What’s Inside?
• Cup of Tea with Lydia - Page 4
• Winter Bucket List - Page 4
• Become Inspired - Page 5
• This Farm Girl Life - Page 5
• Triggers - 6
• By the Yard Comic - Page 7
• Quotes from Famous Authors - Page 7
• Girlfriend Wisdom - Page 7
• Bring on the New Year - Page 8
• Friend Chicken - Page 8
• New Years Resolutions - Page 9
• Cornbread - Page 9
• 10 Books to Fall in Love with Again - Page 9
• Robyn’s Nest DIY - Page 10
• Country Berries - Page 14
• Ad Directory by Name & Community - Page 14
• Susan Branch - Page 15
www.MoxieMarketingMW.com
• 605-568-0181 • Kelsey Ruzicka • Publisher of this Country Register!
Editor’s Notes - “New Year. New Chapters to Write”
The beginning of a new year seems to always find me by surprise. How did we get through 12 months since the last? It seems to go so quickly, especially the older I get. You can see it especially in your children. You blink and the time is gone.
Every year I set intentions, goals and create themes based on words to inspire my thoughts, actions and overall vibes for the year ahead. I write them down in a beautiful journal. At the end of the year, I like to reflect on those and see how far I’ve come on those intentions set.
I love this, because I love to grow in self, business and spirit. It is important to continue to move in a forward motion, otherwise we are standing still. “Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Publisher of The Country Register of ND, SD, WY, MT & N. ID
Some years take us by storm it seems. One season leads to another of loss, trial, and tribulation. 2024 was full of that for me in several buckets of my life. But, even in those years, it is what we learn from them. They can shape you more swiftly and soundly than joyful years. They make all the years so full of wonder that much sweeter. So, I don’t look on 2024 with disgust or sadness, I actually think of it as a really big year of growth. A problem always makes for a good story, right?
That is the beauty... isn’t it. Our life story. We get to be here and we are the author. We get to experience the highs and the lows. I choose to find the lessons in the lows and relish the highs. Feeling obsessively grateful for my time here and the life I get to live. “It is not the length of life, but the depth.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
So this year...set your intentions and come what may - be grateful, grow and find joy in the moments. They are fast and what each page of our lives are made of. May your 2025 be full of good stories, laughs and lessons.
Cheers to 2025, Kelsey countryregisternebraska@gmail.com kelsey@moxiemarketingmw.com Office: 605-568-0181
Kelsey Ruzicka
The Country Register of the Northern Rockies & Great Plains including North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho Kelsey (Snyder) Ruzicka, Publisher Produced by Moxie Marketing of the Midwest, LLC PO BOX 2015 • Belle Fourche, SD 57717 605-568-0181 Office www.countryregister.com/nrgp www.moxiemarketingmw.com
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* Arizona: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 602-942-8950
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* Idaho (S): Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, P 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 602-942-8950
* Illinois: Lenda Brown, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, lenda@countryregister.com
* Indiana: Gail & Merle Taylor, P.O. Box 594, New Market, MD, 21774, info@countryregisteronline.com
* Iowa: Linda Glendy, P.O. Box 6, Tama, IA, 52339, IowaCountryRegister@mchsi.com
* Kansas: Kelsey Ruzicka, P.O. Box 2015, Belle Fourche, SD 57717, 605-568-0181, kelsey@moxiemarketingmw.com
* Kentucky: Chris & Kelly Kennedy, 5804 Whiterose Way, New Market, MD 21774 443-243, cowprintdesigns@gmail.com
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* Maryland: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, ads@countryregisteronline.com
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* Michigan: Bill and Marlene Howell, 3790 Manistee, Saginaw, MI, 48603-3143, 989-793-4211
* Minnesota: Kim & Mickey Keller, 12835 Kiska St. NE, Blaine, MN, 55449, minnesota@countryregister.com
* Missouri: Lenda Brown, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, lenda@countryregister.com
* Montana: Kelsey Ruzicka, P.O. Box 2015, Belle Fourche, SD 57717, 605-568-0181, kelsey@moxiemarketingmw.com
* Nebraska: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 602-942-8950
* Nevada (N): Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, P 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 602-942-8950*
* Nevada (S): Glena Dunn, 4568 Carol Circle, Las Vegas, NV, 89120, 702-523-1803
* New Hampshire: Michelle Hatch, 20 Chester Street, Chester, NH 03036, 603-571-1822
* New Jersey: Merle and Gail Taylor, P.O. Box 594, New Market, MD, 21774, info@countryregisteronline.com
* New Mexico: Jan & John Keller, 16755 Oak Brush Loop, Peyton, CO, 80831, 719-749-9797
* New York: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, ads@countryregisteronline.com
* North Carolina: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 888-942-8950
* North Dakota: Kelsey Ruzicka, P.O. Box 2015, Belle Fourche, SD 57717, 605-568-0181, kelsey@moxiemarketingmw.com
* Ohio: Barb Moore, P. O. Box 37, Cable, OH, 43009, ohiocountryregister@yahoo.com
