Winter Weather has Arrived

Hi All,

Just checking to let everyone know that winter has arrived in Vandergrift, PA.  It is snowing outside.  We have been expecting it for a few days.  I am so thankful for a warm and cozy house.  God is so good to me.

Today I am doing some laundry and cleaning.  Which is normal for a Monday.  Jim is in his office working on some Bible lessons.  So it is quiet and peaceful here today.

Well I know this is short but I am going to run.  Everyone have a super great day.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless  you,
Janet

Catching Up

Hi All,

It has been a while since my last post so I want to catch up with everyone.  I hope all are doing well and preparing for the holidays.  It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  At the beginning of this month Jim and I got our 23 pound turkey.  It is in the freezer and will soon be taken out to thaw for the big day.  Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite dinners of the year to cook, I love to cook anyway.  The day before Thanksgiving is my pie pie baking day (pumpkin, Kentucky pecan (- the bourbon), and possibly apple.  The day after is my turkey ravioli making day.  They are made for Christmas dinner.  Its tradition, my husband Jim grew eating those every Christmas day.   I have been doing a lot of sewing and making things for Christmas gifts.  

Well I just wanted to also let you know that I am going to post some pictures and the recipe for a cake I made yesterday.  Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake, so easy and it was a hit here at our house.

Well I better run and the my kitchen post.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's parlor.  Stop by anytime you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet

Wonderful Sunday

Hi Everyone,

What a great day we have had.  Church this morning was wonderful, especially the message.  Governor Corbett visited our church today.  He only spoke for a few minutes because he said he was there to worship with us.

This afternoon Jim preached at the boarding home which is always nice.  We just love the people there, they are so sweet.  Afterwards we came home, had supper and the rest of the day and evening was nice and quiet.

Monday starts another week of chores, cleaning, laundry, changing bed sheet and cooking.  I love being a homemaker, I believe that is what I am called to do.  Be a good wife, mother and homemaker.  What an honor.

Well I better close for now it is late.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.  You are always welcome here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time.


Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet

A Walk in the Park

Hi Everyone,

It is so beautiful today here in PA.  The leaves have all changed colors and are falling so Jim and I went for a walk in the park after breakfast.  I got some pictures that I will be sharing.

Right now I am getting supper ready.  We are having left overs.  We are having fried stuffing with chicken and gravy, warm mashed potatoes and green beans.  I still have some chicken left over for tomorrow, we will have chicken sandwiches for supper.

Here are the pictures from the park:

Well thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome, stop by any time.

Love, hugs and God bless you,

Janet

Beautiful Autumn

Hi Everyone,

It is a beautiful autumn day here in Vandergrift, PA.  The weather is in the 60's which makes it perfect weather for Jim to finish mowing the lawn.  It will probably be the last time this year.

I have finished cleaning the downstairs.  Early I put a stuffed chicken in the oven, covered with slices of bacon and cooking in orange juice.  I have a little bacon left over so I put it in a glass baking dish with orange juice and drizzled with maple syrup and baked it until almost crispy.  It is like orange flavored bacon candy.

Tonight our son Jimmy and his family are coming over for dinner and a movie.  It is a Friday night tradition.  Can't wait to see our precious Dulcie.  It is hard to believe in two months she will be a year old.  In May she will become a big sister.  So looking forward to having another grand baby.  I love being a Nana.

Well it is time to close and get busy.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome, stop by any time.

Love, hugs and God bless you,
Janet

More Projects

Hi Everyone,  Here are some of the projects I have been working on.  These projects are Christmas presents for my granddaughters in California. 

The above pictures are of the quilts I have made for my granddaughters in California.  They are just colorful patchwork quilts using fabric that I have collected.  I love all different kinds of fabric.  

The top two pictures are of pillowcases I made for my granddaughters in California for Christmas.  I love to embroider and I love the design.  The bottom picture is of a pillowcase I did for my daughter when she was about 3 or 4 years old.  She just turned 34 years old yesterday and she is my California granddaughters Mom.


