Prairie Girl Wanna Be

Here’s my last Christmas post ~ sorry I’ve been so late with them.

See my apron? 

It was Mothers!  I found it this last year and washed and pressed it and hung it up till the holidays.  I love vintage stuff and this is white with little wreaths sewed on the bottom.

I had Trent take the picture beside the stove so I would resemble Mother.  She was always cooking during the holidays and I miss that very much. 

You don’t know what you have till it’s gone sometimes and this year I remembered how much work she did cooking and baking for us and sure wished I could go to her house and eat with the family.  I am thankful she is here with us though.

Here are some vintage napkins I found at a yard sale, I think.  They are yellowed with age, have poinsettias on them and are beautiful.

I just love old stuff and we used them several times during the holidays.

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner.  Our two boys were with us and we invited a friend from church.  I love feeding people who love eating your food and Bill loved everything we had!  Made me feel so good.

That’s it for Christmas 2011.  Hope you were with those you love.  Hope you got what you wanted.  Hope you have a wonderful 2012!

My best advice at this point is to take inventory of what stressed you this year.  See what you could do so Christmas 2012 will be easier on you.  For example, I noticed last year that bread was a gift I really enjoyed giving so this year I began early baking, double wrapping it and freezing it.  I really enjoyed getting it ready to give.  I did some with labels, or ribbon or clear decorated bags.  That’s what I enjoy.  I like the little touches.  Makes me feel like I’ve put more of myself into what I’m giving.  Do what works for you. 

Also make your list now.  Who did you give to ~ write them down.  I know my main folks but I forget that I like to give to the postman and the neighbors and my beautician.  Then there they are and I have nothing for them.  That’s where my bread came in handy.  I loved giving it and from the response I got I believe they loved receiving it.

Remember ~ We don’t plan to fail…..we fail to plan.

Happy New Year from the prairie girl wannabe!

I’m very behind on my Christmas posts but would like to do a few so you can see what we did for Christmas.  One of my favorite days was the day I got the grandchildren.  They were so much fun and reinforced the fact that Christmas is for children!

The first thing they helped me do was deliver Christmas gifts to our neighbors.  They loved doing this and saying “Merry Christmas!”

We came in and they decorated cookies with their uncles.

Children are always an excuse to do something you used to like to do but feel too old to do now.

Here sits a 16 and 21 year old painting sugar cookies with frosting!

We colored and cut and did a little craft that was a Christmas tree they got to decorate with stickers.

For supper  I decorated the table with my Christmas dishes.

The children each have a little mug they drink out of during the holidays at our house.

I got the little mittens that hold flatware at Big Lots last year and they are so cute.  I put their napkin in them too.

That night I made a pallet on the floor and they watched Christmas movies.  They loved that!  We left it down and they wanted to lay on it the next morning while I fixed their breakfast.

I got the idea for Santa pancakes out of a cookbook and they turned out great!

Please understand that little things can be so fun with children.  I set the b’fast table with paper plates, snowman coasters and little mittens that hold the flatware.  They loved it!

These children are very easy to work with.  If you watch a movie, they WATCH the movie.  They don’t run around and do four other things while watching the movie.

If you make cookies, they are right there working with you every step of the way.  They truly enjoy the moment!

If they play, they play.  Benjamin loves the barn stuff that my boys grew up with so I have it where he can get to it when he gets here.  He brings it into the living room and while Bethany cooks, he plays.

Bethany would bake in her Easy Bake Oven the entire time, I do believe.

When I bought her this, her mama decided at that time that this would be a “nana” thing and by doing that it makes it very special.  She loves coming here and baking.

She can do everything but push the baked cake out of the oven.  She mixes her batter with food coloring, she pours it into her pans.  She decides how she wants to decorate them.  I have a little drawer with “her” cooking utensils, baking pans, sprinkles, and icing tubes.  She loves it!

Now, I have to be honest.  I am very tired when they leave.  BUT it is a wonderful kind of tired.  I love making memories with these two.  They are so much fun and they mind me very well when I have to break up sibling rivalry.  It doesn’t happen much with me but they are very normal so it does happen.

I do not spoil them in that I don’t make them mind but I spoil them in other ways:)  I just love being a nana!

