tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post1821365498809426077..comments2024-03-09T02:21:59.660-08:00Comments on HOPE AND THRIFT: NOVEMBER NOTESJanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-8298083828865520392016-11-19T15:00:37.681-08:002016-11-19T15:00:37.681-08:00Well, Meg, if you can't find it, I'd be gl...Well, Meg, if you can't find it, I'd be glad to send you one for the cost of shipping. When Ran gets makes something he always makes many duplicates. Ha! Now he's making pipes!<br /><br />Hugs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-71645767431939336312016-11-19T14:41:15.787-08:002016-11-19T14:41:15.787-08:00Oh, my gosh! A pig cutting board. My mother had on...Oh, my gosh! A pig cutting board. My mother had one of these ... I will have to ask her what happened to it. I wonder if she still has it. What lovely memories of kitchen times your photo brought back. Meg:)Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11573371198907761962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-75027416116906879522016-11-14T06:42:51.239-08:002016-11-14T06:42:51.239-08:00HI Lisa! I'm glad I don't have the job of...HI Lisa! I'm glad I don't have the job of tagging bears! Yikes! Yes, the cookie jar is from WalMart. I love foxes, so I just had to buy one. We even had a gray one that hung out in the back yard last year. Having family for Thanksgiving? Hope your son-in-law is doing better.<br /><br />Hugs <br />Jane Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-53512666360657691002016-11-14T06:23:55.447-08:002016-11-14T06:23:55.447-08:00Yes, our November has been weird!
We have lots of ...Yes, our November has been weird!<br />We have lots of hunters up this way. Last month the local DNR were asking deer hunters to be on the lookout for sleeping bears this year so they (DNR) could locate and tag them..but they might not be sleeping because of the extended warm days!<br />Is that cookie jar a 'Pioneer Woman'..I have the hound dog cookie jar!<br />Have a wonderful week, Jane.<br />God bless~LisaNever Forsakenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04537083795724752514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-68377273893931417342016-11-12T09:06:02.589-08:002016-11-12T09:06:02.589-08:00Thanks Kathy!Thanks Kathy!Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-78126310251106885452016-11-12T08:52:45.245-08:002016-11-12T08:52:45.245-08:00Thanks Jane!
I have been praying the prayer that n...Thanks Jane!<br />I have been praying the prayer that never fails, Thy will be done! And it has given me peace. <br />May He bless you and your ministry with this lovely blog. <br />Hugs<br />KathyKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16710629007170091862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-37394569075791205352016-11-12T07:38:38.481-08:002016-11-12T07:38:38.481-08:00Thanks Debbie! I hope the end of this week is goi...Thanks Debbie! I hope the end of this week is going better for you. Canning can wait!<br /><br />Hugs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-31852090435457364792016-11-12T07:37:28.590-08:002016-11-12T07:37:28.590-08:00Thanks Kathy! Those little gnomes are fun family ...Thanks Kathy! Those little gnomes are fun family craft. It's fun to see how different the expressions are just by where you place the dots for eyes.<br /><br />As to all the nastiness (you'd think this was a military coupe rather than a presidential election) of the week, I would say just give the president-elect a chance. Rarely have I ever voted for the winning team (and I've been voting since the mid-70s) so I understand disappointment when your candidate is not elected. However; that is the beauty of our system, there is a checks and balance system, so no one person is given too much power. What I do is write to my representatives, sign petitions and when I'm disappointed in how they vote on key issues, I vote and campaign against them the next election. Rarely does an incumbent get my vote! Ha! And I pray! I pray that God's will is done. We see through the glass darkly, so sometimes it is difficult to fathom what is God's will, so acceptance is also part of my walk in faith. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving too!<br /><br />HUgs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-80241328968500664382016-11-12T04:30:24.702-08:002016-11-12T04:30:24.702-08:00So love this post! After all the nastiness this w...So love this post! After all the nastiness this week, your post is balm to my soul. Thank you!<br />Love your red bench and your garden gate! So pretty!<br />Those pine cone gnomes are adorable. Going to forage for some pine cones this week for the kids to make them. And the coffee soaps do look good enough to eat. I need to see if I can find mini bundt pans.<br />What a cute little toddler hat and mittens. You are so talented. The cutting board and pipe look great too.<br />Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family.Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16710629007170091862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-3670869002501555502016-11-10T21:10:59.976-08:002016-11-10T21:10:59.976-08:00My goodness you have been busy! I am in love with...My goodness you have been busy! I am in love with those little pinecone people, the cutting board, pipe, that hat and mitten set and can't wait to see the chair when you are finished with it. :) <br /><br /> I need to get to canning all our fruit that is sitting in the freezer but this has not been the week to do so. Between my health issues and my uncle's death, I have been wiped out. Praying that all changes here soon.<br /><br />Be blessed!Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449564619872452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-25629814416548067252016-11-10T09:30:10.086-08:002016-11-10T09:30:10.086-08:00Thanks Shirley! Sounds like we have the same taste...Thanks Shirley! Sounds like we have the same taste in decorating. I wish I had room in my freezer for Christmas cookies. I usually have a marathon baking day just before we send/ give them out and keep them in tins on our unheated enclosed porch. Then we always discover that we gave all the cookies away and have to bake more just before Christmas! Ha! Oatmeal raisin are my favorite!<br /><br />Hugs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-5946241200614929672016-11-10T09:14:59.777-08:002016-11-10T09:14:59.777-08:00Your Christmas cookies look wonderful! I have sta...Your Christmas cookies look wonderful! I have started baking cookies and freezing them for the holiday season. Oatmeal raisin cookies just went in the freezer. Hard to believe that in two weeks it will be Thanksgiving Day. Love your knitted hat and gloves. They are such pretty colors and that cookie jar makes a great way to display the hat to photograph. The corkscrew willow looks great in your urns. I have an old milk can on my porch that I fill with sticks and branches. Love the sort of natural/primitive look. If you lived near me, I could give you buckets of pine cones. Almost every week, I have a garbage can filled with twigs and branches from the pine trees and pine cones. Your craft project with the pine cones turned out very nice. Shirleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16848223114184102472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-1769599747701643772016-11-09T15:05:08.464-08:002016-11-09T15:05:08.464-08:00Hi Amanda! I don't, but you certainly could. ...Hi Amanda! I don't, but you certainly could. Or you could soak them in a salt water solution (a tablespoon of salt in bowl of water) then just set them out to air dry.<br /><br />Hugs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-13745010458484618932016-11-09T10:18:38.521-08:002016-11-09T10:18:38.521-08:00Hello, I was wondering if you bake your pine cones...Hello, I was wondering if you bake your pine cones before crafting with them? I keep reading about how they may have spider eggs and other assorted bugs and i would really like to craft with my kids without the worry. Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06723909702637851726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-52990394134916979792016-11-08T15:13:07.499-08:002016-11-08T15:13:07.499-08:00That's so fascinating Leslie! I think living ...That's so fascinating Leslie! I think living off-the-grid is a young person's game. I couldn't see doing it in my eighties. Would definitely need a well and a hand pump. With your big family, you must have spent all your time heating water! I bet your children are very well prepared for anything with that wonderful experience!<br /><br />JJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-5948461937987442192016-11-08T14:21:55.569-08:002016-11-08T14:21:55.569-08:00Any book read aloud in monotone is pure torture!
...Any book read aloud in monotone is pure torture! <br />We have lived mostly "off the grid." It is hard work! We lived without a well, so when our water catchment tank was low we had to lug in 5 gallon water jugs. We flushed our toilet with a bucket and our shower was a bucket with a short hose. Our second bath was a cute little out-house that my husband built. We lived this way for 16 years. I still am glad for line drying our laundry and using cloth diapers. So nice to finally take a real shower and not to have to heat my water on the stove-top. We had a wood stove for heat. Fans and windows for cooling. We all agree that we'd rather sweat a little than have AC as it is so drying to the nasal passages. But my kids are ready to live over-seas if they're called.<br />Blessings,<br />LeslieLeslie McKinleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08082544707682903607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-86048839549078150042016-11-08T11:23:35.652-08:002016-11-08T11:23:35.652-08:00That's nice to know, Sharon. I always though...That's nice to know, Sharon. I always thought I was the only one that baked Lebkuchen. Ha! The Germans really love their Christmas celebrations. I remember the old German farmers butchering a pig and making sausage that they shared with everyone this time of year. It was the best sausage ever. I guess it was the only time of the year they didn't have their noses to the grindstone, so who's to fault them for taking a nip of schnaps? Gramps always said it was a German tradition to toast to the new year with a glass of it. We always wondered if perhaps he just liked it and it was a good excuse to partake.<br /><br />The soap is super easy to make and quick too. The coffee in it is good for removing odors too. Happy baking!<br /><br />HUgs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-57509560656764198732016-11-08T11:08:02.134-08:002016-11-08T11:08:02.134-08:00My the holidays are coming fast. I always make Le...My the holidays are coming fast. I always make Lebkuchen as well and need to get busy with the same. To me they are one of the memories of my Midwestern mother in law because they (and another German holiday cookie I can't even spell right) were an important piece of her holiday baking tradition. Both of my husband's parents were also the first generation in their families to be born here. I always found it interesting that they were extremely hardworking frugal people through every part of the year but for the short time of the Christmas season the seams burst and they spent a budget they saved for gifts, food and entertaining and took the time to enjoy everything they could and all the people in their world. They really did it up right and then it was back to business as usual January 2. My memories of my own childhood holidays are good but I am always a little envious of what my husband experienced.