I hope you enjoyed seeing my projects.  Thanks again for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time, you are always welcome.

Love, hugs and God bless you,
Janet

Too Long

Hi Everyone,

Yes it has been way too long since my last post.  I have been busy with a lot of sewing projects.  Working on our missions conference project, Christmas presents and others, so yes I have been busy.  Also enjoying this autumn weather and the little squirrel that visited us about a week ago.  I got quite a few pictures of him gathering chestnuts, stuffing his face and preparing for winter.

Below are some picture of my latest projects that have been keeping me busy.  I am also working on some quilted mug rugs as Christmas gifts as well.

These two pictures are of the quilt I made for our missionaries to Japan.  We were instructed to make lap blankets using the colors of that country's flag.  I chose Japan and ordered some fabric on ebay.

This is a baby boy quilt I made for our Crafted for His Glory ministry at church.  We make blankets for babies born in our church.  We also knit hats, scarves, and gloves for the kids on our bus ministry and the veterans home.



I just tried three times to add my other projects but it will not let me so I will have to try another post.  Please check back in a few minutes.  As always thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet

Warm Fall Day

Hi Everyone,

What a beautiful fall day it was here in Pennsylvania.  It was warm and sunny.  Jackie and I met at Classic Tent to look things over for next years Ladies Alive Bible Conference.  What a great selection there is for our theme Welcome to His Garden.  Then afterwards I went to Bible Study.  It is always nice to dig into God's Holy Word and study it with fellow sisters in the Lord.

Well I know this is short but I did want to touch base and say hi.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time you are always welcome here in my parlor.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet

Seasons Change

Hi Everyone,

Seasons change and fall has begun.  A time to get warm and cozy and what better way then with a quilt.  I am having a great time making quilts and I would like to share with you two of my creations.

The blue and yellow one is a baby boy quilt that will go to our ministry at church called Crafted for His Glory.  When new baby's are born in our church they receive a blanket from this ministry.  The red flower and white quilt will go to our missionary to Japan at this years missions conference.  Each of the ladies in our group have made either a quilt or crocheted afghan for each of the missionaries who are attending.  We are so excited that we can give back to those who serve on the mission field.

Right now I am working on two quilts for my granddaughters who live in California.  The quilts will be part of their Christmas gifts from Nana and PapPap.

Well I hope you like my quilts, I have truly enjoyed making them.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time you are always welcome.

Love, hugs and God bless you,
Janet

In the Craft Room

Hi Everyone,

It has been way to long since I last posted here on my blog.  However I have been busy working in my craft room, scrapbooking and crafting different items.  I want to share with all of you what I have made and also up date all of you on my summer.  This summer has really gone well.  The weather has not been too bad and Jim and I have spent a lot of time on the patio enjoying our back yard.  I have taken a lot pictures of the different little creatures that visit us almost daily.  Jim and I enjoy our morning coffee on the patio as well as most of our suppers.

With not traveling this year I have spent some time in my craft room scrapbooking.  A friend of mine has come over a couple times and scrapbooked with me.  I have also done some crafting and I want to show all of you some of the things I have done.  With Fall just around the corner my mind has gone to Fall decorations.  I have some bought decorations, but I wanted to add to those with some things of my own.

Well what do you do with a few mason jars and a mayo jar, scrap fabric, lace, beans and string beads, Fall flowers, and mod podge?  You just them all together and you get:  Mason Jar Arrangements.

I also wanted to make a Fall wreath for my kitchen so I took a plain straw wreath, strips of scarp fabric, burlap, and Fall flowers and this is what I created.

My kitchen wreath.



Well I better close for now.  Thanks for stopping by Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome, stop by any time.


Love, Hugs, and God bless  you,
Janet

Rainy/Sunny Monday

Hi Everyone,

WOW!  What a day this is, rainy this morning and now it is sunny.  Jim and I went to Saxonburg for his doctor's appointment and then had lunch at Kelley's Family Restaurant in Saxonburg.  Kelley's is a real nice down to earth restaurant that is reasonably price and the food is good.