* Oklahoma: Lenda Brown, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, lenda@countryregister.com
* Oregon: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 602-942-8950
* Pennsylvania: Gail & Merle Taylor, P.O. Box 128, Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763, 888-616-8319, Fax 800-609-0278
* Rhode Island: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, ads@countryregisteronline.com
* South Carolina: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 888-942-8950
* South Dakota: Kelsey Ruzicka, P.O. Box 2015, Belle Fourche, SD 57717, 605-568-0181, kelsey@moxiemarketingmw.com
* Tennessee: Chris & Kelly Kennedy, 5804 Whiterose Way, New Market, MD 21774 443-243, cowprintdesigns@gmail.com
* Texas: Lenda Brown, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, lenda@countryregister.com
* Utah: Available
* Vermont: Michelle Hatch, 20 Chester Street, Chester, NH 03036, 603-571-1822
* Virginia: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, ads@countryregisteronline.com
* Washington: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085, 602-942-8950
* West Virginia: Dave & Amy Carter, PO Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, ads@countryregisteronline.com
* Wisconsin: Scott & Jennifer Hughes, P. O. Box 276, Altoona, WI, 54720, jennifer@countryregisterofwisconsin.com
* Wyoming: Kelsey Ruzicka, P.O. Box 2015, Belle Fourche, SD 57717, 605-568-0181, kelsey@moxiemarketingmw.com
CANADA
* Alberta: Ruth Burke, P.O. Box 97, Heisler, AB, T0B2A0,780-889-3776, countryregab@yahoo.com
* British Columbia: Bryan Stonehill, Box 1338, Summerland, BC, V0H 1Z0, 800-784-6711
* Manitoba & Saskatchewan: Scott & Marj Kearns, Box 850, Kipling, SK, S0G 2S0, countryregister@sasket.net
* Ontario: Harriet Ramos, Box 60, 4338 Innes Rd., Orleans, ON K4A 3W3, 343-882-5812
New Year, New Chapter
The Country Register of the Northern Rockies & Great Plains January/February • Volume 15 Issue 1
The Country Register of the Northern Rockies & Great Plains is published every two months. Copyright 2024.
Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited by law. The Country Register is a registered business trade name. Moxie Marketing of the Midwest, LLC produces The Country Register of the Northern Rockies & Great Plains.
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SEE OUR AD INDEX ON PAGE 14
Next Deadline: Ads and articles for the March/April 2025 issue is February 7, 2024.
Pouring out Love
By Lydia E. Harris
The new year is a perfect time to turn over a new leaf—a tea leaf, of course. Let’s warm our winter days with favorite tea blends or try new ones. There are many choices: black, green, white, oolong, flavored teas, and herbal tisanes.
With virtually no calories and lots of antioxidants, tea is good for our health. Green tea, which is unfermented, is considered especially beneficial. If you haven’t developed a taste for it, try a flavored green tea such as Bigelow’s Constant Comment.
Besides the health benefits of tea, a tea break reduces stress. The ritual of brewing, sipping, and relaxing with a fragrant cup of tea provides a soothing interlude.
I especially enjoy sharing a cup of tea with others. When my niece stopped by to drop off a family Bible, I asked, “Do you have time for a cup of tea?” She did. A pot of Apricot Sunrise tea (Ahmod Tea) and homemade gingersnaps sweetened our visit.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, a heart-TEA theme and a rosy brew sound inviting. Why not pour out your love to others over a cup of tea?
Guest List
When deciding whom to invite, consider who needs a touch of love. One year my guests included singles—single because of death, divorce or never married. I wanted to extend my love to those who didn’t have a sweetheart. I have also hosted teas for those who needed extra TEAL-C, such as a terminally ill friend, an elderly neighbor, and frazzled moms of preschoolers.
Menu Ideas
The menu can be simple or fancy, depending on time and energy. When I’m in the simplici-TEA mode, I serve only tea and dessert or tea with scones and fresh fruit. Even a full three-course tea doesn’t need to be elaborate: finger sandwiches and fruit, scones and dessert.
My neighbor gave me a tin of Republic of Tea’s Hibiscus Superflower Tea. It’s heart-healthy, caffeine free and brews up a rosy color. Another tea to consider is Harney & Son’s Valentine’s Day tea. It’s a chocolate black tea blended with pink rosebuds.
Do you know someone who needs a touch of love? To put “heart” into teatime, try these ideas for Valentine’s Day or anytime.
From Lydia’s Recipe File: Turkey-and-Cranberry Tea Sandwiches
Make plenty. Guests will gobble them up.
4 slices wheat bread
4 slices white bread
8 slices deli turkey
Jellied cranberry sauce
Mayonnaise
1. Lightly spread wheat bread with jellied cranberry sauce.
2. Top these 4 bread slices with 2 turkey slices on each.
3. Lightly spread the white bread with mayonnaise.
4. With mayonnaise side up, cut out four tiny hearts with ¾-inch cookie cutter, one in each corner of the slice.
5. Place the white bread on the turkey, mayonnaise side down.
You’re a Blessing!
1. Turkey sandwiches with cranberry heart centers. (See recipe.)
Baking, cooking, sharing homemade English muffins
2. Scones cut into medium-sized hearts with a cookie cutter. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with red-colored sugar before baking. Serve with butter and red jam or jelly.