Here’s a few of the quilts I made for Christmas gifts this year.

The first one is a gift to us:)  It’s all flannel and matches our living room so it’s staying here!

The second one went to Washington state.  Almost didn’t make it there but they finally got it last week.

This was for David’s son and his wife ~ Zack and Lacey.  They are big Alabama fans and said they loved it.  I’m so glad!

Number three down, is a big flannel blocked quilt that I made for my 21 year old.

This was the quilt that got me started on this chunky quilting.  I was totally hooked on quilting after I did this.  It’s very manly looking.  Not “pretty” at all but perfect for him and very warm!

Now that he’s paying for his own heat he was very appreciative!

The next one is Trent’s.

It was some work, let me tell you but I loved doing it!

I embroidered each block, then put the blocks together and embroidered a border around it.  In the bottom block I embroidered a message to him.

This is all very western because that is his interest at this point in his life.  He wondered when in the world I did it because he is home with me each day.  I wasn’t easy but every time he headed out the door I went to work.

The last picture was Christmas morning.  They each got these caps and were wrapped up in their quilts.

I love these boys!

Hope your Christmas was a merry one and everybody loved what you did for them.

I want to do more things like this next year because it felt more Christmasy making things for folks.  And I have the time to do it right now.

Talk to ya later!

Here’s one of my favorite Christmas gifts.  My  middle son gave me this and it is just the right size ~ not too heavy or too large.  I have used it continually since I got it.

Here’s what I was cooking the night I took this picture.

One of the favorite meals of my menfolk is meat and gravy.  Just meat and gravy. 

I make patties out of hamburger (deerburger) and brown it in a skillet usually but this time I used the dutch oven.  Then after it’s browned real good I add sliced onions on top and sometimes sliced up bell peppers cause my hubby loves them.  Mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with 1 - 2 cans of water and pour over the meat.  Put the lid on and let it simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.  It’s very tender doing it this way.

I know this is simple but they just love it.

Talk to ya later:)

Okay, here it is.  This is THE easiest bread recipe I have ever used.  I have made bread for 30 years.  There is something fulfilling about baking bread, I’m not sure what but it’s great.  Your family will love walking in the door smelling this baking.  You can have it ready very fast compared to most bread recipes.  Give yourself about 2 1/2 hours at home to do this.  That means you can begin this at 3:00 and by 5:00 you can have bread baking in the oven.

I have used this recipe for years and years because it is a no fail recipe.  I have done everything in the world to it and it still works!  For example, the original recipe calls for canned (evaporated) milk which I used for years.  Then I didn’t have that one time and I began using whatever I had, 1%, 2%, whole and it still worked fine.  It also called for 1/4 cup honey and 5 T. sugar but said the sugar could be omitted soooo I made it with sugar only or honey only, whatever I happened to have and it worked EVERYtime.

If you’ve never made bread, this is the recipe to try it on.  GOOD LUCK!

In large bowl combine:  3 pkg. yeast ~ 3 cups lukewarm water and 5 T. sugar

Let set about five minutes.  The sugar will activate the yeast.

Add: 1 cup milk

2 T. salt

6 T. melted butter

Stir in 4 cups all purpose flour.  Then four more to make a soft dough.  Knead till smooth and rubbery.  (I don’t knead it long ~ just till it looks nice and blended and no longer sticky.)  Place in greased bowl.  Let rise one hour.  (It WILL be ready in one hour ~ sometimes less, depending on the weather).  Punch down.  Divide into four loaves.  Place in greased loaf pans.  Let rise again till doubled.  (about an hour) Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or till golden brown.

You can also use part white and part wheat if you’d like.  The ratio I found that works best is 6 cups of all purpose flour and 2 cups of whole wheat.  If you use too much whole wheat flour it tends to be heavy and not rise.

You will notice that I press out the dough with my hands.  This gets the air bubbles out.  Then I roll it up like a jelly roll and place it in the loaf pan seam side down.  This also eliminates big holes in the bread when it bakes.  I didn’t get a picture of the finished loaf but it looks about like the last one just browner on top.  The last picture you see is the loaf after one hour.  That’s what it looks like after it rises.

Don’t be afraid to try it ~ you’ll be so glad you did!

