New Year Wishes To You

Hello dear friends! I hope you are having a blessed beginning to this New Year and may it be a wonderful year for each of you and your dear ones filled with happiness and blessings from the Lord. It is quite cold here today, but the sun is shining brightly through the pines giving them a lovely glow. The birds have been busy emptying the feeders my dear husband filled up this morning, delighting us with their beauty and sweet songs.

I recently recorded a nature journal entry of a Tufted Titmouse. They are so cute and have such large eyes. They have a lovely song too. We are very blessed to have our home here in the country, which enables us to enjoy so many more songbirds than when we lived in the city. I especially think living by the lake attracts a great deal more of them. But, we enjoyed quite a bit of nature in our city life just the same. So, wherever you may live, you can attract birds by simply putting out a feeder. A bird bath and pretty flowers will be appreciated and enjoyed by your bird friends too, as well as being a blessing to you!



My drawing of a Tufted Titmouse. (I am still learning how to draw!)



A few antique finds to share with you. Though we have Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales I could not pass up this sweet book. Currently I am enjoying reading Beatrix Potter: A Life In Nature. It is well-written and so very interesting. I have certainly been encouraged in my efforts to keep a nature journal by reading it. The Victorian mug was an exciting find and looks lovely with the other two my husband and son have given me in years past. They are hard to find, at least in my area, and it was on sale too. The small vintage cup reads, "Think Of Me" and the old field guide is just charming. I also found two others, Insects and Mammals.



I found this vintage handmade quilt a few months ago and was delighted to find it was only $15. There is just a small amount of damage and the antique dealer offered it to me for $12 and I did not even ask! I thought that was so sweet of her. The hand quilting is so beautiful. You can see a lot of love and time went into making this.



I have been sewing up hearts for gifts and decorations for Valentines Day. I added organic lavender and they smell so lovely.



I sewed vintage buttons on them for a bit of embellishment.



I love to bake for my dear husband and sweet son. I recently made them some homemade organic cupcakes, or as I have read they are called in beautiful England, fairy cakes. I just love that!



My son liked the ones with chocolate chips on top and my husband liked the ones with coconut. Here is the recipe, I use all organic ingredients.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar (I used Rapadura)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups cold water

Line muffin pan with paper cups. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter until light and fluffy, add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour mixture and water alternately to beaten mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. Pour batter into the prepared cups until half full.

Bake in a 350 oven for 25 minutes (I begin checking mine at 15 minutes) until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool throughly, then frost with desired frosting.

For the frosting, I combined a large block of cream cheese, softened, with one stick of butter, also softened, until light and fluffy, then I added 1/2 cup of Rapadura and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mixed it well. You may use powdered sugar, or use one of your favorite frosting recipes, then add any toppings that you like! Enjoy!




I leave you with a lovely photo my son took of the lake.

May you have a wonderful weekend and coming week! Thank you so very much for the sweet and encouraging comments each of you have left for me in this past year. I am so grateful and so blessed to know so many sweet ladies and to have made such kind friends!


If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. ~George MacDonald