My Little (younger) Sister

Brenda Lee  my younger sister. I have been thinking of her today as it would have been her birthday. She was born a short 15 months after me. I remember she didn't like it when I called her my little sister because she was taller than I was after we grew up. I spent time looking at pictures today trying to remember fun times that we had together. I'm disappointed that as we became teenagers we didn't get along all that great. In some things a person wishes a do-over, this is one for me. I believe that if she were still living we would have become great friends. I watch my daughters Misty, Rachel and April interact with each other as they have married, as they raise their children and live theirs lives sharing with each other and am sad that I didn't get that opportunity with my sister. Brenda was killed in a car crash not too long after starting to serve her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in San Bernadino CA in 1982. Actually I was with Rachel in the hospital because she had spinal meningitis when I received the news. Not a pleasant time. I wish I would have taken pictures of her with Misty and Rachel. She did love them , held them and played with them. So I guess in all this rambling my thoughts are to remember that each day is a day to live, love each other and cherish current moments and memories with family. And to continue to strengthen the relationships that is family.   

Brenda (1979)

 Brenda and me (Linda) 1963 ish?

Brenda and me again on a car. 1965 ish?

Me (Linda) and Brenda standing in front of corn mom grew. I think we were there to measure the corn against us.

   Brenda at the MTC pointing to San Bernadino, CA where she was called to serve.

   

Lik

                                                     
                                         

Simply...my mom.

As days come along in a year that bring certain memories and emotions you realize how grateful you are to have had the chance to live those moments. The good and the bad. They are what made you who you are. You can take your life and live with regret of the memories of the sorrow and anger or you can take your life and live with the opportunities to grow and develop into the kind of person God would have you become. The kind of person who of course isn't perfect but will try to forgive others, serve God, family, friends and fellow man.
My mom was such a person. Her life was not an easy one from the time she was born to when she died. She taught me how to work, and work some more, she taught me how to serve and give to others when you yourself had nothing, she taught me how to look past the outside of people and see their heart and love them anyway, she taught me how to love camping, she taught me how to fry chicken and make a mean potato salad, she taught me how to make do with not much, she taught me how to love even when you felt the person didn't deserve to be loved even when they took so much from you, she wasn't perfect, she was my girl scout leader, she was my mom. Today 8 years ago she died, tomorrow she would have celebrated her 89th birthday. Love you and miss you mom. P.S. Mom, sorry about making such a fuss about your snappy, nipping, barking little chihuahua's. I understand now. I have a little dog of my own.

The Best Apple Cake Ever

I really should be doing a million other things now instead I'm sharing my favorite apple cake recipe that I got off a friends recipe blog. Which by the way has many wonderful recipe on it.

See those big chunks of apples and  it only uses 1/2 cup of oil in the whole recipe.

Moist and so yummy. For a special twist drizzle a bit of caramel on it. I've made it twice this month already.

Now for the recipe from...

 Apple Cake 

This cake is one of my favorites for Fall. The sweet chunks of apples tucked into the moist cake, topped with a crispy cinnamon crust... perfect. Serve with chilled, lightly sweetened whipped cream, if you wish, but it isn't a requirement.

2 eggs
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. oil
4 c. apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
*1/2 c. walnuts, chopped
2 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13" cake pan. Mix together eggs, sugar, applesauce, and oil. Add apples and nuts. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to apple mixture and blend. Stir in vanilla. Pour into cake pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake for 40 minutes, when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

POSTED BY KRISTA AT 7:49 AM 

My Neighborhood Graveyard

The hills, valleys and trees are all frosted over around our place and is very beautiful. Cold but beautiful.

I wanted to take a walk up the hill through a plowed under wheat field to take pictures of an old graveyard. I recruited Larry to come with me so we bundled up in warm clothes and coats and went on a little hike.

The grave markers were from the early 1800's to the middle 1800's and were scattered over an area. No rhyme or reason to the burying it looked like. Quite a few of the markers were knocked over and destroyed.

The marker was for a 3 year old and 4 year old. People that lived back then didn't live very long. I'm grateful for knowledge that we have today to take care of ourselves.

She seems to be watching over the valley.

A view from the graveyard. I love this picture of the old barn.

Larry nice and bundled up. It's around 22 degrees give or take a couple of degrees.

I'm in the middle of the graveyard looking up to the top of the wheat field.

On our way back down the hill to the truck. It was a beautiful view.

Our home road curving into a white wonderland.

At first I thought it sad that these people were buried up in a remote area where they seemed all alone but then I remembered that they are not there.They are in the spirit world and when the time comes for them to return to their bodies they'll know where to come to get them and they will no longer be up on that hill. 

But until then it's a peaceful sort of place to be.

Winter Garden

For the last several weeks around here we have been freezing cold. Ice has formed on everything. 

My sunshine, even if covered in ice crystals.

Strawberry plants under the cover of snow and ice.

Our raspberry bushes.

Blueberry bushes.

A view of most of the garden.

Apple trees. Next month I start trimming them.

I pray that this freeze hasn't killed our berry, herbs or fruit trees.

We are still enjoying the produce from our garden that we had this last year. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Plums, Apple cider, frozen vegetables and fresh acorn squash, butternut squash and spaghetti squash. We are thankful.

Today Was Bitter Sweet, Goodbye Agnus and Francis

Larry and I have been discussing on whether or not it was a smart idea to keep Agnus and Francis our Nubian goats that we have had for 1 1/2 years. We originally got the goats for part of our food storage. The thing is I didn't plan to love them as I do. I kept going over pros and cons in my head and the reality was we would financially be better off to add powdered milk (which we already have) to our food storage and other supplies than to fork out money each month to feed and take care of the goats. Also when we left town it was a hassle to get someone to come and feed the goats. I kept putting off advertising them for sale. I didn't want anyone to buy them for meat and this time of year that would be very likely. We were about to run out of alfalfa pellets and I didn't want to buy any more so I e-mailed Kim who I bought the goats from to ask her the best way to sell them and to let her know the reason why we were. She responded and said that she would be willing to take the goats back. OK now what? Do I give them back to her and try and sale them and get a little something for them? I thought about it for a couple of days and called her this morning to talk. I asked her if I brought them back what did she plan on doing with them. She told me that she would keep them and breed them, sell their babies and milk them. Agnes and Francis's moms were still with there. By the end of the conversation I was crying. After taking care of them I know I will feel a loss when they were gone. This afternoon Larry and I drove them to town in the back of  Larry's truck and took them to reunite with their moms.

Bitter = I will miss them.

Sweet = They will be somewhere where they will be loved still AND I can visit them.

Exploring and checking out what goodies might be had.

Moving back in with their moms, getting reacquainted

  with family and friends.

Agnes already has a boyfriend. Expect a baby in 5 months or so. I mean literally because we saw the action.  She wanted to have a baby it looked like to me.

Kissing again.

Agnes and Francis looked like they were going to be happy there so I'm happy. Did I cry when I we were leaving them. You betcha.