Bridal Tea

The wedding reception tea went off without a hitch. The bride was lovely in her Victorina style gown. It was ivory satin and addorned with plum and gold, with laces up the back.

I will be posting pictures as soon as I get then all uploaded.

It was a busy week indeed. Thanksgiving was wonderful. We went to my mother-in-laws in Kentucky. There was so much family there, it was so nice seeing everyone again. She had 2 turkeys, on regular and one smoked.

Next we stoped in at "Rocco's", it's my cousions resturant. He always cooks a feast and there is where my side of the family gathers. Rocky played is saxaphone for us. By the end of the day we were exausted. I wasn't able to take pictures because the batteries in my camera were dead. Oh well, there's always Christmas!

And speaking of Christmas, I need to finish cleaning house so I can get out the decorations!

Have a Blessed Day All!

The Holidays Are Upon Us

It's a beautiful fall day and my thoughts drift to the holidays that are upon us. I can almost smell the fresh baked pumpkin pies, dressing, turkey, cranberry sauce,...yummmmm!

Although the "Pumpkin pie" is traditionaly the pie of choice when it comes to Thanksgiving, there are other favorites too. My nephue loves Pecan pie, my husband's favorite is Apple.

What is your favorite?

Mine is by far the Pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top!

I found this picture while browsing the net. The baking cabinet looks just like the one we had in our kitchen when I was a little girl. My grandmother had one too.



I made my first pie at this baking cabinet! I was about 10 years old and I wanted to surprise my Aunt Rose. I made the crust and the filling. It came out perfect! I was so happy.



There's nothing quite like the smell of a homemade pie fresh out of the oven. Isn't it something how smells bring back memories in a flash. I miss those yesteryears.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my Mother-in-law, Jackie, this year. She lives in Kentuchy. I love going to visit with her.

This has been a busy month! Right now I have been getting things ready for the Bridal reception I'm going to cater on Nov. 22. Oh yes, did I mention, I cater Tea Parties! I'll post some pictures later.

In Fond Rememberance

In Rememberance of Bella Faith

~A gift from Heaven~

We Prayed

We prayed for a miracle,
God sent it.
We prayed for time,
God gave it.
We prayed for blessings,
God showered us.
We prayed for grace,
God enveloped us.
We prayed for hope,
God showed it.
We prayed to God to keep her,
He called her home.
We prayed for the hurt to go away,
God held our hearts in His hands.
We prayed to God for understanding,
God comforted us.
We will see her again,
God has promised us.
In memory of our tiny sweet angle, Bella Faith.
She was sent to us for a brief moment,
God blessed us with her presence.
We know we will be with her again,
God promised us.

by JoAnn Brewer

"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you."
Jeremiah 1:5

We are all mourning the death of a sweet angle,
Baby Bella Faith. She was a sweet angle sent down to us from Heaven just 11 days ago. She weighed 13.5 oz. and was 10 inches long. Judy, my friend and sister in Christ, gave birth to her in her 6th month along, due to health issues. It's hard to put into words what she ment to so many people. My husband, Jeff, says it well in a small post he wrote yesterday:

Little Bella Faith

Though your time on earth was short
Your life touched many.
Though you never walked
You helped people walk by faith.
Though you never spoke words
Your life spoke volumes
of God’s love and grace.
You brought many to their knees
And made their faith stronger.
Thank you, Bella Faith, for your example
Of Gods presence.
Your life touched me deeply.

By Jeff Brewer

While I was making this wreath for Judy and her family I had many thoughts running through my head, so I decided to put them to paper and try to describe the Blake Family and how I see them. They are a close knit family that loves the Lord.

The Grape Vine Wreath

Represents our Family
We start out as a couple and our lives are intertwined.
God blesses us with children.
We wrap ourselves and our lives around them.
God holds us together,
interweaved through every aspect of our lives,
all our thoughts, our hopes and dreams.
He holds us close together, protected by His love.
It’s like a never ending circle of faith and hope.
Thank you Lord for loving us this much
We are held together by you.

Dedicated to the Blake Family
by JoAnn Brewer

The Journey

Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what’s to be,
Arresting place along the road
To sweet eternity.
We all have different journeys,
Different paths along the way,
We are all meant to learn some things,
But never meant to stay…
Our destination is a place
Far greater than we know.
For some, the journey’s quicker,
For some, the journey’s slow.
And when the journey finally ends,
We’ll claim a great reward
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the lord.

~author unknown

Matthew 18:10 KJV
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven.

