Rocking The Night Away

              

GRAND Turns One

When my children turned one, my Folks gave each a rocking chair for their FIRST BIRTHDAY.  Continuing the TRADITION I gave my Grand children rocking chairs for their firsts.  

This year was VERY challenging to find a child's rocking chair. When furniture stores don't carry them, you know you're in trouble. Hubby and I went to 12 stores between Topeka and Manhattan before a very nice salesman asked me, "You do know where they have them?"

Duh….I simply shook my head no.  I'm glad he told me because if I knew I would have gone straight there instead of wearing myself out looking for one.  All the gas, miles, time, wear and tear on the auto…I simply would have gone there first thing and saved face.  Anywho…not to be snotty.

He told me CRACKER BARREL in Junction.  I thanked him and off we went.  Drove the distance to find 4 children size rockers on their porch.  I learned the hard way that Cracker Barrel also has very nice large ladies clothing that are stylish.  Now I know where to go to check for some beautiful threads for large ladies and rockers.

You know when you have to look for a while for a certain gift, the little ones have no idea.  They could care less.  I started to get shook when we had already been to half a dozen stores and there were no rocking chairs.  It was too late in the week to order on line and I didn't want to have one sent to their address without knowing what the rocker looked like first hand without a inspection.  I prayed.

We celebrated Babee M's first birthday this summer and it was wonderful to be there first hand.

~PARTY TIME~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

LOVE YOU VERY MUCH,

Grandma

  

Down The Hall

Down the Hall to the Family room where the Eisenhowers would have relaxed and enjoyed FAMILY TIME together.  I haven't seen pictures of the family inside the house.  We toured President Eisenhower's Childhood home in Abilene, Kansas.

I found this little treasure of a HOME very comfortable and would be able to live there if I were allowed.  I might get tired of tourist coming to the front door or peeking through the windows wanting to see the inside of this house knowing President Eisenhower once lived there.  Grins. Think it's for the best to leave this to the public.  If this place could be copied…well, it would be tempting to copy and place it on some property elsewhere where it were a private residence.  

There are photos of the entire family on the porch which would have been an extended living space and much easier to keep clean. 

PORCH LIFE would have been a wonderful place to sit and enjoy lemonade in the late afternoon or watch the people go by.  Long talks.  

For now we shall view the Family room which is down the hall...

The floor plan allowed passage from the formal Parlour into the more casual room which we call a Family room these days. Silly me, I did not notice the pocket doors at the time we toured the Abilene house.  A nice feature to have in any house.  It looks like a pole was available for Parlour curtains as well or one could pull the pocket doors closed for privacy.  Ida did not allow her boys to go into the Parlour.  

The Family room with radio and piano was a different matter.

Glad you stopped by.  All the best to you.

HOME Life is for me,

d

Jibber Jabber

Sat outside this Saturday morning and nearly froze.  This Autumn day the temps were colder than wanted.  It seems that around here, the Autumn is short lived before moving into cold weather and then in the Spring it turns off HOTTER than desired.  That's Kansas for you.

About two thirds of the CHRISTMAS decorations were gone through a couple of weeks ago.  I am too sentimental which makes getting rid of stuff difficult.  Managed to thin it out.  I'd like to continue on this project and be able to say, "Well done good and faithful servant…you did it and lived to tell about it."  

We HOPE to decorate the exterior of our old house with blue lights.  It will be a BLUE CHRISTMAS.  Will have to start stringing up lights in November when the weather is still half way decent before the SNOW BLOWS and ice coats everything.  I am looking forward to when Husband flips the main switch and says, "Let there be light."   

Hoping the deep cleaning has taken place between now and then so the inside of the house is ready for the HOLIDAYS.  

I must clean the other Guest room before FAMILY comes for THANKSGIVING.  I need to get a new set of sheets to fit this bed.  Dust and vacuum once again and make ready for company.  The room needs relieved of clutter and I am in the state of mind to make this happen.  Slowly it will take place and we'll be able to breath a little easier because the clutter is gone.

This room needs some curtains.  Only has pull shades for the time being.  Which reminds me, the bronze colored valances that I purchased a few years ago for little of nothing have been washed and dried in need of pressing.  I will get bronze colored rods for the Family room and hang the new valances hopefully this coming week.  This warms my heart prettying up my HOME.

Last week, I went through all of my COOK BOOKS and stared at the tastefully done pictures admiring wonderfully arranged items placed so the photographer could get a appetizing photo.  Even the table service and serving dishes were so very attractive.  I have collected Cook Books for years and needed to thin them out.  They were taking over.  I probably pulled a third of them.  Made me think of when a third of God's angels rebelled with the head worship leader, Lucifer.  He fell like lightning.  In a flash he was gone.  It took longer than a flash to go through my books, but I bravely did it.  

Stiff upper lip….it is difficult to turn loose of them.  Imagine being so attached to a Cook Book that you about can't turn loose of it.  Imagine.  I remember when I owned only one Cook Book which was wedding gift and scoured all the pages over and over until they were worn out.  I still LOVE this book.  LOVE IT.