Loyal and loving—to family, friends, and God
Evangelical—leading Bible studies and offering spiritual help to others
3. Rolled sugar cookies, cut into small hearts and filled. Using a ¾-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut out the center of half the cookies. These cookies with cutouts become the top half. Bake the cookies, then put two cookies together with raspberry jam or pink peppermint-flavored frosting. The filling shows through the cut-out heart cookie placed on top.
Souper, caring cook—making me a gallon of Mom’s chicken noodle soup when sick
Singing—adding joy and praise to the lives of others
Industrious—helping in our yard and home
Never giving up—even on hard projects like recovering my chairs
6. Slice cranberry sauce the thickness of the bread. Cut tiny hearts from the cranberry sauce and slip them into the heart-shaped holes cut in the bread.
7. Trim crust and cut into four square sandwiches. Chill until ready to serve.
Makes 16 sandwiches.
Godly—testing my grandparenting Bible study with other grandmas before publication
4. A “heart-TEA” bowl of soup garnished with toast hearts. Toast bread slices, butter and sprinkle with herbs or garlic powder, cut into hearts and place on top of soup.
As I consider these ideas, I’m reminded that “God has poured out His love into our hearts” (Romans 5:5 GNT). Now I’m ready to pour my heart into a teatime for someone who needs love. Will you join me?
E. Harris is a tea enthusiast and the author of three books for grandparents: GRAND Moments: Devotions Inspired by Grandkids, In the Kitchen with Grandma: Stirring Up Tasty Memories Together and Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting, all available at amazon.com.
Winter Bucket List
Catch snowflakes with your tongue
Try a new hot cocoa recipe
Build a snowman
Go ice skating
Make snow angels
Make a homemade soup on a cold day
Roast chestnuts
Make a new winter quilt
Make New Year's resolutions
Make paper snowflakes
Binge a new TV series
Make a photobook of 2024 memories
Lydia
Become Inspired
By Annice Bradley Rockwell
Quality Quietude
With the bustling holiday season behind us, there is no doubt we may feel a genuine need for a reprieve. And in many cases, that is just what winter provides. As we go outside into our yards during one of the first real snowstorms of the season, we may recognize the unrivaled depth of silence. The trees, the ground, all of nature is blanketed under the secret of snow and our world has been beautifully transformed. This stillness brings with it an opportunity for us to match nature’s quality quietude.
Landscapes of Change
This Farm Girl’s Life Was a Patchwork Quilt
By Nancy Nash
My Aunt Phebe grew up on a farm in Illinois prior to WWII. The farm lacked electricity until the late 1930s, and the house had no running water until after she had left. Her family was hard-working and loving, and she soon learned to cook, sew, and garden. She delighted in attending a one-room school for her elementary education.
At the age of twelve, she contracted pneumonia and landed in the hospital, where she almost died. The experience implanted a desire to become a nurse, which she subsequently did. In later years, she was employed in private duty, with her last client living to be 103.
Creating our own interior landscapes of change is one of the joys of country decorating. It is at this time of year after the tree has been taken down and all our decorations have been packed away, we have a clean slate to reinvent our spaces and make them a secret sanctuary to ward off the chill of winter. New arrangements of furniture by the hearth invite intimate conversation and storytelling over a piping hot bowl of beef stew on a cold Sunday evening. A recent purchase of a schoolmaster’s desk in early blue can turn a vacant corner of a room into a colonial vignette complete with a stately Windsor chair, early leatherbound books and a stoneware inkwell with a turkey feather quill. A small country cupboard that was found at a local antique shop can transform a room into a quaint winter retreat when it is filled with antiques like blue-decorated stoneware, early woven rye baskets, redware and antique pewter. Woven textiles in colonial colors like soldier blue or tavern mustard are a wonderful way to change the look of a room. They can be layered beautifully among our favorite pieces to lend the perfect country accent. Antique quilts can also be hung or folded to fit in cupboards to add dimension and style.
Perhaps one of the best investments for winter to create a serene environment would be lighting. Beautiful lighting in the form of stoneware lamps with handcrafted hexagon shades, antique whale oil lamps which come in enticing forms or electrified tin candle lamps which create an inviting, primitive tone are all choices that create a signature country look. The ambiance that lighting can create is something that is a true blessing all winter and beyond.
Blessings of Time
The quiet of our winter months often provides time to dream and to plan. Sometimes our very best ideas come to us in the months of winter. We have time to spend thinking more deeply about things and often with less distraction, so our ideas have time to incubate and grow.
Another blessing of winter is the chance it gives us to view things in a different perspective. Just as the landscape around us affords us a completely new view of our world, it also gives us a chance to explore the different surroundings which in and of itself is restorative.
This winter, embrace the special moments of stillness. Experience the fresh-fallen snow in a wooded glen to feel the depth of its silence. Take days that are slower-paced and use them to create your own sanctuary to enjoy. And as you gaze out upon the beauty of winter, remember that Her secret is always the promise of the coming spring.
--Annice Bradley Rockwell is an educator and owner of Pomfret Antiques. She is currently working on her book, New England Girl. NewEnglandGirl2012@hotmail.com
When she was 15, young Phebe started driving her Aunt Margaret to town to trade the eggs her aunt’s hens had produced for butter, salt, and flour. No drivers’ licenses were required in the state, although that was soon to change. The process of obtaining one was simple: if you were tall enough to place 25 cents on a bank teller’s counter, you were given a license. My Aunt Phebe got hers, and she remained an excellent driver all her life.
