Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hooked on Web Helps!

What am I Hooked On this week?

I am hooked on a
couple of web sites that
have made my life easier
and less cluttered.

The first one is Biblegateway.com.
This site helps me almost weekly as
I design our church's service bulletin.

There are so many verse fragments floating
around my head and with this site I am able
to type in a search for either a word or
phrase and most of the time can find what
I am looking for easily...whether I want it
in the King James Version, NIV or others.

The other site that has become very valuable
at our home is allrecipes.com.
Take our Thursday Evening dinner for example.
The meal was to be chicken tacos, however,
the big problem that showed up after the chicken
was all cooked and shredded was that I discovered
we had no taco seasoning.

No problem!

A simple search for taco seasoning brought me
to this page.
Now I am wondering if there will ever be a reason to
purchase those little packets again.
The kids and a guest raved about dinner!

Other favorite recipes from this site are:


Amish White Bread I made this again last night to serve with spare ribs. It is one our family favorites since I made it several months ago.

Pizza Dough...a quick recipe if you are in a time crunch.

Chelsea made this Blueberry Cheesecake and it was great!


Pancakes...Now, out of habit,I usually use a mix for this. But during a sleepover with four of Chelsea's friends a week or so ago I found I was out of mix. A quick click on this site found this delightful and simple recipe. No more box mix for me...unless I am camping or something like that.

We just never know when we might be tapping into this
site for a last minute recipe or idea but we have not
been let down yet. I love reading the reviews.

Maybe you will get Hooked On this site too.

For More Posts featuring Favorite things just
stop by Julia's Hooked on Houses Blog.
She features the neatest things herself and
then there are all of her friends with diverse
interests.
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Note: Photos on this page are taken from Allrecipes.com.

Interesting Skies

This summer has offered up a
host of interesting cloud formations
and beautiful sunsets.

The other evening it was just dusk
and I looked out our picture window
and saw this.



I immediately grabbed the camera
and ran outside. I set our digital
camera on night shots and these are the
results...



Between each of these



similar shots



Was lightning within this cloud.
But could I capture it?
NO!
I was so frustrated.
But still, the cloud is pretty,
don't you think?

Mikey caught these nasty looking
clouds on his way back from a
field trip last week.


I like my cloud better.
It is more ladylike!

Have a wonderful day.
If you happen to be stressed
read the next post.
You never know what little nugget you may
find that will lighten your load.
I just wrote what helped me last
evening before I slept like a baby.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

A Word to The Weary Ones...

It is almost a trend these days.
Maybe a bit of status...
the tendency to be busy.

I don't think we think about it,
but when we are asked how we are
how very many times do the words,
"I am so busy" pop out of our mouths.

Well, whether it is intentional or not
being constantly busy will undoubtedly
take a toll on your mind and body.

If you are like me the first thing to
be effected is your home. It starts with
the little things. Not so quick to dust,
then the bathroom stops shining and the
kitchen floor gets "crumb"~y.

Hey, don't look at me like that.
It does!
And don't even talk to me about the
fur. Four animals all shedding in this
summer heat - lots of fur!

Now, I have this dilemma.

I love to have friends over.
It is part of my ministry.
It is what I do!

The name of this blog is
Hospitality Lane, after all!

But with dust bunnies breeding
and icky floors, how can I invite
even the best of friends through
my doors?

Well, I do anyway...and I cringe
when I think about it. But, this
evening as I sit here I find myself
just exhausted. It is the kind
of tired that sinks all the way to
the bones.

I am not complaining.
Many things are
keeping us busy these days.
They are good things.
They will not go on forever.
They are not the point.

What I wanted to tell you was what
God whispered to me tonight.

He said,
"Come unto Me, all who are weary
and I will give You rest."


I looked it up...here it is in context,
I'm a stickler for context!

Matthew 11:27-29

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.


Wow, right from the depths of my memory bank
those words were brought out.
I believe them.
I believe that no matter how tired this body
becomes that by placing myself in His care I
will experience peace, rest and a new energy
that cannot be compared.

I hope that if you are weary and tired from
the stresses of life that you will cling to
these words. If your soul is craving comfort
read that passage again.

Knowing the Word of God gives us a treasure
trove of encouragements and energy boosters.

Whatever you may be dealing with...God knows,
He cares, He longs to hear you tell Him that
you need Him.

Go ahead.
I'll wait!

Tell Him now.

Did You?

Now rest in His love for You!

Ahhh, doesn't that feel better?

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The Many faces of Chloe!

With Chelsea this past Spring.






Ahem...
did you want
to feed me...
now?




Hey! Who turned out the lights?




Snuggling with Mikey
at the lookout at Susquehannock Park.




Forced into a modeling gig.






Kara thinks the glasses make you
look cool, Chloe!




Have bag, will travel!




Humiliating life as a Ladybug!








Patiently modeling Chelsea's crocheted scarf.




A chihuahua burrito!




The dejected Cheer Leader after
a huge loss.





Chelsea posted this on her blog a while
back but I find it hysterical!

She truly is the princess here.
Something was in her favorite
sleeping spot.





She took care of it!



