Boat Ride – Special Gift

First I want to say Thank You to
Jobeth from Primfills Blog
She has become one of my sweetest friends and
although I have never met her she exudes
kindness in everything she does.
I received this special
‘just because’ gift and note this week.
 

Thank you Jobeth – I will display this always!

I know I should be posting photos of our vacation in Lancaster, but we just had the most wonderful evening on the Pontoon boat so I wanted to get it on before it was old news – showing purchased treasures is always ‘new news’ with us gals it seems and can be put on a bit later – so on with the boat ride.

On Wednesday our son Dan called and asked if we wanted to go out on the Pontoon boat around 5:30 to watch the Sail Boat Races so we jumped at the chance and it surprised me because Doug had a Golf game scheduled and he cancelled it so we could go – he knew I wanted to go and thought he should be along…sweet huh???

We were on the water for three hours – and the temperature was perfect…couldn’t have asked for better boat weather. We are blessed here with a gorgeous lake and it does get used and is kept very pristine and the people all take such pride in their homes around the lake.
Remember when it was not really ‘in’ to live by the water and houses were just cabins of sorts and some were left to get run down…seems now it’s THE PLACE TO BE!

Dan is one of the judges for the Sunday races but opted out of judging on Wednesday nights so they usually take their Master Craft Ski boat out and watch but this time a friend offered his Pontoon so Jamie’s parents and Grandma and us could go along.

We’ve been with them before on Sundays on  the judging boat – great fun!
So check out the little Album below for photos…none of them are in order I see but you will get the idea.

This is the owner of the pontoon boat….Thank You!
(by the way…he’s a stunt double in movies and was in the last Batman movie…not sure what all he did but he for sure did all the motorcycle stunts!)

FAMILY and FRIENDS….
The pontoon with the burgundy canopy is the judges boat

View Full Album

SAILING….not in any particular order.
Number 16 won the race by the way

View Full Album

HOUSES around the LAKE…just a sampling

View Full Album

Dan and Jamie lived here before moving into town

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I promise to get my vacation photos on here this weekend – Doug is going on a run so I’ll have plenty of playing around time.

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This week I also made a pile of Snowman Head Pillows – aren’t they cute!

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I remember I said I’d post the Molten Lava Cake recipe too…

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
From Kylee Schmitt

Preheat oven to 425

4 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet baking chocolate
½ cup butter  ( 1 stick )
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tablespoons flour  

Butter or spray 4 custard cups and place on baking sheet

Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwavable bowl on high for one minute

Stir with whisk until chocolate is completely melted
(you may have to put back in microwave for 15-20 seconds)

Stir in powdered sugar until well blended

Whisk in eggs and egg yolks

Stir in flour

Pour into custard cups, Bake approx. 12-15 minutes

Remove from custard cups by placing dessert plate on top of cup
and turn upside down so it drops onto plate.
(you probably will have to run a knife around the edges to loosen a bit)

Dust lightly with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries….serve hot

Hope you enjoyed your trip around the lake!

Karen

Lancaster Trip!

Wow, what a week - - Lots of driving – we left here around 11:00 ish and weather was very cooperative except for one blast of rain that lasted about an hour so we had it pretty good.

We arrived at his cousins and had a wonderful evening dinner of grilled chicken, sautéed asparagus/peppers/onions, chicken flavored wild rice and for dessert their daughter Kylee made Molten Lava Cakes.

Linda prepared dinner, Kylee made the cakes and while we ate the cakes baked so it was fresh from the oven and ohhhh so delicious.

Linda, Me, Doug, John
 

Kylee and here dessert

How’s this for decadent!!!!
Recipe in next post…so be watching for it.

After getting some rest we started out our Wednesday with me leaving to meet Lori ( http://loritheblackcrow.blogspot.com/ )

Unfortunately I forgot my camera and wasn’t going to turn around to get it because Lori was fixing us breakfast and I’m so glad she did – it was delicious.
Eggs with Bacon and Onion and Fresh Fruits and I had Iced Tea….along with the wonderful breakfast we exchanged our gifts and she gave me a tour of her beautiful home.
I can’t tell you how gorgeous her home is! Lots of wood and gorgeous Prim decor…oh to have just a few of her wonderful CROCKS!!!!  She was always with me so I couldn’t even put one in my gift bag she had given me – she’d never have missed it I’m sure!