My aunt married and moved to Massachusetts, where my uncle owned a quarry filled with dinosaur footprints embedded in layers of rock. He sold footprints and presided over a museum/display room that attracted many visitors, including busloads of schoolchildren. My aunt delighted in working there, meeting people from all over the nation and occasionally from other countries as well. But as she and my uncle settled into a home and began to raise three sons, the skills she had learned as a farm girl were also much in evidence.
Aunt Phebe tended a small garden and cooked delicious hearty meals. Much of the cellar functioned as a pantry, with row upon row of canned goods and preserves and a freezer full of meat. It was colorful, well-organized, and neat. Her kitchen expertise earned her a role in many a church supper.
Sewing found its way into the house as she made her own clothes. One cold winter, she devised her own pattern for pullover shirts to be worn by my uncle and my father. This was before synthetic fleece was popular, and I don’t remember the fabric she used, but I would guess it was a wool felt. Snugger than a sweatshirt, the garment fit well under a heavy jacket and was dense enough to protect against winter winds.
Aunt Phebe made quilts. She had started doing so as a young girl, using wool from sheep on the farm. For her children and grandchildren, she made patchwork quilts for use as bedspreads, even one with a dinosaur motif!
In later years, she and I travelled to other towns to look at quilt exhibits. I recall our amazement in viewing a beautifully hand-sewn comforter comprised of hundreds of small pieces of fabric forming an intricate geometric pattern. We learned that a petticoat in the 1700s might be quilted to trap body heat in cold weather. In my mind’s eye, I see a “crazy quilt” consisting of bright patches that seemed to glow against their background of dark velvet, like stars in a night sky. It had been created locally in the 1800s and was truly a work of art.
In a sense, Aunt Phebe’s life was like a patchwork quilt designed of varied images and an array of colors. She used skills learned as a farm girl growing up in Illinois to tend to the needs of her small-town Massachusetts family and friends. Her values of hard work, generosity, and kindness transferred into every setting she found herself in, much like patchwork images and colors spilling onto the “canvas” of a comforter.
- 2024. Nancy J. Nash. Nancy J. Nash is the author of Mama’s Books: An Oregon Trail Story. and Little Rooster’s Christmas Eve, each available on amazon.com. She has a B.A. in English composition from Mount Holyoke College and an M.F.A. in Writing for Children from Simmons College. She can be reached at nancynash341@gmail.com
Triggers
By Wayne M. Bosman
My wife, Kerri and I have been slowly working on the final step to complete our bittersweet move to the coast, deciding what to do with the house that we lived in in Chapel Hill. Leaving it is not as easy as I thought that it might be. This is the house that we started our life together in. It is almost empty now, but still packed with memories. It’s a small house by modern standards, under 1,000 square feet, but all we needed really. Just enough space to enjoy the things that we really loved and wanted, but not so much space to encourage more “projects” without finishing the last one.
I am sprawling on the last remaining couch now. The one we aren’t sure what to do with. What slows us down in making that sort of decision is memories and the things that trigger them. On the couch with me is a crocheted blanket. A crocheted blanket on this couch was the first thing that Kerri brought here from her old life- that and her sewing basket. I came home from work one day and they were just there. It was the first tentative step toward merging our lives, and I can’t see the blanket on the couch without remembering that day.
This couch was one of the places where we sat and looked out the window at the steady stream of wildlife the overgrown yard attracted. As if on cue, a quartet of does and fawns just wandered into the yard grazing as they come and go. Another trigger to the memories of all of the deer we have watched here.
The kitchen table is still here. We spent countless hours drinking our morning coffee and looking out at the bird feeder and the variety of birds and squirrels that it drew. We enjoyed the regulars, scrambling to figure out what it was when a less common bird stopped in. We hoped and wondered if it would stay. Kerri’s favorite is a mourning dove. Mine is an Eastern towhee. For no obvious reason, seeing them made us feel that it was a special day and all was right with the world.
In the foreground outside the kitchen window are the lantana and the hummingbird feeders. Absolute delight from the first sighting in the spring until their migration in fall. Triggers of more memories that anchor me to this place.
During the pandemic, three of my grandchildren spent one day a week doing their schoolwork in this little house. It was a way to let them out of their own house when so many people were going nowhere at all. Kerri always made their favorite treats appear, and they developed little rituals with tea parties, baking and crafting. The best artwork was suitably framed and displayed. We can keep that to trigger those memories. Those grandchildren are teenagers now with not much time in their expanding lives for grandparents. That is the way of the world, yet one hopes that they don’t forget those special times completely.
The old house was not without its flaws. The woods that nurtured wildlife also prevented us from growing any food that needed sunlight. When something did grow, the squirrels would usually get to it first. It is an old house with all the little issues that brings with it. Old pipes. Old wiring.
Still there are all of the memories and things that trigger them. My mom lives in the house that she and my dad acquired in 1946. How many memories and triggers does that house contain? We have been fortunate enough to get to choose where we live. Not everyone gets to. Some of the triggers will have to stay with the house while the memories move with us.