Loving our little drama queen,
otherwise known as our Chihuahua,
Miss Chloe. We found this sweetheart
at our local Humane League. Please
check there first when looking for a
furry family member. These dogs are
so grateful for your love!!
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Monday, July 27, 2009

More From Winterthur

Forgive me for insisting that you see
more from Winterthur. It is at places
like this that I remember how much I
love museums...especially since we got
there just as it was opening and we had the
place nearly to ourselves. Amazing!

Here we have a chest with Fractur design
on it. Mrs. Rabe wrote a post about Fracturs.
You can see that here.



What kind of bedcap do you wear?
How about this?
You know if you do not have much
heat in your colonial home you might
be grateful for help in keeping that
heat in your head...



If I were choosing dining room chairs
and these were an option...I'd get them
in just a split second!
It was love at first sight!



The colors and design in this quilt
were amazing. I just had to take a
picture for all of you talented quilters.




Ancient Birdcage.


Leaving the museum gallery
and moving into the main home...
a guided tour.

Now this is a dining room!
When Mr. Dupont planned a dinner party
the first person he spoke with was his
gardener to discuss what flowers were in
season. He then had his staff match the
china to the centerpiece.
The table is amazingly three pieces.
A dropleaf at either end and a rectangle
in the middle.
Not much was said about Mrs. Dupont so I am
not sure about her interest in all of this.




A sideboard in the dining room held a
unique knife urn. The handles of these
knives are ivory, painted green...to represent
jade. Embarrassingly enough,
I thought perhaps it was a cigar
dispenser...silly me! So glad I didn't
volunteer that piece of information in
front of our very proper guide!




The fireplace in the dining room.
Very detailed and so perfect.




I will tell you that if you walk into this
room your first response will be shock.
It appears way too busy at first glance.

The chinese wallpaper is on all four walls
and then the room is filled with amazing
furniture and details.

But what is impressive is that this is the
original wallpaper and it has not faded after
more than 50 years.



In order to put the wallpaper on these walls
it was necessary to curve the top of the room.
That was the only way to get to use all of the
paper as it was a bit tall for the room.



I am attracted to fans...
every time! These are so pretty.
See the security string.
I didn't see what would happen
if you touched them.
It was enough that Warren was
scolded for leaning on a doorway
about halfway through this
tour. It happened...really!
Poor guy!



Do you see the seat of the chair
in the front of this picture?
The upholstery is taken from a
skirt or dress that was being
recycled. Many chairs were recovered
in this manner.



This room is the area where guests
would come to wait for the time to be
ushered into the dining room.
I thought it would be a nice view
from this window, but only in the
summertime as dinner was always served
at 8:30 pm.
Really?
I always thought
people went to bed early in times before
electricity and easy lighting.
I guess this is another sign of the amazing
wealth of this family.



Mr. Dupont purchased rooms from homes that
were being torn down, brought them home and
fitted them into this building. This included
all of the ceiling plaster, wood trims, door casings
and fireplaces. The whole room.
If there was a need for something to
be filled in to match materials purchased
local craftsmen were hired to replicate
and complete the element in the room.
You cannot tell where one stops and the other
begins. It is truly masterful.






In one case Mr. Dupont purchased a
staircase and had it installed as a
surprise for his family while they were
on a cruise. I can't imagine walking
in my front door to a new stairwell
that looked like this!



And for my blog friends who collect
transferware...check this out!



This photo was taken from the tram
which takes you around the property.
It mainly tells you about the landscaping
and trees but this particular spot shows
the area that was once the main door.
They added a conservatory at some point
to this entrance, but if you could walk
straight in here you would be looking
at the staircase in the previous photo.

If you look closely you will see one window
had a balcony. This was one of the few references
made to Mrs. Dupont. Our tour guide on the tram
said that she loved to come out on the balcony
and overlook the colorful hillside in the Spring.
Thousands of bulbs are planted here and it is said
to be an incredible sight when they are all blooming.
A sea of yellow, white and lavender.



This just scratches the surface of the things
that you would see if you were to visit Winterthur.
I hope that if this kind of thing makes you happy,
you'll have opportunity to spend some time here
one day soon.

Have a Happy Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by.
It amazes me each time someone
takes the time to leave a comment!
I am truly blessed
to enjoy your visits.

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Soup Tureens in Blue...and More!




Friday found Warren, Jonathan, Chelsea and Myself
at Winterthur, pronounced Winter-ture.
The second 'T' is hard.
Be a snob...
it is the proper pronunciation.(smile)

Anyway...we were so excited to see the preview of
the Art Exhibit featured in the photo above.

While we weren't permitted to take photos in
that gallery we were allowed to take them
everywhere else. I will start with some photos
from the Campbell's Soup Tureen Collection.

There are some very unusual tureens represented
here.

But first, the more conventional ones with blue
in their design...just for my friend, Sally, at
The Smiling Sally Blog.



















And now...the unusual!











We highly recommend a visit to this
wonderful museum and grounds. There
is much to see. I will show more as
the week progresses. This was our first
visit but we purchased a membership so
know that it won't be our last.

Have a very Happy Monday!!!


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