Chocolate Pound Cake

Here is our favorite recipe for Chocolate Pound Cake.

2 sticks butter
1/2 c shortening
3 c sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
3 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 c milk

Cream butter, sugar, and shortening.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix.  Add vanilla.  Mix flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder together.  Add to mixing bowl alternating with the milk.  Mix well after each addition.  Pour into greased pan.  Bake 1 1/2 hour at 325 degrees.

Dill Pickles

This is what I've been doing this week:  making Dill Pickles!  I've had a lot of requests from our customers for these, so I finally bit the bullet and got to work on them.  Normally I make a 3 day lime pickle, which is a sweeter pickle. 

We used a large box of pickling cucumbers and I made 80 jars of dill pickles out of it, with some left over to make a batch or so of lime pickles.

Paper Rose Wreath

Here is a wreath made of paper roses that hangs in our small extra bathroom.  It was made by my youngest daughter.

She printed out paper rose patterns from the internet and put them together.  Then she took a Styrofoam wreath form and wrapped it in ribbon.  Next she attached the paper roses.  We added a ribbon hanger to the wreath leaving long *tails* at the bottom of the wreath.

It looks even better in person than in this picture.  It provided her with the opportunity to be creative and adds a nice decorative touch in a room that badly needed something.  And it was an inexpensive project.

Lotion

This past week I made a brand new product for our bath/body line:  Lotion!  It is a goat's milk and aloe vera based lotion with a nice crisp citrus scent to soothe and hydrate the skin after sun exposure.  I've named it *After The Sun*.

It was a fun experience making it and I am strongly considering adding other lotions to our product line. 

I love the idea that I can make lotion myself, rather than buy it.  Brambleberry.com has several recipes online as do many other sites, if you are interested in giving this a try yourself.  Supplies can be purchased from Brambleberry and Wholesale Supplies.

Going Home

Yesterday I attended the funeral of my husband's aunt.  She had struggled with cancer for many years and the past 6 months or so had not been easy at all.  She was in pain; she wasn't able to eat for weeks at the end.  But through it all, she continued to be her sweet self, serving the Lord as best she could.

She had her 52nd wedding anniversary not long before her death.  Most, if not all, of those years together, she prayed for her husband's salvation.  And those prayers were answered the day after her homegoing when he finally accepted salvation.

Her service yesterday wasn't a sad event.  Tears were shed, of course, and many were sad because she was no longer with us in the flesh.  But the service was one of celebration.  One of her great loves was Gospel music and her granddaughters sang a beautiful tribute.  The minister spoke of her dedication, her love for Jesus, her wonderful homegoing to a place of beauty and great riches.  Where she is now, there is no pain, no sorrow, no suffering--only joy.

There was a spirit of love--a spirit of worship--in that service, just as there was a spirit of love and worship in her life.  There are tears here on earth at her passing--and there was great rejoicing in heaven as another saint came home to glory.  And oh!  How Aunt Shirley is rejoicing with the angels that her dear husband will one day join her there.

Pet Soap

Here is my latest creation:  Pet Soap!  It is made with herbs and oils that are good for dog skin and coats and includes essential oils that help repel bugs and insects that pester dear ole doggie.  There is no added color; it is a creamy off-white that is just beautiful.

It is the perfect size to fit nicely in your hand to make washing the dog easier.

I've made several batches and intend to make another one today.  It's such fun creating this soap!

We will be selling this one as soon as it is cured--a couple of weeks. 

Flowers from my Daughter

My daughter picked these for me last week.  I have no idea what they are called, but I know they are a wild weed that grows in our yard.  They are very pretty!

We put them in a heart-shaped vase I've had for about 25 years now; in the first year we were married my husband got me some flowers that came in this vase.  It's the perfect size for a small bouquet or a 1-3 larger flowers.  We put the vase on our dining table to bring a splash of spring color inside.

A Southern Supper

Chicken and dumplings!  These are a real southern treat and it's what we are going to have for supper tonight.

This meal is a hearty stew of shredded cooked chicken (or bite sized chunks) with dumplings--a thick noodle--in a thickened chicken broth.  It's a fine way to stretch the meat budget and as an added bonus, it's a filling meal, especially if you add cornbread or homemade biscuits on the side.

I am sad to admit that I've never made this fine meal.  But my sister, a true southern cook who makes all sorts of old-timey dishes, can whip up a pot of chicken and dumplings that will melt in your mouth.  And she is going to teach my daughters how to do prepare this delicious dish this afternoon.  Even better, she is sending the results home with them!

Because she is such a wonderful sister, she is also planning to teach the girls to make a 10 layer cake.

A 10 layer cake with chocolate icing is considered the epitome of southern desserts and is highly sought after at church socials, reunions, and get togethers.  And we get to have the cake for dessert with our chicken and dumplings tonight!

Neither of these are difficult to make; they just take time.  And sadly, many southern women today no longer have the time, energy, nor inclination to make such meals.  As older grandmas and great grandmas leave this world, their progeny no longer even know *how*.

I am pleased that my daughters will have the knowledge and skills of previous generations.  And I am pleased that my sister is willing to teach them.  Of course, I am also VERY pleased to be dining on the results!