Last Friday I made an applesauce cake and frosted it with applesauce butter cream.  Very tasty, everyone liked it.  I will have to post the recipes on my kitchen blog.

I am still working on a quilt I am making for our knitting ministry at church.  I have to have it done by September 27, 2014 because our missions conference is October 5, 2014 and it is for our missionary to Japan.

Well I better go for now.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome.

Janet

From the Garden to the Oven

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to say hi and to let you know that I have posted a recipe on my kitchen blog of a zucchini bread recipe that I altered slightly.  My husband Jim loves it and for me, I don't care for zucchini, this bread is really good.

Nothing like taking what the good Lord provides in the garden and making it into something delicious.  Thank you Lord for always providing for my needs.

Well tonight is Course 4 lesson 1 of cake decorating class.  Looking forward to what will be taught in class.


I better close for now.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time.

Have a super great day,
Janet

It's August Already

Hi Everyone,

Yes it has been almost a month.  A lot has been happening in my life and I have been so busy.  This is the last month for cake decorating classes.  I am excited to learn more about edible flower making.

Next month we will be winding down summer activities and getting ready for fall.  Fall decorations will be coming out, summer decorations will be put away.  And before you know it holiday decorating will begin. Which means the snowmen will be coming out and taking their place of honor in the china cabinet.  But until then I will be enjoying summer.

Today Jim and I had a tomato/onion salad for dinner with herbs.  All from the garden. I love fresh garden tomatoes.  What you get in the store in the winter are not good at all.  Another thing about August is there is corn on the cob.  Yummy!!!.  I am hoping to do some canning this month as well.  Nothing like homemade tomato sauce in the middle of winter.  It also helps save on the grocery bill.

Well I better go for now.  I will try to be more attentive to my blogs.  As always thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome.

Have a pleasant day,
Janet

Something is Cooking in the Kitchen

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick post to let you know something is cooking in Nana's Kitchen.  Yes I posted a new recipe called Baked Mashed Potatoes.  Come over and visit me in my kitchen.

On other news, tonight I start my new course in cake decorating (course 3).  We will be learning all about fondant and gum paste flower making and other tricks to decorated with.  I am so looking forward to this class.  I have been having so much fun doing these classes and learning so much.  What make it so fun is I get to do it with my friend Jackie.

Well I got to run, lots to do before class.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor, don't forget to stop in at the kitchen.  Stop by anytime you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Happy 4th of July

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone has had a 4th of July.  We spent our afternoon and evening with family and it was great. There is nothing better than family.  Bonnie Ann and Mike were great hosts and it was good to see Tim and Chris up from Tennessee and of course sonny, Danny, Jerry, Travis and his girlfriend.  Also Mike's brother and his wife, his Mom and a family friend.  Jimmy, Brittany and our precious Dulcie were also there.

Jim and I are so blessed to be part of this great family.  The only thing missing was our daughter Tiffany, our son-in-law Keith, our granddaughters, Kristy and Abby and of course our granddaughter Ngan.

Well I will post again soon.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome, stop by any time.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Cupcake Day

Hi Everyone,

Just checking in and saying hello.  This morning I made Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake.  I will post the recipe on my kitchen blog along with pictures.  I let my daughter-in-law try one and she said it was awesome.  I love try to come up with new flavors for cupcakes.

Tonight is church and I work in the nursery and I am taking in some cupcakes.  Tomorrow I will take some of the cupcakes to Dr. Weinel's.  The Doctor and his staff love it when I bring in goodies.

Well got to run.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by anytime, you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Last Day of June

A view of my one china cabinet.

Hi Everyone,

Today is the last day of June, hard to believe.  The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside.  Sorry it has been a few days since I last posted.  Last week was busy and Jim and I had to go to the funeral home on Friday.  My younger sister's mother-in-law passed away.  The family is doing ok.

Yesterday was a wonderful day.  The evening and the morning church services were wonderful.  Jim and I did go out for dinner after the morning service.