Wayne M. Bosman is a retired auto mechanic in Cape Carteret, NC. His email is wbosman1@gmail.com.
Quotes from famous authors
‘To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson
‘We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.’ – Ernest Hemingway
‘Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself.’ – Mark Twain
‘I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.’
– Maya Angelou
‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.’ – Anne Frank
‘The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.’ - Alice Walker
‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’
- Lewis Carroll
‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’ - Oscar Wilde
‘So many books, so little time.’ - Frank Zappa
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
www.thecountryregister.com/nrgp
Bring on the New Year!
By Ann’s Lovin’ Ewe
Ah, what to do in that wonderful time between holidays of Christmas to February?
Some celebrate Christmas prior to Halloween but yank it all down as soon as the last present is unwrapped. Instead, play the carols, be creative with the leftovers, listen to the music --- drag it on a little at least until Epiphany! Then segue into Valentine’s Day with the joy of the holidays. Christmas may be over, but ideas abound for time with family and friends.
Holiday Decor:
Continue red and white for clean and festive décor with garlands and valentines. The love of Christmas flows to Valentine’s Day! The following links give ideas for taking your decorations into the next season.
AnExtraordinaryDay.net
SimplyBeautifulbyAngela
Get out and Play!
• Ice skating
• Sledding
• Winter Walk
• Try an Escape Room
• Take a dance class
• Have Fun Indoors!
• Play Board Games*
• Serve up an ethnic meal!
GAMES
Rummikub
The Crew (non competitive) Skyjo Sequence Azul Quirkle
Apples to Apples SkipBo Uno
Phase 10
• Pretend you’re a tourist in your town. What have you missed?
• Enjoy the lights of Christmas once more by driving through your local towns.
• Set up a Cooking contest with family members ala Great Bakeoff
• Go through family photos with your family. Take a few minutes to organize them
• Create a contest with holiday leftovers. Who can make the best meal?
• Freeze some eggnog to put in pancakes in your future.
• Invite friends or neighbors over for a movie marathon (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars)
• Go through your Christmas cards and re-read the notes before recycling cards for gift tags.
Consider your Personal Journey Reset
• Drink Water. Splurge on a new water bottle.
• Eat color. Fill your plate with green, orange, red, & yellow.
• Get regular hours of sleep.
• Enjoy walking
• Begin a new daily habit.
• Clear out social media.
• Try a new hobby (Voice lessons, drawing, painting, dancing, fencing?)
• Clean out your closet, donate. Look forward to something:
• Plan a Trip
• Dream and Strategize about a new house project
• Set a long-desired goal
• Plan a Neighborhood Valentine Party
• Read a Winter Book (see below)
With all these ideas, you’re set for a winter of fun!
© 2025
Read a Winter Book. Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah Winter Sisters, Robin Oliveira Winter Solstice, Rosamunde Pilcher A Week in Winter, Maeve Binchy The Winter Guest, Pam Jenoff
Fried Chicken
The Winter People, Jennifer McMahon Stranded in Iceland, Victoria Walker One Perfect Day, Lauraine Snelling Ethan Frome (classic but sad) The Secret of Snow, Viola Shipman Comfort and Joy, Kristin Hannah
from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ingredients
1 (3- to 4-lb.) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 cups buttermilk
Self-rising flour Vegetable oil
Directions
1) Soak chicken in buttermilk: Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top plastic bag, and add buttermilk.Cover or seal, and chill at least 2 hours.
2) Dredge in flour: Remove chicken from buttermilk, discarding buttermilk. Dredge chicken in flour.
3) Heat oil: Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a deep skillet or Dutch oven; heat to 360°F.
4) Fry chicken in batches: Add chicken, a few pieces at a time; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover chicken, and cook 9 minutes. Turn chicken; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 to 9 minutes, turning chicken the last 3 minutes for even browning, if necessary. Drain on paper towels.
Cornbread from Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingals Wilder
Ingredients
1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk and eggs; stir into cornmeal mixture just until combined. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add butter, and stir until butter is melted. Stir melted butter into cornbread batter. Pour batter into hot skillet.
Bake at 425° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and cornbread pulls away from sides of skillet.
Invert cornbread onto a wire rack; serve warm.
New Years Resolutions
Go somewhere you have never been
Clean and organize your house
Give one compliment a day
Do random acts of kindness
Read a book a month
Save more
Start a journal
Cook a new recipe
Try a new restaurant
Buy a plant for your house
Don’t buy things you don’t need
Pay off your credit card bill every month
Try a new pattern for a quilt design
Volunteer at a new organization
Turn off your phone one night a week
Call a friend instead of texting them
Donate clothes you don’t need
Send out handwritten letters
Recycle more often
Learn a new skill
Plan a dream vacation
Make time for family
Try a new craft
Stop procrastinating tasks
Go on a short walk every day
Try a guided workout or class
Call your family members more often
Listen to an audiobook while you are working
10 Classical Books to Fall in Love with Again
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Tips for Self Improvement
Reduce your screen time
Talk to yourself with kindness
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Start a new hobby
Remove the negativity you can control in your life
Make your bed every morning
Write your goals down
Start a gratitude journal
Prioritize sleep
Learn to love vegetables
Do something active regularly
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hobbit by J. R. R Tolkien
Book Paper Heart
The New Year is here! Let’s start a new chapter! I have not done a project with printed text in quite a while. Book pages are popular for craft projects recently, so I’ll give it a try! If you are not inclined to use book pages, you can print off any wordage and use it.