Tiny Angel

For brief and fleeting moment,
An angel touched the ground;
With tiny wings and halo,
And sweet, soft angel sounds.
Blessing the lives of others,
In beauty and in grace;
Those who saw the angel,
Knew that God had kissed the tiny face.
The angel came for reasons,
We may not understand;
A journey brief, with gifts so great,
And guided by God's hand.
So, rest now tiny angel,
Your work on earth is through;
In the beauty of God's perfect love,
We saw His gift in you.

By Allison Chambers Coxsey

A Beautiful Indian Summer

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I especially love the beautiful red trees. To enjoy the day, we took Madison to the park.

Madison is our granddaughters. Really she is our niece, but we concider her our grandaughter. She calls us Momaw and Popaw. She is a sweetheart and a joy.

We decided to take our Bible study to the park too. What better way to enjoy God's word than to enjoy it while being surrounded with all of His creations and beauty.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" Phill 4:13

A visit to the Pumpkin House!

The Pumpkin House has become a Kenova, WVa tradition. Mr. Ric Griffith transforms his home every October to "The Pumpkin House", boosting a total of 3,000 carved pumpkins!

"How does he do it"?, you may ask. It has become a community affair. Volunteers help carve out the massive amout of pumpkins. Can you imagine all the pumpkin seeds!

He incorporates a Biblical theme into his displays. This is my husband, Jeff, and Madison standing by Noah's Arc.

This is a wall of 'musical instrument' pumpkins. They light up with the rhythum of the music. The Pirates of the Caribbean theme music was playing. It was awesome.

Do you have a special event or place where you live? What's your favorite thing to do this time of year?

One of my favorite things to do is Roast Pumpkin Seeds!

A few of my favorite pumpkin seed recipes:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Garlic salt

Clean pumpkin seeds, and drain. Let air dry or place them on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 250 degrees for about 15 min. Place seeds in bowl.
Melt the butter and combine with the Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture over seeds and mix well.
Return seeds to cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn them over with a spatula. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Then bake for another 30 minutes or until crunchy.

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Pumpkin Seed Brittle

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup fresh pumpkin seeds

Clean pumpkin seeds and drain well, let dry.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and grease with extra butter or spray Pam.

Melt ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir in sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a boil.
Stir constantly for 5 to 8 minutes until mixture reaches 280 on a candy thermometer. (Stir constantly to assure edges of pan will not burn)

Stir in pumpkin seeds.
Pour mixture quickly into prepared pan, if necessary spread with back of a greased spoon.
Let cool completely until hardened. Break into pieces as desired.

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Toasty Pumpkin Seeds


Pumpkin seeds, fresh
Cooking spray, olive oil, or butter
Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, (or other seasoning of choice)

Clean pumpkin seeds and drain.

Spread out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray or line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.

Toss seeds in olive oil, butter, or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with your seasonings of choice and toss to coat.

Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

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Gourmet Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

2 teaspoons melted butter or vegetable oil dash of salt, to taste

And/Or: Recommended Seasonings (Optional), to taste

Garlic powder or Garlic salt
Onion powder
Chili powder
Seasoned salt
Mrs. Dash, salt free blend
Red pepper
Black pepper, fresh ground
Cayenne pepper
Fresh ground black pepper
Soy sauce
Powdered Cheddar cheese (comes in Mac & Cheese)

Cajun seasoning

Mexican style seasoning

Italian seasoning
Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 300º F.

Clean off pumpkin seeds. Its OK if they have a small amount of pulp left on them.

Place pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or vegetable oil.

Add your seasonings of choice. Toss to mix.

Spread seeds in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet. (or spray with Pam)

Bake for about 30 min., stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a cooling rack.

ENJOY!

Thankful For Our Blessings

My family and I now look forward to Thanksgiving. It’s a special holiday, especially since we have learned first hand about the first Thanksgiving. We used to live in Williamsburg, Virginia on Jamestown Road. By the end of Jamestown Rd. is Jamestown Island, the site of the first permanent English colony in America established in 1607. I remember the first year we celebrated Thanksgiving in Williamsburg, we took the kids to Jamestown Island to see how the Indians and Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving. It was amazing. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to live and raise my children in a town so rich in history.

Happy Halloween

It's Trick-or-Treat in our neighborhood tonight. All the kids on our street are out playing in their costumes anticipating the thrill of getting treats. When I was a child I would dress up as a princess. My niece is going as Hana Montana. I don't like the idea of witches and all the gory things, but I do enjoy watching all the little kids dress up.