This is a short post, but I did want to let you all know where I have been lately.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Warm, Sunny Tuesday

Hi Everyone,

Today it is warm (almost too warm) and sunny here in Vandergrift, PA.  Praising and thanking the Lord for air condition.

Last night was the final class for Course 2 of cake decorating.  I have posted a picture of my decorated cake on my kitchen blog.  I invite you to go over and check out the cake.  I also tell you a little about how I made the cake and the decorations.

Next week I plan on trying a different recipe for some cupcakes.  When I do I will post the information along with pictures.

Well I am going to run.  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana' Parlor.  You are always welcome, stop by any time.

Love, hugs and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Pineapple Cake

Hi Everyone,

I just finished icing my pineapple cake for tonight's class.  We will decorate our cakes in class tonight.  I will take a picture and post it either later tonight or tomorrow.

I still have to pack my bag with all the stuff I need for tonight's class.  You would be surprised what you need to take to cake decorating class, besides the cake.  We have fun though.  Everyone is friendly and we laugh and just have a good old time.

Well I know this is a short post, but it is back to work.  I still have to finish the laundry.  Thanks for stopping by here at Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome.  Check out my kitchen blog tomorrow for pictures of my cake.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Quick Post

Hi Everyone,

This is a quick post to let you know that I have posted pictures of my cupcakes on my kitchen blog along with how I made the cupcakes.  Check it out and try the recipes they are delicious.

Today it is a beautiful sunny day here in Vandergrift, PA.  I hope that where ever you are you are having a great and sunny day.

Got to run.  Thanks for stopping by here at Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time you are always welcome here in Nana's Parlor.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Sunny Friday

Hi Everyone,

What a beautiful day it is today here in Vandergrift, PA.  I was in the kitchen this morning and part of this afternoon preparing buttercream frostings for my baking day tomorrow.  For my recipes check out my kitchen blog.  However the decadent peanut butter buttercream is not totally my own.

Tomorrow I will be baking my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes and my Hawaiian Delight cupcakes.  I will also post those recipes after tomorrow.  The buttercream recipes I will post today.

Tonight Jimmy, Brittany and our precious little Dulcie will be over for supper.  We are having grilled steaks, Potato Basil Puree and a garden fresh salad.  This is the first time for me to make the potato puree.  I got the recipe for it from the Barefoot Contessa show with Ina Garten.

Well I am going to post those recipes on my kitchen blog and I invite you to head on over and check them out.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting, you are always welcome here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time.

Love, hugs, and God bless You,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Rainy Thursday

Hi Everyone,


Yes it is raining out today.  Well at least the garden and the flowers are getting a good drink of water.  Our red lilies are starting to bloom.  They are so beautiful.  The irises are done for the year.  My pink lilies will be blooming soon, I can't wait they are my favorite.

Today Jackie and her Mom is coming over and we are going to practice making flowers for our final cake decorating class for Course 2.  We are having so much fun.  I am going to decorate my cake with lilies.  I will take photos and post them after Monday.

Well I know this is short, but I am going to run for now.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.  You are always welcome here at Nana's Parlor.  Stop by any time.

Love, hugs, and God bless You,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

It Has Been A While

Hi Everyone,

Yes it has been a while since I have post.  I have been really busy.  Last week Jim and I went on vacation and all of May and now June I have been taking cake decorating class with Wilton at the Michael's at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall.  I will also be taking classes in July and probably August.  I have been having a great time.  This Sunday at church my son and his wife are hosting a bake sale fundraiser for a missionary couple from our church.  They have asked me to bake cupcakes so I will be able to apply some of what I have learned.  Sometime next week I will post pictures and recipes on my kitchen blog.  I will let everyone know.

Another one of my adventures that I am involved in is the knitting ministry at church.  Well it is more than knitting, it involves other sewing skills.  We mainly make baby blankets for new babies that are born in our church, we make hats, scarves and gloves for those kids who ride our buses to church and we make lap blankets for those in the nursing homes.  Our big project we are working on now is making blankets for the missionaries who will be attending our missions conference in October.  Each of us in the group is making a blanket for a different missionary.  I will be making one for one of our missionaries to Japan.  As a group we are making a wall hanging for the guest speaker, Dr. Sisks and his wife.  I will take pictures when every thing is done and post them here, probably some time in September or October.

