Wedding

My niece was married at the beginning of the year. Here she is in the picture with her father, my brother-in-law. She had a garden wedding at the "Conservatory" in St. Charles, MO. Very beautiful wedding. The chapel was cozy and lush in the middle of the winter.

St. Charles is an old French town that was the original capitol of Missouri with brick streets and wonderful shops of crafts, antiques, stained glass, quilts, etc.

Her reception was at "The Vine" which is a two-story Bistro.

Very happy for the sweet couple. Another niece is getting married soon. This time I travel to Florida! Can't wait.

Pot Pie

I made a couple of pot pies for some friends. One is ill and the other injured. Pot pie is such a great casserole to make and take to someone. They can either freeze it or bake it.

Here is my recipe:
2 refrigerated pie crusts
2 cups chicken chunks
1 small pkg frozen mixed vegetable
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/4 cup milk
1 can mushrooms
1 Tablespoon Paula Deen House Seasoning

Mix ingredients together. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly. Take foil off for last 5-10 minutes to brown crust.

Freezing Fog

My son sent these pictures to me that was the scenery outside his office window in Iowa.

They have had bad fog, like most of us in the Midwest, and the fog is freezing to the trees.

Beautiful wintery scene.

At least it is not ice. Ice will take down branches and electrical lines.

Eagle Watching

Last weekend my hubby, daughter and granddaughters drove over near Alton, Illinois to see the eagles. We saw a few on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River and then drove along the Mississippi River in Illinois until Grafton.

The Mississippi River had a lot of ice chunks in it. Almost no room for boats to go up and down the river. Couldn't believe how big the ice was in the river.

Driving along the river was really beautiful. The bluffs on one side and the river on the other. I bet it is really spectacular in the Fall. Also, there were several really cute, small towns along the river that look like they would be fun to check out. Some had antique stores and fun coffee and fudge stores.

Another sighting of an eagle in flight along the river. They sure are beautiful birds. Maybe next time we go, we will see many more eagles than this visit. Still really enjoyed the little road trip with my family.

2 Years Old

My oldest granddaughter, Cora, turned two last Saturday. How time flies. It is hard to believe she is already two. My daughter, her mother, made her a penguin cake. Doesn't it look so cute? Cora is very excited about it as well.

Nana and papa bought Cora a tea set. She loves to pretend and play in her kitchen. She had a great birthday and is just a sweet, sweet girl. So fun to play with and reminds me so much of her mother.

Love, love, love this little sweetheart.

Bible Study

Just begun our Ladies' Bible Study last night. We are studying "Esther" with Beth Moore. Her introductory session was really great. She is a very vibrant woman with many incites to God's word.

I'm looking forward to this daily study focusing on "It's Tough Being a Woman". One of the excerpts from this study states:

"If you've ever felt inadequate, threatened, or pushed into situations that seemed overpowering, this is the study for you. Just as it was tough being a woman in Esther's day, it's tough today."

Some of the key thoughts from last night's study are:

• Nothing happens to me by coincidence.
• Does he have me in his hands?
• You have a DESTINY.
• If you seek him he will make his will known.
• Trust in God's providence.

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. " Esphesians 1:11-12 (The Message).

January Craft

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to do one craft each month. I saw this crayon cozy and thought it was really cute. See tutorial on "Skip to My Lou". I used materials that I currently had on hand. It only took me one evening. I plan on making a few more and try a darker material where the crayons go. I can tell already that the light teal will get all marked up with crayon.

I have some projects that I have started, but still not completed, like a baby quilt and a leftover yarn afghan. These projects are definitely on my list to finish this winter.

I really enjoy doing craft projects.