Corn Sack

Corn Sacks are one of my favorite things in the winter time.  They help me keep warm.

These are made from recycled jeans.  They are electric free and 100% reusable.  When heated in the microwave, they relieve pain, relieve the cold, and they help relax tight muscles.  They can also be put in the freezer to make a mess free ice pack.
I sell these at Smelly Good Stuffs.  If you'd like to buy one please contact me.  I have a few in stock and would make more.  I haven't added them to the web store, so contact he here.

Rainbow Sugar Cookies

Rainbow Sugar Cookies

(No refrigeration required, these are drop cookies)

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 TBSP white vinegar and fill the rest of the cup with milk and let it sit a few minutes)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

6 cups flour

Cream the shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add buttermilk.  Stir well and add dry ingredients.  Mix until smooth

Roll into balls and drop about 3 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.  Dip the bottom of a glass in a little sugar and press cookie flat.

Add sprinkles and lightly press into tops of cookies.

Bake at 350* for 5-10 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen

Linking up with The Fun in Functional Link Party #74

From This Day Forward by Margaret Daley ~~ Book Review

It's been a while since I've written a book review (May 11, 2013). Don't think I've not been reading. I completed my Good Reads reading challenge, of 24 books, and am still going strong. :-)  I've actually read 29 books this year and am currently reading #30.    I recently got a Kansas Library Card, and it has opened a whole new world of books for me.  It's like going to the library and checking out books, instead of waiting for one I want to read or scrolling through the mountainous collection of free books I've gotten from Amazon in the past year and a half.  With the KSLC  I can check out books and download them to mu kindle for 14 days with "tokens" that are replenished weekly.  It kind of makes it a challenge to get them read in 2 weeks.  So far I haven't had any problem reading them.  Recently I downloaded From This Day Forward  by Margaret Daley.  I Loved it!


  Description on Amazon: Penniless, pregnant, and newly widowed immigrant Rachel Gordon doesn't believe her situation could get any worse...until she meets her new neighbors. Shortly after the War of 1812, Rachel and her husband set out from England for a plantation in South Carolina, which he had purchased sight unseen. However, while en route, Tom Gordon fell overboard and drowned, leaving Rachel, frightened and alone, to make a home for her and her newborn. Can a battle-scarred American physician who comes to her rescue also heal her wounded heart?


My thoughts on this book.  like I said I LOVED it!  I can't say that for all books, most I really like.  What I liked about this book is Rachel had a kind heart.  She is determined to try things even though she has never experienced them before.  She is determined.  She is willing to forgive and take in strangers when she herself has little.  I also liked the bad guys and the alligator fights and the snakes.  Hard to put down, and kept me wanting to keep reading because something kept happening.  

Happy Homemaker Monday ~~ 11/4/2013

You know, even though I'm not a SAHM I'm still a homemaker.  I have a family to take care of and a home that should be kept it neat and clean.  I do also have the responsibility of 2 businesses to keep neat and clean, and a multitude of customers to care for as well.  Wow!  So....I've decided it's going to be Happy Homemaker Monday, because my home AND my businesses are my home.  They are where I spend my time, with my family none the less, 24 hours a day.

The weather.....  We're a little warmer today highs in the low 60's lows in the low 50's.  Rain is supposed to come in Tuesday and Wednesday and cool things off.  Mostly sunny the rest of the week with upper 50's and mid 30's.

Right now I am.... listening to the police scanner

On my Kindle.... I  finished Annie's Truth (Touch of Grace, Book 1) I also read From This Day Forward, and am currently reading Escape To Sanctuary (Truly Yours Digital Editions)

TV on my Computer..... Maybe some cross.tv or youtube videos if I get a chance.

What I found while surfing the net.... not much surfing recently.

On my to do list this week.... [at the lock/incense shop this week:]

1. sweep
2. clean the glass cases
3. paperwork caught up

[ for Cosmic Castle this week:]

1. Tonight we will make the Chicken N Noodles (from scratch to serve Tuesday evening)
2. Tuesday evening after close I do inventory
3. Tuesday night we are serving our chicken n noodle dinner
4. Thursday is truck day
5. Thursday night we are serving Hot Beef dinner.
6. we have changed things around a little and our help is coming in after lunch now, and working the afternoons.  Hubby and I will be taking turns  working the lunch hour.

[at home this week:]

1. work on laundry
2. do a little each night to keep place clean
3. keep dishes washed
4. put clean/dry laundry away
5. start thinking about thanksgiving.  I've invited my son's finance over.  she is supposed to get back with me on whether she is coming for lunch or supper.

In the craft basket.... I still haven't been doing anything, but my husband has been working with foam lately.  He is working on a cannon to go with his pile of (foam) cannon balls.

Looking forward to this week.... rain!  i know sounds silly.  LOL!

Looking around the house.... I've been doing pretty good at keeping things picked up here lately.  There is 1 dish in the sink....someone must have had something to eat after i got the dishes washed up.  There are a few bags of trash to go out.  Floors need swept and the clean laundry put away.

From the camera.... Nothing this week worth sharing :-(

On my prayer list.....

• My grandpa (he's 94 years old)
• My sister
• Business decisions
• Tuesday night to happen again without a glitch and be successful
• Thursday night to happen without a glitch and be successful

  This post linked to Happy Homemaker Monday over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom      

Cinnamon Apple Rings — Dehydrator

So I found this recipe on the Excalibur web site for cinnamon apple rings.  I bought stevia like recommended, and mixed the cinnamon and stevia together but did not care for the result, to I tossed that out and went with plain old sugar and cinnamon.

I chose 3 different types of apples, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Gala.

I cored and sliced up 3 of each apple, skins on so I could tell later which one they were.

1 apple fit on the drying rack, and I sprinkled cinnamon sugar over them

put them in the dehydrator at 130* for 7-14 hours.  Mine was dried in 7, thankfully. 

I left a mess on the counter.  I dipped my end pieces in the cinnamon sugar and at them before cleaning up my mess.

this morning I had a gallon zippy bag full of dried cinnamon apple rings.

Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala.  Which one will taste the best?  They all taste good, really really good, but my personal opinion the Gala has the best flavor of the 3 I dried this time.

This post linked with Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Slow Cooking Thursday.

Cinnamon French Toast

I can't remember the last time I ate french toast.  It's been years. I used 1 egg and probably a little less than a quarter of a cup or milk (sorry I didn't measure). I whisked that together and then added probably 2 TBSP ground cinnamon.  What I mixed was just enough for 2 slices of bread. Which turned out perfect.  Dip both sides of the bread in the mixture and put in a hot skillet. I added a little butter to my skillet and let it warm up, then fried both slices one side at a time. My favorite way to eat french toast is add a little butter and powder sugar.  I am defiantly going to have to do this again soon.  It tasted so awesome and really hit the spot.  

 This post linked with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Slow Cooking Thursday.

Homemade Banana Bread

 
1/2 cup shortening (shortening is best, although butter will also work)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cups mashed banana (I use 2-3 bananas)

cream shortening and sugar until light. Add eggs, mix well. Stir in bananas, mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well, but do not over mix.
 Butter and sugar bread pan,  and pour mixture in. Bake at 325* for 40-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool, cut and serve.

Makes 1 loaf (8 thick slices, 10 if you count the heals), or approximately 16 muffins, or a nice 8×8 “cake”.