So as you can see I have been busy, but I am loving it.  Well I am going to close for now.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.  You are always welcome here in Nana's Parlor.  Stop by anytime.

Love, hugs, and God bless You,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Rainy Days and Thursday

My decorated cake from class.

Hi Everyone,

Today is a rainy day here in Vandergrift, PA.  I don't mind though I love being in the house, it has given me a chance to do something I never did before.  Today for the first time I dyed fondant and rolled it out and made flowers for on top of my cup cakes.  It was a lot of fun.  I went on ebay and ordered some different shaped fondant cutters, so when they come in I will be doing more shapes.

I am having such a good time in my cake decorating class.  On Tuesday we cut, iced and decorated a 2 layer cake, that also included filling.  The icing we were to make at home.  That was something new for me to do.  But now I  know how to make my own buttercream frosting.

I will be posting on my kitchen blog a recipe that I learned from a lady at a local plant store.  It is how to bake roma tomatoes.  Jim and I have had them two days in a row.  Of course I change the recipe and did it the way I wanted.  So check out my kitchen blog for pics and the recipe.

Well I am going to close for now.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting, you are always welcome here, stop by any time.

Love, hugs and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie, and Ngan's Nana)

PS  Recipe for the cupcakes will be on my kitchen blog.

Yellow and Pink Cupcakes

Happy Mother's Day

My pink azalea in our rock garden is blooming so well this year.

Hi Everyone,

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and grandmothers,

It is such a beautiful day here in Vandergrift PA.  Jim and I went to church and heard a great message.  We came home and I made us dinner.  We had Jim's favorite potatoes au gratin, fried ham, green beans and homemade herb and cheese biscuits (served warm with butter melting everywhere).  We will have our dessert later, cupcakes.  After wards I filled the dishwasher and anything that didn't fit Jim washed and then cleaned up the kitchen.  He is so good to me and I am truly blessed.

Jim and I are just relaxing right now and enjoy a quiet afternoon here in our cozy home.  Later we will probably sit outside and have our cupcake and enjoy the beautiful day together.

I hope all of you are having a great Mother's Day.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting here in Nana's Parlor. Stop by anytime you are always welcome here.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie, and Ngan's Nana)

Me and my precious granddaughter Dulcie.

Three generations, my son Jimmy, his daughter and my granddaughter Dulcie and me.

My husband Jim and me with our precious Dulcie.

My son Jimmy with his wife Brittany and dulcie.

The Mating of the Peepers

The trail around the lake.  It is a beautiful walk.

Northmoreland Park Lake is a a man made lake that is stocked with fish and people come out and really enjoy the day fishing, walking and just relaxing.

Hi Everyone,

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday but I want to tell you about my day.  It was beautiful.  Jim had trapped a bunny in our garden so we took it out to the local park to release it.  while we were there we decided to go walk around the lake.  The lake has a beautiful trail (1.1 miles) around it.  The walk is wonderful and good exercise.  I took some pictures that I will post.  While there we heard this loud noise and couldn't figure out what it was.  There was a man and his wife passing us on the trail and we asked what it was that was making such a noise.  The man said the spring peepers were mating.  Well let me tell you they were letting everyone know about it.  Jim and I really enjoyed out walk and just being in the park together. We are planning on doing it again real soon.  Jim said that he can fish while we are there and I can take pictures.  I also plan on taking some embroidery to do.  A picnic lunch will also be part of the plan.

Well I am going to close for now.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Parlor.  You are always welcome here.  Stop by anytime.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Ducks on the lake.

May flowers and their apples scattered around the park.

Beautiful bluets carpet the ground.

Spring peepers relaxing near the lake shore.

The trees blooming in brilliant, bright pink.