Before I go onto my heavenly reward, I hope and pray that I can conquer fixing the best FRIED CHICKEN this side of Topeka, CHOCOLATE CAKE that melts in your mouth happy and I'll think of something else as time passes.  I like trying new recipes for MEATLOAF, but have finally found a recipe that I really, really, r e a l l y like and it's not the one I won the PAXICO MEATLOAF CONTEST with in 2011.  I might try competing again with this one and see if others agree, it's just plain good.

I have a Sugar Cookie Recipe and Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe that I cherish as delicious.  Wouldn't change a thang.  My Husband's Chocolate Chip Cookies are to die for.  I've been to Heaven and back many times just eating the cookie dough.  

His trick is mixing and stirring the dough thoroughly.  It's all in the wrist.  There's no way I could improve on this delicacy. 

One of my favorite Cook Books was water damaged, but I cannot bring myself to throw it away.  There's a wonderful Quiche Lorraine recipe in it that I used which helped me make friends amongst the Texas Ladies I knew many moons ago.  Every time I think of Quiche, I think of them.  Real women eat Quiche and admit it.  

God has been so faithful to bring friends each time we moved to a new location.  SO many of my friends have passed away…I miss them.   Inside the water damaged Cook Book were two CHURCH Ladies Programs that I attended and helped in the Kitchen to prepare Luncheons.  It seems just like yesterday that I was young and in the Kitchen helping prepare the meals and clean up.

It would be here that I saw one Lady add large quantity of salad makings into a clean trash bag to mix the combination salad up.  Worked like a charm.  What better way to fix a huge amount of salad than the way this Lady did.  Also saw the Kitchen Dishwashers use Clorax Bleach in the dish water to help sanitize all the dishes.  Helpful tips to remember.





Back to my HOME Cook Books.  The book shelf that held the books was moved upstairs into the master bedroom and I didn't want cook books in the bedroom.  This would give breakfast in bed a whole new meaning.  The books ended up in the Dining room and need to be relocated to the Utility room where I will have to move seldom used items to make room for them.  Sometimes I wish my Kitchen were larger, but am THANKFUL to have the space I do.



Tried like HECK to fall asleep last night by decorating my house in my thoughts.  It didn't work this time.  I tossed and turned all night with very sore muscles from working in the garage.  SO sore I cried.  It is something else to physically work for a few hours each day and be sore from it.  It is one way I can tell that I am 60 years old.  There's that magical number again that I am having trouble believing that I am over the hill.  Maybe I should be let out to pasture.  The grass is always greener there you know.

Now to take the next step and haul more goodies to the THRIFT SHOPS.  Will back the car up against the garage door and begin loading the trunk with the no returns to house or garage items.  Some other lucky individual can have the privilege of getting a treasure for little of nothing.  I took the challenge and said good-bye to STUFF.  STUFF STUFF and more stuff.

Not bragging, but I could have opened a Department store with all the STUFF that has passed through my hands over the years.  Maybe a warehouse.  Take a deep breath and praise God that I have had more than enough.  M.o.r.e. than enough.  It is amazing to think how little we really need to make a house a home to live in and be very comfortable.  Main thing is that it be orderly, clean and shining with love.

The most important stuff to fill your home with is LOVE.  A HOME cannot be a HOME without Love.  It goes a very long ways. 

I continue going through belongings and thinning out.
The challenge has been accepted.  I will not want.  

The adventure continues,

d 

Moving Right Along

Inside the front door to the right is the Master Bedroom of the Eisenhowers.  Mr. and Mrs. would have had a comfortable night's sleep knowing their children were upstairs resting.  There are three bedrooms upstairs with two on the main floor.  Not bad for a small house.  The bedroom off the Dining room was converted to a modern bathroom.

This sweet house is President Eisenhower's Childhood home that the public can tour.

MASTER BEDROOM 

with all the comforts of HOME.

The BOYS slept upstairs.

Very sorry this picture of a picture isn't clear, but you can see Ida reading while sitting by her gorgeous geranium.  President Eisenhower favored his mother's looks.  I wonder if her disposition was like Ike's?  I LIKE IKE was a common slogan and I bet Ida loved her Ike.

Next we'll go down the hall 

to see the Family room.

All the best,

d

Home Sweet Brown Chair

~KEEPING THE SUN OUT OF PARLOUR~

The shades were pulled down as we toured the childhood HOME of President Dwight Eisenhower in Abilene.  His mother did not allow her boys to play in this Parlour.  With Bay Window to sit by while in this comfortable brown club chair, Ida must have been satisfied to enjoy the pretty room all to herself while her boys played outside.  Some peace and quiet.

I would have sworn that this room use to have two brown club chairs but on our recent visit only one was visible.   Since we're not suppose to swear, I failed to ask the tour guide if two were previously there in the past.  As you enter the house, this Parlour is to the left of the door roped off as all do not enter rooms are.

While standing in the entryway, we could glance into the Parlour, up the stairs, Master Bedroom, and down the hall leading to the Family room and Dining room.

WELCOME to a Kansas Historical HOME,

I've been here three times and think I could live here if allowed.

So many years ago, I fell in love with the BROWN club chairs.

The house isn't overly large, but very comfortable.

Liked the floor plan.

Let's take the tour.

WHAT'S UP THERE?

We're not allowed to see.

More to see down the Hall.
May you have a blessed day,
d