I digressed there for a bit….I did stop at a store near her home to purchase a cheap digital camera but had to get it operating when I got to her place….wouldn’t you think a 60+ woman who has a fairly intelligent brain could figure out how to get it to work….NOT….so no pictures.
Hoping Lori will send me a few photos.

We did get to shopping after our breakfast and tour – and I did find a few items I just had to have…one was a ‘cutter quilt’ which isn’t going to be cut up because it’s going in the guest room with the new decor – the lady was so happy it would continue its ‘usefulness’ and not be cut up in pieces. Photo’s to come later.
For the life of me I can’t remember the names of the shops we stopped at but there were several
As I unpack my items (which are still on the dining room table) I will take pictures and hopefully by then I can get the names of the shops from Lori.

Oh, in the middle of shopping we went to the Dobbin House for lunch in Gettysburg…been there a few times before but it’s always a treat when I get to go there.

We did cut the day a bit short because Lori’s back was hurting very bad. I will say she is a trooper and hung in there until she couldn’t anymore….and I must say I was right behind her with my lower back and hips so it was a goof thing we stopped when we did.

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Now on to the rest of the trip – I do have some photos from Thursday on.

My husband and I stopped at Family Heirloom Weavers and got a tour of the loom rooms – wow, we were amazed what comes off those machines – how they produce the amount of products they do is incredible!
I got a few photos of the retail store that sit’s on the same property as the weaving shop – actually it is the family home of the the owners and he grew up here.

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Here’s one of my favorite shops in Lancaster – they have now taken the main house and turned the main floor into part of their shops – you must go visit this place when you are there next time.
Olde Mill House Shoppe

Side view of home – gorgeous isn’t it!

And another favorite place to shop is Maple Croft

Just had to take a picture of the Amish farmers corn – they use EVERY single piece of earth to plant – just look at how close to the road the corn is planted….actually in some places the blacktop is broken away from the machinery.

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Seems none of my photos are in order of the days we did things – but I guess that really doesn’t matter at all does it…

On Thursday we met a friend at the new Cork Factory restaurant ‘The Cork and Cap’.
I met Grace Mauer when she was working at the Amish View Inn and now she is at the Cork Factory and invited us to lunch. What a gorgeous place. If you have never seen it you must go.
The whole project is privately owned and is just a work of art – and it took several years for the project to be finished.
So here are just a few photos I had a chance to take.

The restaurant is to the left on the lower level, the rooms are in the rest of the building

Main entrance to dining and lounge/bar area

All antiques on wall – part of a collection by the owner of the building

 

 

Okay, I know….nothing interesting here but as soon as I get my goodies unpacked I can take pictures and then I’ll post them.

I did get to see Teresa ( http://teresasprimtreasures.blogspot.com/ ) at the Lititz Craft Show on Saturday and what a show that was. Over 500 vendors. We got there at 7:20, found Teresa’s booth, picked up our purchases and took them back to the van so we didn’t have to lug them around.

We then proceeded to walk, shop and chat for 4-1/2 hours….my feet were okay but my lower back and hips were killing me.
I saw Susan Burd  ( http://www.countrycrocksbysusan.com/store/Default.asp ) and Nikki Dull (from APP) and a few other girls from the forums as well…oh and Linda (Brelin4) from APP was at In Grandma’s Attic on Friday when we were there as well.

Friday night we went to the Sight and Sound Theater and saw ‘Joseph’ and all I can say to that is WOW! What a show. I’m so happy we went – it was phenomenal.

I’m leaving now….nothing more to really chat about – I know you all want pictures instead of ‘words’ so give me a couple days to get it all organized and then I will put them on!

See ya around blogland.

Karen

Amish Fiction – oh how I love it!

Now I’m not sure how many of you saw my post on APP forum about my ‘love’ of reading Amish Fiction…well if you didn’t read it here's my passion  -  and I’m amazed to find so many out there that love them too…I have quite a large library of the books and I keep adding to it.

Amish Fiction books are so heartwarming, a learning lesson in their culture
(because everything is researched and not published unless it's fact - except for the
story line itself...that's fiction), great characters, and just plain entertaining.

I have been a huge fan of the Amish culture for over 30 years...we visit Lancaster, PA a couple times a year (more when we can) and love our drives in the country seeing their beautifully kept home settings and just seeing them out in their buggies.