You will Need:
You will need, a heart-shaped form of some material like wood, foam board or even cardboard, I use a 12inch foam board. You will also need a couple different kinds of paper, printed paper or book pages, embellishments, which I used flowers and letter tile pieces (not pictured-I forgot!), twine, scissors, glue, deco podge, and a foam brush or paint brush.
Step One
Lay out your printed pages on your heart so you have an idea of how they will look. Spread a thin layer of deco-podge on the heart surface. Then place the printed pages on the heart as you want them. Smooth out to remove any bubbles. Allow to dry.
Step TWO
Apply another layer of deco-podge all over the surface to seal down any loose edges. Allow to dry again. Trim the paper around the heart. Cut out another heart that is about 1 ½ inches smaller than your larger one. I used corrugated paper. Glue it in the center. Allow to dry.
Step THREE
I glued on a line of paper for my letter tiles and my flower embellishments. I also added twine around the edge of the heart. I used the tiles to spell out “LOVE”.to remove any bubbles. Allow to dry.
Step Four
I punched a couple of holes in the heart to add twine to hang up my heart! And Done!! I hope your next chapter is your best one yet!
So cute!
FINISHED!
Resolutions Unfulfilled
By Julie Pirtel
A new year is upon us and it’s overflowing with ambitions and goals. However, if you are like most, your well-intended resolutions from last year (and perhaps the year before) are now in the “I’ll make it happen later” pile.
For those with clutter challenged areas, the situation is even more frustrating. The spaces that were enthusiastically chosen for a makeover are still not functioning and have grown by leaps and bounds.
Unresolved resolutions are evil. They want to make us feel guilty. They lurk around in dark corners of our minds, reminding us as often as possible how we failed to not bring them to fruition. I think it’s time to stop creating them in the first place! Let’s stop the madness this year!!!
First of all, let go of the guilt. It is not your fault that your organizing resolutions went by the wayside. It’s more likely that your goals were too broad and a bit hefty for how busy your life is. With a little bit of foresight and planning, you can make it happen THIS year. Here are some easy steps to get you started.
Assess your spaces. With a notebook and pen, go from room to room and write down the specific areas you want to tackle. Note what is not working in your day-to-day routines and be detailed. For instance, in the bedroom it might be the clothes on the closet shelves are difficult to access or the dresser drawers are too full. Make a separate page for each room.
Once you have determined the problem areas, it’s time to start by choosing just ONE area. I’ve seen many popular organizing shows where the client is encouraged to completely empty out the space (in this case the closet) and only put back what they want to keep. Don’t do it.
While it may feel good to see the closet empty, you will be left with a huge pile to sort through and no energy to complete it. Instead, work on one shelf at a time. One drawer at a time. When you complete it, there will be a sense of accomplishment instead of a bed full of clothing and no place to sleep that night!
PURGE. Now it’s time for some ruthless honesty. The bathroom cupboard that is overflowing with beauty products needs to be cleaned out! The eye shadows and half used mascara need to go (they have a shelf life just like food). Hair products with unfulfilled promises of glorious hair need to be ditched.
When you are in the process of letting go of items, there are a few rules to follow. It doesn’t matter how much it cost. It doesn’t matter who gave it to you. It doesn’t matter if you think you might use it someday. Someday is here and you still haven’t used it! Anything that does not have a purpose in your day-to-day living is no longer welcome to take up space in your valuable cupboard’s real estate.
As you purge, resist the need to find a home for the items you are letting go of. This is your subconscious mind trying to deal with that horrible guilt monster! Giving it to someone else does not justify the “value” you have put on it that has made you unnecessarily keep it.
Don’t give it any more of your time. Choose a charity and “let it go.” (At this point, I sing the song from the movie Frozen to my clients when I am working with them. “Let it go…let it go…it doesn’t serve you any mo – o – ore.” A little comic relief never hurts anybody!) Believe me, releasing your items to the universe to disperse as she sees fit is the best way to go.
Once you have cleared your space of items you no longer need, it’s time to figure out a better way to store them. THIS is the time to look at purchasing organizing solutions. Ignore the desire to accumulate bins, baskets and racks before purging. Many times, the items purchased don’t work out and end up being part of the purge pile!
By using your list and taking one step at a time, you will be amazed at how quickly and efficiently you will accomplish your goals. Even a spare 15 minutes cleaning the kitchen junk drawer is helpful and absolutely satisfying.
Be kind to yourself this year. Get rid of the guilt. Pull up those big girl panties and get it done! You’ve got this. I know you do!
Julie Pirtle lives in Eagle Point, Oregon. She is a Professional Organizer and owner/operator of Clutter Happens. She also works with clients nationally through video consultations. The Clutter Challenged can reach her on Facebook:/clutterhappens or email her directly: clutterhappens@yahoo.com
Recipes from literature
See other unique recipes from literature on pages 8, 9 & 13
Almond Tea Cakes
from the Hobbit by John Tolkien
Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Directions
Filling:
1 large egg white
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Milk
Sliced almonds
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and extract; mix well. Add flour and baking powder (dough will be soft). Chill.