Please post comments if you have any questions and I will try to answer them.

Here’s a tree stand that hubby made a few months ago to use when he goes hunting.  It was a beautiful day so I went with him and “helped” him build and put it up.  Yes I did!

Outdoors is not really my thing but he loves for me to be outside so between the garden last year and doing this I’m trying to do a little better:)

Here is the beginning of the ladder that will go up to the platform that they can sit or stand on to watch for deer.

After making the sides we nailed on the short boards for the ladder steps.

I did this very well as long as we had it marked exactly where I was to hammer.

We strapped the stand to the four wheeler and pulled and as we did this it went up the tree.

Now doesn’t that sound easy?  Well it took FOREVER!!  We would try and fail and try and fail but my husband is not a quitter and he did not give up!  And we did it!!  Yea!

And did it work?

Two deer so far this year!

This is a GREAT cookie from a very old recipe.  Lots of folks are familiar with Snickerdoodles.  They are basically a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  We have tweaked that a little to make them look festive.  I like them cause I can make them fast and have something that looks Christmasy without a lot of fuss.  I didn’t get a picture of the finished product.  Will try to do that as soon as I can.

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

2 T. sugar

red & green sprinkles

Heat oven to 400.  Mix butter, sugar and eggs thoroughly.  Blend flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt; stir in.  Shape into 1″ balls.

Roll balls in mixture of sugar, red and green sprinkles (about 1 T. of each).

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  I use baking stones.  I love them!

Bake 8-10 minutes.

These cookies puff up first, then flatten out.

Yield 6 dozen.

I formed half of mine in a roll and wrapped it in waxed paper that I’d sprinkled flour over.  I wrapped that in foil tightly to keep any air out and put it in the freezer for later.

This is a very unhealthy but extremely moist and yummy sausage muffin.  I call it a glorified sausage ball.  They are very easy to make and a great appetizer for this time of year to take to church suppers, finger food parties, and family gatherings.

3 cups bisquick

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 lb. uncooked sausage

1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.  I use enough milk to make it creamy but not too soupy.  Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  You will love them!  It makes about 2 dozen!

My hubby took them to work and brought none home!  They loved them.

Hope your holidays are going well!

This is my eldest son’s favorite cookie.  I made them early last year and gave them to him as a birthday gift.

Do NOT overcook them.  They are to be kind of chewy, not crisp.

1/2 cup vegetable oil

6 T. cocoa

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 cup confectioners sugar

Mix oil, cocoa and sugar.  Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed.  Add vanilla.  Stir flour, b. powder & salt into oil mixture.

Chill several hours or overnight.  Heat oven to 350. Drop by teaspoonfuls into confectioners sugar.  Roll in sugar; shape into balls.

Place about 2″ apart on greased baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Do not over bake!  Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

We are in full swing here decorating, cooking and watching tons and tons of Christmas movies.  Now there is a method to this movie watching thing.  There are certain movies that are not to be watched till the very last week of Christmas and some the very last two days.  But you’ll have to just decide which ones are your favorites.  Hope this helps you a little.  I ordered some of these off Amazon over the years.  I’ve been trying to update from VHS:)

Now remember, this is my opinion only.  The older I get the more old fashioned I get.  I love the old movies.  My daddy was a theatre manager at one time and lots of these are movies he played in his theatre.  I grew up hearing about these actors and my parents gave me a love for them.  I did not enjoy them as a child but the older I got the more I grew to love them.

Soo here we go ~ this is an official Prairie Girl Movie Review ~ you are definitely free to disagree ~ jest don’t tell me!  You may also want to just scan and read about the ones you aren’t familiar with cause this post became longer than I meant for it to be.

It’s a Wonderful Life (you can not beat Jimmy Stewart in my mind and don’t even get me started on Donna Reed ~ I love her!)  You  have to sit and savor every part of this movie.  Watch the actors, watch their timing, listen for the humor cause it’s everywhere!

The Homecoming ~ this is the pilot of the Walton’s series.  Most of the characters are different except for the children.  They are all the same children that are in the series.  I LOVE this movie so much that I sometimes will play it several times in one day.  I love the snow and the farmhouse and the people.  So that one is usually on Christmas Eve.