We do not stare, or think they are a spectacle to be watched, nor do we take pictures of them, we do not disrespect their lifestyle...WE SIMPLY LOVE IT AND ARE AWED by their simple (yet hard) way of life....and hard as it is...it is real and for the most part, they are a close knit community.

My favorite authors are:
Beverly Lewis
Wanda Brunstetter
Cindy Woodsmall
(you must read Sister's of the Quilt series  by Cindy -
my husband even like listening to the audios of this series)
BJ Hoff
Shelley Shepard Gray
Kim Vogel Sawyer
Beth Wiseman
Kathleen Fuller
Linda Byler
Jerry S. Eicher
Amy Clipston

I order them from:  Christian Books .com   I typed in the words ‘Amish Fiction’ when I first started searching a few years ago and all the authors books came up.
Here’s the link:  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=amish+fiction&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1

And here's my collection

 

 
This one I’m reading right now from the library

All that being said...these books take me into their lives and community and I read until my eyes blur.

My first series was ABRAM'S  DAUGHTERS
a set of 5 in the series and I was hooked.
I get about 2-3 books a month and read them quickly...also I have been ordering the
audio's as well and listen to them on our travels.

I know I've gone on here - well I just can't say enough about the Amish books...
my daughter in-law has even started getting interested in them.

I just finished listening to Indiana Cousins audios I  got from the library
    

I was at Barnes & Nobles yesterday and bought 3 Amish books!

I thought as long as I was buying Book 1, I might as well get book 2 and 3 to complete the trilogy.
It's called THE ADAMS COUNTY TRILOGY by Jerry S. Eicher
I've read his books before and they are good too...
They Trilogy has….
Rebecca's Promise
Rebecca's Return
Rebecca's Choice

Do ya think these are about REBECCA?????

It will give me something to read when we travel to Lancaster a week from today!
I have the audio’s of Abram’s Daughters on order from Christian Books but they have been on back order forever…was hoping they would be here in time to listen to on the trip.

I was hoping to have some pretties to share with you today
but I don’t so you will have to be happy with my books!

Karen

New item and another Pineapple

Well this week flew by and I don’t really know what I accomplished.

Seems I was busy the entire time but not much to show for it that was on the fun side that is.

My aunt is back in the hospital so we went to Janesville to see her a couple times and I also finished up some orders and today the one customer sent me a picture of it on her table. And she really loved it too – I was so nervous sewing a design without a pattern but it turned out quite cute.
She wanted a barn, cow and some sunflowers and this is what I came up with.

Barn close-up
 

And here it is on her table. I think it looks larger on my chair for some reason. But I love the cute little Milk bottle crate with votive candles in them that she set on it – that’s why I did the design on the bottom and left her room to angle her milk crate.

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Last week when we came back from our cousins reunion we stopped at the Crafter’s Mall at the Wisconsin Dells and I found this stuffed Pineapple – it doesn’t look very big but it’s a whopping 15 inches tall including leaves and I see I need to fix the leaves. 
It was handmade by The Spinning Wheel.

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Here’s the group from our reunion last week…unfortunately 3 of the cousin couples couldn’t make it so our group was small….but a good time was had with lots of chatting and wonderful food.
Phyllis and Ken hosted it and we had Pulled Pork, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad and lots of extras plus wonderful desserts.

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I’m just killing some time here before we head on into Milwaukee to pick up our friend who is flying in from St. Kitts via Raleigh, NC – that was his first stop today before heading up here on another flight….and they didn’t get his luggage on his flight!
Soooo the airline is going to Fed-X it up to our house.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it reaches here Saturday sometime before he has to get ready to leave for the class reunion – if not he’s going to have to wear something of Doug’s.
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Only10 more days and we head out for Lancaster, Pa and I get to meet Lori from http://loritheblackcrow.blogspot.com/
  
I’m driving to Lori’s place on Wednesday the 11th to her town of Littlestown, PA and she has the day completely planned for us from shopping to eating and hopefully getting a tour of her wonderful farmhouse.
My husband decided to stay back in Lancaster and golf with his cousin so it’s just me Lori!!!!

Here are a couple photos of her house in the snow….I’ve seen photos of the inside but I can’t wait to see it for real.


And if you want to see more of Lori’s house go to her Picturetrail:  http://www.picturetrail.com/theblackcrow

I think this is enough for today – I’ll check in on my blog friends now.
Karen