2. For filling, in a small bowl, stir egg white, sugar, almonds and lemon juice. Remove a portion of the dough at a time from the refrigerator. Place 1-in. balls of dough into miniature muffin cups, pressing slightly into sides and bottom. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling into each. Cover with quarter-sized circles of dough.
3. Brush with a little milk and top with an almond. Bake at 350° until golden, 14-16 minutes.
Peach Pie
from James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Ingredients
1 3/4 lbs. fresh peaches
1/2 cup (4 oz.) salted butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
1. Prepare peaches: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Gently rub the peaches under running water to remove fuzz, and slice peaches. (You will have about 4 cups.)
2. Melt butter: Place butter in an 11- x 7-inch baking dish; place dish in oven until butter melts.
3. Add peaches to batter: Stir together flour, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl.
Pour onto melted butter. (Do not stir.) Spoon peaches over mixture. (Do not stir.)
4.Bake cobbler: Bake in preheated oven until brown and bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes.
Now I Understand
By Karie Habben
As I write, our house is warm with the scent of freshly baked banana bread and soup simmering on the stove. My husband, Wayne, is setting up a warp on his floor loom. His current weaving project is a blanket for a new grandchild, due in April. I think, too, of the other milestones approaching this year; a granddaughter finishing middle school and two grandchildren graduating from high school.
For nearly six years now, I have had the privilege of watching our seven grandchildren grow and loving them more every day. I am a bonus grandparent, becoming a part of their lives when the youngest was only 1 1/2 years old and the oldest was 14. Now Quinn is 7, and Kaylie is 20. In between are Emma and Isaac (17), Laurel (15), Hunter (14) and Naomi (13).
In both our house in Chapel Hill and now our main residence at the beach in Cape Carteret, memories of them abound. While they are mostly teenagers now, immersed in their expanding worlds, I still feel all of the moments that forged bonds between us.
With Naomi and Laurel, it was tea parties. There were days at our Chapel Hill house with Isaac, Laurel, and Naomi, baking and doing arts and crafts together. The times we picked them up from school or took them to an activity. I can still hear all of them talking at once when we all had dinner together at our house. I often just listened to the cadence of their voices because I knew that free flowing catharsis wouldn’t last forever.
With Kaylie, Emma, and Hunter, we more often visited them at the beach. We went to their cheerleading and sporting events. With Kaylie there were dresses altered for school dances. Living here now, we continue to watch Emma cheer and Hunter play sports. No winter sport this year, but all last fall there was football. We pick Hunter up from school sometimes and we are happy when we glean even a full sentence. I have learned to embrace the silence because I know deep down that our simply being there speaks volumes.
There is Quinn. Of the seven children, he is the only one who cannot remember before I became a part of the family. Every one of the kids receives handmade gifts for birthdays, Christmas and just because. Quinn’s gifts have included crocheted dinosaurs and a stuffed turtle. He has a toy box in the corner of our TV room for when he visits. These times we cook together. He helps me make breakfast and enjoys carefully fixing everyone’s plate just right. We have a regular ritual of making chocolate pudding pie because he loves to use the old-fashioned egg beater.
Like all the kids, he calls me Kerri. Except that sometimes when we are together somewhere, I will mention to someone that I am his bonus grandma. To which he smiles, shrugs a little and says, “she’s just my Kerri.”
And there is #8 grandchild on the way. While Wayne has been weaving for his or her arrival, I have been crocheting. Presently Baby Bosman has a sweater, a vest, two hats and baby socks already made. And my crochet hook and knitting needles have only just begun.
In some of these articles I have written of the man I called “Dad.” He was my stepfather, but to me he was my father. This March it will be 25 years since he passed away. He loved me with an ever-deepening devotion. Every once in a while, I would wonder how he loved me so truly and completely when he hadn’t been there my whole life. And when he technically didn’t “have to.”
I no longer wonder because I now understand completely.
Kerri Habben Bosman is a writer in Cape Carteret, NC. Her email is 913jeeves@gmail.com.
The Life of a Show Quilt
Many years ago I designed this ‘inverted’ version of my 1892 Rondure quilt. The blocks are skewed on the golden ratio and was a concept I came up with during the McCall’s Quilt Design Star Challenge in 2011. This version makes a larger quilt and so I opted to make the original version during the contest. The version shown here is the ‘inverted’ version and sat in my design stack for many years. After working on developing a pattern for the original and hosting a class to make it, we worked through the pattern to make it a bit simpler and published it.
By Marlene Oddie
One of my testers, Nancy C., made several colorations and ultimately expressed interest in making one of these ‘inverted’ versions. We worked together to curate the Jinny Beyer fabrics, starting with selecting the border print and then choosing colors for the center elements that complement the border. Nancy carefully pieced it. For several years it awaited quilting. When I discovered that the borders had not been cut to symmetrically miter at the corners, I re-did them. It then sat for a while longer.
