup flour or more if needed

1/4 tsp. of salt

a few sprinkles of pepper

1/4 cup of sour cream

Beat together milk, flour, salt and pepper. Simmer until

thickened, and then add sour cream. Return patties

to the skillet and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes, the extra gravy needs a home.

Blessings,

Hope

Two Weddings in a Row = Joy, Stress, Work, and Love...

... In the end it's worth it all.

The last couple weeks have been packed with bridal showers

and wedding planning. Sorry for neglecting my blog,
someone asked me when I was going to post another recipe,
and I said I would once all the weddings were behind me.
I need to go grocery shopping first. Hopefully soon!

Last Wednesday night, I had the honor of having Aunt Coleen,

Clair Bleu, Grandfather, and Grandmother for dinner.

Clair Bleu asked if they would be featured on my blog

with a recipe- now I wish I would have taken

the time to snap a few photos.

I served them; Rolls, Alice Springs Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes,

Creamed Limas, Lettuce Salad, Cinnamon Pickle,

and Apple Dumplings with Ice Cream for dessert.

Just try to make a mental photo. Thank You.

Go to http://coleensr.xanga.com/ for a real photo.

I had the privilege of arranging all of the flowers for

Pete and Lana's wedding. My dear Mom helped with the

70 table bouquets. I had never arranged bridal

bouquets and was a little scared, but in the end

God granted me the patience and wisdom.

To Him goes all the glory and praise!

First Glance

The Blushing Bride

The Happy Groom

Siblings- all grown up and married. (or about to be)

Pretty Ladies

"Jump, Austy Jump!"

Bridesmaid's Bouquet

Bride's Bouquet

The Beautiful Tables

They rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after.

The End,

Hope