- I Spy Quilt September 18, 2017
By Allison Sharp
Have any of you ever played “I-Spy?” Before the age of electronic toys, I would play this game in the car with my children. “I spy with my little eye a … blue car.” The children would then look around until they saw the blue car, and the first one to see it would be the next person ... Keep reading! - Surgery on the Cow September 11, 2017 By Richard Gappmayer
Years ago bales of hay were secured with wire. Yes, metal wire. One of my father’s cows became sick and would not eat, so he called the veterinarian. The vet thought that the cow might have been poisoned by fragments of this hay baler wire. The cow was put in a stanchion, and the vet prepared to operate ... Keep reading!
- Time for an End-of-Summer Dessert September 4, 2017 Summer seemed to fly by this year! Is it just me, or are the years getting shorter? Maybe the Earth is speeding up on its axis. Whatever the reason, summer is almost over, and it’s time for your end of summer get-togethers. This recipe appears in The Honeybee Sisters Cookbook and is perfect for entertaining.
The calzone can be cooked outside on ... Keep reading!
- Safe House: A new book by Shannon Symonds August 28, 2017 I met Shannon Symonds at the funeral of my friend Stacy who passed away from cancer about two months ago. Stacy was Shannon’s sister and a beautiful person taken from us too early. Shannon is just as lovely as her sister, and I was touched by her poise and loving spirit at such a difficult time in her life.
Shannon told me that she was on the verge ... Keep reading!
- Spread Some Back-to-School Love August 23, 2017 It’s back-to-school time, and there is a lot of excitement in the air. I created these two handouts for the young women in my church group because I wanted them to know I was thinking about them in what can be an exciting and stressful time. We passed these handouts out to their homes the day before school started. I found ... Keep reading!
- The Chicken Chronicles: Hatching the Beautiful Hen August 8, 2017 By Jennifer’s sister Allison Sharp
Last month, I told you the sad-but-true tale of one cowardly rooster and two deceased chickens. I was particularly saddened by the death of the beautiful hen, a Polish chicken with feathers that looked like one of Phyllis Diller’s hats.
In the photo below, she is standing next to the cowardly rooster. Love her feathers!
My husband decided ... Keep reading!
- Finishing Some UFOs July 17, 2017 By Allison Sharp
In the quilting world, UFO stands for UnFinished Objects, and most quilters have several lying around, just hoping someone will work on them. One of my goals for the summer was to get rid of some of mine. Here’s the first:
This is a hand-embroidered Christmas wall-hanging that my daughter made when she was 13, about 15 years ago. ... Keep reading!
- The Great Rooster Rescue July 10, 2017 Written by Jennifer’s sister, Allison Sharp. Yesterday morning, after my husband had left for work, he called me. “Have you been outside yet?” “No.” “Walk out the front door and look in the window well.” As I got out of bed and walked down the hall, I noticed that the rooster seemed especially loud that morning. He lives in the ... Keep reading!
- Watermelon Lemonade July 3, 2017 This is a delicious, refreshing drink perfect for that 4th of July party or barbecue. It’s so easy, and my family loves it!
Keep reading!
- Forgiveness June 26, 2017 In Return to Huckleberry Hill, Reuben Helmuth’s best friend, John, steals Reuben’s girlfriend right out from under his nose. Reuben is deeply hurt and flees to Huckleberry Hill to nurse his wounds. Reuben clings tightly to his resentment and vows to never forgive John for what John did to him. But John’s sister Fern is determined to make things right, ... Keep reading!
- Embroidered and Quilted Patriotic Wall Hanging June 19, 2017 Probably one of the most visually stunning quilts I have ever made is this patriotic wall hanging by Anita Goodesign.
It is made up of nine embroidered panels which were created by my daughter on her ten-needle embroidery machine. Each panel is embroidered individually with about an inch of seam allowance on all sides so the panels can be sewn together.
You ... Keep reading!
- A Good Old-Fashioned Barn Raising–Sort Of June 12, 2017 (This post was written by Jennifer’s sister Alesha, who lives in Portage County, Wisconsin)
My husband hosted a good old fashioned barn raising a few weeks ago. The only difference was that it wasn’t a barn, but a high tunnel he was constructing. Have you ever heard of a high tunnel? I hadn’t either. Essentially it is a very large greenhouse. ... Keep reading!
- Anna and Felty Top Ten May 29, 2017 Return to Huckleberry Hill comes out tomorrow, and I am so excited! In celebration of the book release, I am posting Anna and Felty’s top ten quotes from the book. Enjoy! And be sure to pick up Return to Huckleberry Hill at most online retailers and many in-store retailers.
#10 Anna: “I just throw this and that into the bowl, and it usually ... Keep reading!
- Babies-and-Bears Quilted Wall Hanging May 15, 2017 This small wall hanging is for one of my darling nieces. In fact, it is the center panel in a group of three wall hangings that include all of the baby’s vital statistics. Yes, I have covered up some of the details to protect the baby’s privacy. And don’t miss the saying across the bottom of all three little quilts.
The ... Keep reading!
- German POWs May 8, 2017 By Richard Gappmayer, Jennifer’s father
In previous posting I have discussed experiences with the German WWII POWs. Now the war is over and it is time for them to go home. My father, my sister Beatrice, and I had developed a rapport with these men and were sad to see them leave. They were all very nice, polite men who were ... Keep reading!
- Homemade Chocolate Cake May 1, 2017 This chocolate cake recipe is a must-have for cake lovers. Unlike most box cakes, the cake is moist and absolutely delicious. My daughter Haley made this for me, and I was blown away at how much I loved it. She made the cake from scratch and used store-bought frosting, but you can use your favorite frosting recipe if you like.
This recipe ... Keep reading!
- I’d like to save the butterflies, but I can’t even grow weeds. April 24, 2017 Ever since I wrote “The Honeybee Sisters” series, I have been quite concerned about bees and butterflies. I canceled my pest spraying service and have been looking at flowers to plant that bees and butterflies love. One reason that monarch butterflies are disappearing across the country is because milkweed is disappearing, and milkweed is what monarch caterpillars eat. With no food ... Keep reading!
- The Rifle in the Cherry Tree April 10, 2017 By Richard Gappmayer (Jennifer’s father) When the German POWs would come to work on my father’s farm they would, during the first summer, be accompanied by a guard. This guard would be armed with an M1 rifle. I don’t know if it was loaded. I suspect that it was not. The guard would usually walk around with nothing to do ... Keep reading!
- Oreo Cookie Pie April 3, 2017 This is a delicious pie and so easy. I am only annoyed with myself that I didn’t get a picture of it before it got devoured. Enjoy!
For pie crust:
Finely chop the Oreos in a blender or food processor. Place the Oreo crumbs in a medium mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Mix well. Pour Oreo/butter mixture into a 9 ... Keep reading!
- Easter in an Egg Carton March 27, 2017 Last year to help my grandchildren learn the Easter story, I made them “Easter in an Egg Carton.” The carton contains 12 plastic Easter eggs with a part of the Easter story and a token to go with each. I wanted to share it with you. Feel free to copy!
First I collected empty egg cartons. You can buy unused egg cartons ... Keep reading!