During Covid, I decided it was finally time to focus on quilting it. I wanted to quilt it for showing in large, juried, international shows so my creative juices needed to be flowing. I almost finished it in late 2021 but ended up coming down with Covid myself. I finally got it back on my quilting table in late 2022 and finished it up.
2025 The Year of Dreams
By Janet Young
And so, it begins, another brand-new year. But even though, January’s cold keeps us in the house it gives us an opportunity to dream, to relax, and even to plan perhaps another new adventure in our life. For example, what would you do differently this year? What changes would be necessary to achieve that goal? How can you make this year one of the most incredible years ever!
I know what you are thinking. Because your life is so overwhelmingly busy, you can’t imagine making any changes. But that is exactly the point. This is the time of the year when the activities stop for the most part.
So, what better time than NOW!
To get started determine to set aside time each day in January and February to relax. If that means curled up in a blanket on the couch, or sitting by the fireplace, or just enjoying a nice hot chocolate or a warm cup of tea, you are on your way to unwinding and freeing your mind. As an added bonus, play soft background music, and before long you will be in a comfort zone that allows you to think more clearly, and this is the time to dream about your future.
Do you want to continue going in the direction you have been going? And, there is nothing wrong if you are completely satisfied. Or, do you want to make some changes? This is your time to dream big, or to take baby steps. For by setting the course and striving each day to do something that will ultimately get you to that place, you will eventually realize your dream.
Attention Crafters: Do you dream of having a craft room? If so, is there a spare bedroom or attic or basement that could be transformed into your very own space? If not, is there a nook or small area that you could turn into a place to do your crafting? Already have a craft room? Then perhaps, it is time to think of how you can more efficiently use your space. Through reorganizing how you are storing your supplies, you may discover you have more space to work or to collect more materials.
The choice is yours. Don’t delay. Make 2025 the year of dreams come true.
- © Janet Young is a Certified Tea and Etiquette Consultant, Co-Founder of Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association, and prior owner of Over The Teacup
Nancy named it 24 Karat Rondure—there are 24 electric blue jewels. Now it was time to enter it in various shows. It was juried into all five 2023 AQS shows. Paducah is the only one of their shows that returns judges comments. So I finally got some constructive feedback and was able to correct slight variations in the binding against the printed edge of the border. During 2024 it was juried into Road to California; Mancuso Quilt Fest, South Carolina, Pacific International Quilt Fest, Santa Clara, CA and Quilt Fest Pennsylvania (Best Interpretation of the Theme). It was also displayed at Tri-Cities Kennewick, WA Quilt Show, Minnesota Quilt Show (1 st Place Ribbon), Spring Fling Fronen Steppdecker Odessa, WA Quilt Show (People’s Choice), Lincoln County Fair (Superintendent’s Award) and WSQ Spokane Quilt Show (2nd Place Ribbon).
Grateful to my dear friend Nancy C. for this wonderful collaboration. May this quilt stand to show how I’ve valued our good times together and inspire others to consider design elements that can also be found in nature – the golden ratio.
Marlene Oddie (marlene@kissedquilts.com) is an engineer by education, project manager by profession and now a quilter by passion in Grand Coulee, WA at her quilt shop, KISSed Quilts. She quilts for hire on a Gammill Optimum Plus, but especially enjoys designing quilts and assisting in the creation of a meaningful treasure for the recipient. Fabric, patterns, kits and templates are available at http://www.kissedquilts.com. Follow Marlene’s adventures via http://www.facebook.com/kissedquilts and https://www.instagram.com/marlene.kissedquilts
Chocolate Caramels
from Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Cream
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup
3 Tbsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (I used Butter Vanilla emulsion)
1 tsp. Fine Sea Salt
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips Course Sea Salt for sprinkling on top
Directions
Line a small baking dish with foil, & then spray the foil with non-stick spray. In a medium pot on medium heat, bring the cream to a bubbling simmer, & then place a candy thermometer in the pot. Add in the sugar, corn syrup, & honey & stir it constantly with a wooden spoon until the thermometer reaches about 257ºF. Quickly remove the pot from the heat & stir in the butter, vanilla, & fine salt (you’ll need to stir really well to get it thoroughly combined).
Pour the mixture into the foil-lined dish, spreading it out evenly, & let it cool completely. Coat a cutting board & large knife with some non-stick spray, & then flip the caramel block onto the board & peel off the foil. Cut the caramel into bite-size cubes, re-non-sticking the knife as needed. In a double boiler (pot with a few inches of simmering water with a heat-proof bowl resting on top, not touching the water) pour 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Place your (cleaned) candy thermometer into the bowl & bring the chocolate, stirring occasionally, up to about 118ºF. Remove the bowl from the heat & stir int the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate bits until they melt & then temperature lowers to about 80ºF. Put the bowl back onto the pot & bring the temp. just up to about 87ºF, stirring so that it’s all nice and smooth. Remove the bowl again & you’re ready to dip your caramels!
Line a large tray with parchment paper. Using a fork, lower 1 caramel bite into the chocolate at a time & flip it around so it gets completely coated. Lift it out with the fork & place it onto the parchment paper. Continue this process until all of the caramels are coated & on the parchment. As the coating is still solidifying, sprinkle a little coarse sea salt onto the tops of the candies. Let harden completely & then share with your friends, family, & fabulous little orphan girls!
