Savanah Has Officially Graduated!

Yesterday Savanah got her High School Diploma via UPS, delivered right to the door. I was so excited. U ntil this morning. The realization that these years of homeschooling her are over, have made me a little sad. But alas happiness must over rule sadness, she has achieved a goal. Congratulations Savanah!!

Back To The Tour Of Aunt Teresa's Home

Today I thought I would share her bedroom and bathroom, They are very pretty and filled with old things and collectibles.

This the wedding gown she and my sister wore for their weddings 20 years ago. I like the idea of not keeping it in a box but putting it on display.

This is a Madame Alexander doll that she got at an auction. She is quite interesting with her little clothes make-up and perfume. Even a little pistol, just in case.

Well that is the tour of her bedroom and bathrooms. I hope you enjoyed it. I've got one more room to share at another time. I hope all of you have a blessed day today.

Until We Meet Again,

Amy Jo

The Best Homemade Laundry Soap:

Today I would like to share with you a recipe for homemade laundry soap. This recipe is cheap to make, smells good and is beautiful to look at. I found this Zote pink soap on line. I previously used Ivory which is also very good. This Zote soap is the size of 3 Ivory bars though. The cost winds up being less, at least in my neck of the woods.

First you take your bar of soap and you grate it into your laundry box, using the small grates on your grater. This soap is soft so it really isn't hard to grate. I always put my son to work on this project. Because this is the size of 3 bars of Ivory I will put in 3 equal parts of the remaining ingredients.  So 3 cups of Borax, and 3 cups of baking soda.



Once all the ingredients are in the box I  shake the box and then gently stir it



The end result is a wonderful laundry soap that smells so wonderful, looks pretty, and is economical. I love trying to make everyday mundane things pretty. God is the creator of beauty and we are his children, so I think that is why we crave beauty. Go put some beauty in your laundry room!

Amy Jo

Happy Mothers Day!

A Father may turn his back on his child; brothers and sisters may become invetrate enemies; husbands may desert their wives and wives may desert their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all; in good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world's condemnation, a mother still loves on, and still hopes that her child may turn from his evil ways, and repent; still she remembers the infant smiles that once filled her bosom with rapture, the merry laugh, the joyful shout of his childhood, the opening promise of his youth and she can never be brought to think him unworthy.

-Washington Irving

My Aunt Teresa's Family Room

Today my sister and I went to Aunt Teresa's house. Yesterday was her birthday so we wanted to take her to lunch .... I absolutely love her house so I thought I would get some pictures to share  with everyone.  I will share these over the next couple of days. She collects antiques and does an amazing job of displaying them. I hope you enjoy these pics.

She has a beautiful green on the wall, which I have copied in my living room. She collected mirrors and put throughot the room. It really helps the room to look larger.

She makes these fairy cages, they are gorgeous. I have one in my bedroom. They have little lights in them so when you turn them on they are just so pretty.



This is the wall that ajoins the kitchen.



Well I hope you enjoyed her family room, I know I love it... I will be sharing more of her home soon.

Until Then

Amy Jo

Farmhouse Rhubarb Lattice Pie

Savanah wanted to try and make a from scratch pie, so she settled on this recipe. The cookbook it came out of was A Return To Sunday Dinners. This recipe is delicous! Also quite a few steps..

Pie Crust

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 ts salt

3/4 cup shortening

6 to 7 tblspns cold water

Make the Pie Crust:

Whisk the flour and salt together in a mixin bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter until the mixture reaches the consistency of coarse crumbley meal.

Second, turn the mixture out onto a clean dry surface and knead in just enough of the cold water for the dough to come together in a pliable, tender ball. divide the dough into two eual portions and roll into balls. Flatten each ball into a disk by gently pressing it between your hands. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 week.

5 cups rhubarb

6 rounded tblspns all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 tspn salt

Make the Filling:

Trim away any dry or woody ends from the rhubarb stalks and slice enough of the rhubarb into 3/4 inch thick slices to yield 5 cups. Place the rhubarb slices into a stainless mixing bowl and toss together with the flour, sugar and salt. Allow mixture to stad at room temp for 20 or 25 minutes.

Streusel Topping

2 tblspns unsalted butter

1 tblsn all purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Make the Streusal Topping:

Cut the butter, flour and sugar together with a pastry cutter until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbley meal. Set aside.

Assemble the Pie:

First when the pie dough has chilled., roll out the bottom crust on a clean, lightly floured surface to a circumferance of 10 inches and a thickness of 1/4 inch. Line the inside of a 10 inch pie plate with this crust.

Shape the second piece of dough into a square. Roll it out in a 12 inch square and cut into 18 3/4 inch wide strips.

Second, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the rhubarb mixture together again, so that the juices from the fruit are fully combined with the sugar and flour. Spoon the filling into the crust and sprinkle the streusal over the top. Lay the strips of dough alternately 1 inch apart, beginning in the middle of the pie circle. Fold back the strips as you seave them over and under to create a lattice pattern. Trim and crimp the crust edgesl

Third, sprinkle the top of the crust with a little sugar and bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbloing through the lattice top, 14 to 50 minutes.

Seeing History in the Making Space Shuttle Program

As a everyone knows the shuttle program is ending,  we got an amazing opportunity to see the shuttle be taken to the launch pad.  My husbands cousin has worked out at NASA for 23 years. He got a certain amount of passes and took us. This is my children and his daughter Elizabeth. They were having to much fun as we were watching!

The size is just amazing! You really can't believe it until your close up and personal.

Cousins and Best Friends!

Meet the Love of my Life

Frank is a wonderful husband and father. We have been married for coming up on 19 years. We got married when I was 16 and he was 18. We have never parted.....

Meet my Son

This is Levi the second child and the baby. He is homeschooled, and loves to fish. This picture is a little old he is 8 now.

Meet my Daughter

 Savanah, she is my oldest, and has just finished High School this month. Congrats Savanah! She has been homeschooled since the 6th grade. No one told me it would be so hard to see your baby's grow up. tear tear....

My First Post!

Hello out there in bloggity world... I am so excited to try my hand at this. I follow quite a few blogs and feel so inspired after I read them.  I thought I should have some fun too, don't you think?

Amy Jo