<br /><br />I liked and appreciate your instructions for the "coffee soap" and plan to borrow that idea since I live in the "birthplace of Starbucks" area of the country where anything coffee related is popular.<br /><br />As always your efforts are amazing. I hope your week is wonderful! -SharonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-85051563566049278982016-11-08T07:34:18.175-08:002016-11-08T07:34:18.175-08:00Well, if you ever find a good read, Dana, please l...Well, if you ever find a good read, Dana, please let me know!<br /><br />JJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-71124450916707133072016-11-08T05:50:43.319-08:002016-11-08T05:50:43.319-08:00I hear you about books! I mainly stick to classics...I hear you about books! I mainly stick to classics or children's literature because contemporary books for adults all seem to glorify brutality, contain soft porn, or are just about miserable drama among people being horrible to one another. (If I wanted to see that, I could just look around my neighborhood.) But I do love a little twist of the fantastic, or stories of plucky pioneers or regency manners. They are my little escape hatch from the modern world. <br />Cheers, <br />dDJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754369937308388634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-49815117333691982562016-11-08T03:52:21.068-08:002016-11-08T03:52:21.068-08:00You're welcome, Sue! Did you know that in the...You're welcome, Sue! Did you know that in the olden days, every little New England village had their own version of the hermit? Oh the silly little factoids that are cluttering up my brain! Hope you enjoy them!<br /><br />Hugs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-76646639271666674662016-11-07T18:35:27.086-08:002016-11-07T18:35:27.086-08:00Thank you, Jane! This one is so different from the...Thank you, Jane! This one is so different from the one I have I am definitely going to try it!<br />SueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-70794057595309860522016-11-07T14:37:08.770-08:002016-11-07T14:37:08.770-08:00Hi Sue! You're probably right that the key to...Hi Sue! You're probably right that the key to the chewiness is in the baking time. Here's the recipe for Hampshire Hermits:<br /><br />1 3/4 C. flour<br />1 tsp cinnamon<br />1/2 tsp. allspice<br />1/2 tsp. nutmeg<br />1/2 tsp. baking soda<br />1/2 C. butter<br />1 C. brown sugar<br />1 egg<br />1 tsp. vanilla<br />1/4 C. milk<br />1/2 C. dates<br />1/2 C. golden raisins<br />1/2 C. chopped walnuts<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />Combine flour, spices and soda; set aside<br />Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with the milk until well-combined.<br />Fold in nuts, dates and raisins.<br />Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. <br />Bake 10 minutes<br /><br />I frost mine with maple icing but then, I'm not a purist!<br /><br />Happy baking! <br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-72251627087748347922016-11-07T12:21:40.211-08:002016-11-07T12:21:40.211-08:00Hi Jane,
Thank you for the baking hints/tips!
T...Hi Jane,<br /><br />Thank you for the baking hints/tips! <br /><br />The recipes I've looked through in my research for the perfect Hermit all seem to use a 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup butter and/or shortening ratio. <br /><br />I think my success with the hermits cookie lies mostly with the baking time. My three batches taught me that a shorter baking time with a longer resting time on the pan yielded better results. I make them in the log/rolled format, rather than the round/drop method, as that is the only way I've ever had them. It's my goal to find or stitch together my own "perfect" recipe.<br /><br />If you have the time to post it, I would appreciate your recipe for Hampshire Hermits! I will be very interested to see if it calls for eggs and cold coffee.<br /><br />I did look up the A&P recipe for Spanish Bar Cake you mentioned, and the flavor profile is so similar to hermit cookies. I think I'll bake it for my husband, as he is crazy about raisins in everything. Not to mention the frosting sounds divine.<br /><br />Thank you so much for your kind response!<br />SueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5051110165755611111.post-62069888289188892272016-11-07T09:08:24.897-08:002016-11-07T09:08:24.897-08:00My heart goes out to you Dana. I had a spate of f...My heart goes out to you Dana. I had a spate of flat tires a few years back, three in one month! I never felt safe about driving alone since. And I used to have no compunction about packing up the kids and driving across several states. <br /><br />They still have Ben Franklins in the little villages that are too small to support the Michaels and Hobby Lobbys. I like them because they are smaller and I can find the things I need quickly and get out.<br /><br />Used to be an avid reader, but after a couple of years of reading some really bad books, (the cover art always looks so appealing) my reading is just very dry politics, history or economics. Or I reread my old favorites. Personally I don't want to read about someone dying of cancer at a young age, randy young women or Amish "love" stories that everyone recommends. And all the back to nature books are just stupid. Everyone that writes them seems to think they invented canning, gardening and raising chickens. Or the people are just stupid and obviously over their heads. <br /><br />Well hope that this week will be less stressful, maybe only a half-doozy. Ha! Good luck raising money at your bake sale!<br /><br />Hugs<br />JaneJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851312702044308420noreply@blogger.com