White Christmas - oh my goodness, this may not be my favorite but it’s very very close.  I play this one all day long on the day I begin it.  I put it in and I bake.  I play it again and I clean.  I play it again and I sit and crochet and watch every thing they do.  Vera Ellen looks just like our 1960’s  barbie dolls when she dances in that pink dress.  Danny Kaye is hilarious and I love the scene where he and Bing Crosby are changing clothes and their syncronization is just perfect.  Rosemary Clooney has a voice that is smoothe and dreamy.  This is a team that can not be beat.  My one wish is to one day see this on the big screen.  I think it is wonderful!

Holiday Inn ~ Have you heard of this one?  It teams up Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and  you can not keep your eyes off Astaire’s feet.  His dancing mesmorizes me.  He does a scene where he is supposed to be tipsy and he dances with a beautiful blond.  You have to watch how he dances in this one.  This is the movie that the song White Christmas originated from.  Bing Crosby opens up a Inn that is only open on holidays.  It’s just happy!

Bells of St. Mary’s ~ now this one is very old and it also has Bing Crosby (can you tell I like him). This is not real Christmasy but they always used to play it around Christmas time and that’s when I first saw it.  I ordered it last  year and it was colorized ~ ugh!  Don’t watch that one ~ it’s horrendous.  I found a black and white dvd and it’s great.  A wonderful story and the actors are fabulous ~ Ingrid Bergman is in this one.

Christmas In Connecticut - This is a fun, fun movie.  Fast moving and happy.  The man that plays her uncle is a hoot!  You will love his accent and watch him as they go thru the buffet line at his restaurant.  He calls out names of food to express how he feels…baloney…nuts…horseradish!  It’s hilarious.  Barbara Stanwyck is very young in this.  She used to be the mama on “The Big Valley” which you may be too young to remember so just forget all that and watch it.  It’s great.

And of course……Miracle on 34th Street - this first time I saw this I was beginning to question Santa and it made that Christmas so fun!  I love dearly love Edmund Gwenn as the Santa Claus in this movie and Maureen O’hara is just beautiful.  This is just a sweet, sweet story.

Now for a few that are not so “old”…

A Christmas Memory - I found this last year and after watching it the first time and realizing the ending would be sad I was able to watch it again and enjoy the actors.  I love Patty Duke and she is a little old lady in this one and the little boy is the same one that plays in “The Santa Clause” (Eric Lloyd).  They are so sweet together.  Some movies I watch for the time period and the actors.  This is one of them.

A Holiday for Love - Melissa Gilbert & Tim Matheson team up in this movie that is set in Nebraska.  It’s in a place you’d like to go visit and you just love the folks that live there.

A Holiday to Remember - Connie Sellecca & Randy Travis revive an old romance in this movie that is also set in the country.  It’s got a good story and Rue McClanahan also stars in it and makes it funny.

A Hobo’s Christmas - Good family movie about a man (Gerald McRaney) who’s hobo father comes to visit at Christmas after being gone over 20 years.

A Holiday Romance - Gerald McRaney, Naomi Judd and Andy Griffith star in this film set in a little town that is in danger of their school being shut down because of a shortage of funds.  Gerald McRaney is the hatchet man who has to decide what teachers stay and which ones are fired.  His father is Andy Griffith who is great as always and Noami Judd plays the music teacher.  We all enjoy this one.

Borrowed Hearts - Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) plays a single mom in this one.  I love her but I get a little aggravated at her little girl cause she gets a little mouthy.  Over all I like the story though.  Hector Elizondo plays an businessman/angel and I like him.

The Story Lady - this is a great movie with Jessica Tandy.  You will love her in this!  She knows how to read a story!

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus -  Great cast! Richard Thomas, Edward Asner and Charles Bronson.  I love the story, the setting, the ending.  I love it!  I ordered it this year on dvd and am saving it to watch next week!

The Nativity Story - David took me to the theatre to see this year before last.  It was just beautiful and closer to the biblical account than anything I’ve seen.  I want us to watch it on Christmas Eve night this year.

Well that’s it.  I had more but this was too long already.  Hope you’ll find some of this helpful.  I like movies that uplift and make me fell better than I did before I watched them so these may seem sappy but I love them and hope you will too.

Merry Christmas Movie Watching:)