Our Favorite Punch- Recipe Monday

2 packages Kool-aid
3 quarts water (chilled)
2 small cans frozen orange juice
1 quart pineapple juice
2 cups sugar
1 quart Gingerale (chilled)

Mix Kool-aid, water, orange juice, pineapple juice and sugar together. Add Gingerale before serving.

Sense and Sensibility: chapter three

Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters remained at Norland for several months. Although she had wanted to be gone once her grief had abated, she could not find an adequate situation that would be her idea of comfort and Elinor's idea of economy. Mrs. Dashwood was comforted by her late husband's assertion that his son would care for them and believed it as he had. Thus, she thought that the small sum of 7000 pounds that was left her would keep them very comfortably. She was also convinced of this by his behavior towards them.

As she came to know Fanny, her dislike for her grew. Both would have found it hard to live in the same household had it not been for the arrival and long visit from Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars. Mrs. Dashwood believed there to be a growing attachment between Edward and Elinor and therefore bided her time.

Edward was a shy, very pleasant gentleman. He was the eldest of his late wealthy father. However, his inheritance depended upon the goodwill of his mother and she wanted him distinguished. He wanted to live a quiet, private life. To Mrs. Henry Dashwood it mattered only that he loved her daughter.

It was Elinor who first observed the difference between Edward and his sister, Fanny and her mother agreed with the observation. This endeared the young man to Mrs. Henry Dashwood. She took time to become acquainted with him and shared her observation of an attachment between him and Elinior with Marianne. The later had a high opinion of Edward, as he was very amiable, but found him wanting. He was not a handsome, lacked spirit and knew nothing about drawing. She felt that she could never marry a man whose tastes were not as her own. He had shared a reading of poetry the night before with a dreadful indifference. In fact, Marianne felt that she would never be able to find a man that she could really love. Her mother reminded her that at seventeen it was much too early to despair of the matter.

Cream Cheese Frosting- Recipe Monday

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick margarine or butter
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all together well and frost cake.

This has always been one of my favorite cake frostings. My husband loves it on Red Velvet Cake.

Jane Austin Quiz

I have always wondered which Jane Austin character that I was most like and here is the answer. I have to admit that I am not really surprised. I think I am a little like Anne too....or maybe I want to be. To take the quiz visit The Emma Adapations Page.

Blog Changes

I've made a few changes to my journal such as adding another sidebar. I have not figured out how to do a few minor things such as having the girl images center in the sidebar but overall I am very happy with the changes. I was visiting Cindy at her blog Home Simple Home and read one her entires about changing her blog template and decided to try it with mine too. She has a different template altogether but gave the addy to Tips for New Bloggers that explains how to do it. I made my template a little wider but feel it needs to be wider still so that the sidebars are not so close to the journaling. It is so funny how little things like this can bring me so much happiness. Ahhhh the simple things......

Miss Emily's Ginger Cookies- Recipe Monday

Miss Emily's Ginger Cookies
(our variation)

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg slightly beaten
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups of plain flour

Cream sugar, egg, and butter together. Add to this mixture the rest of the ingredients. Roll into small balls and then roll them in sugar. place on a cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Bake for 5- 7 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool on rack.

This is my little ones favorite cookie. They are soft and chewy and not as heavily ginger flavored as many other versions.

Sense and Sensibility: chapter two

Upon her arrival to Norland Mrs. John Dashwood assumed the position of Mistress. Mrs. Henry Dashwood and daughters were treated with civility and kindness as visitors in their own home. John invited the family to continue to consider Norland their home and since it suited Mrs. Henry Dashwood to remain where she had had so many pleasant memories, the decision was made to remain there for a while.

Mr. John Dashwood intended to give his step-mother and half-sisters the sum of three thousand pounds but his wife, Fanny suggested that this would greatly deplete their son’s inheritance. John replied that his father’s request was of no particular sum but rather that he assist them and make them comfortable and that he felt that he must do something for them. The sum of 500 pounds was then suggested by John and Fanny found more objections. He then suggested an annuity. Fanny related her own Mother’s disagreeable dealings of having to pay annuities to her servants after the death of her husband. John again made a suggestion of 50 pounds every now and then. Fanny then suggested that perhaps his Father had not meant for him to give the family any money at all but rather help with housing, moving items and presents of food from their harvest in season. In fact she strongly felt that Henry could not have meant anything more since the family would need little after they moved. Their housekeeping would be small. There would be no horses, carriages and they would not keep company so they would certainly be able to live comfortably on the 500 pounds a year that they were to inherit.

Mrs. Henry Dashwood would have the china, plate and linen that had been packed away after the family had moved to Norland and John suggested that this was a valuable legacy. In fact, it was better than that which they would have at Norland. Fanny suggested that Henry had thought only of his wife and daughters and would have left all to them if he could have. So Mr. John Dashwood decided the best way to fulfill his promise to his Father would to be the neighborly acts of kindness that his wife suggested.

Tim's Mom....What do you think 500 pounds would be equivalent to now?

Sense and Sensibility: chapter one

The Dashwood family, for many generations, had lived at Norland Park which was a rather large estate in Sussex. The elder Mr. Dashwood had not married and his sister had been his companion and housekeeper. Upon her death his nephew, Mr. Henry Dashwood and family was invited to take up residence with him. He became very fond of the family and his days were very comfortable due to the attention and kindness bestowed upon him. Henry Dashwood and his current wife had three daughters that lived with them at Norland. Henry's son Mr. John Dashwood, by his first wife, was well cared for from the fortune that he had received from his late mother's estate. He had also gained wealth through his marriage. His father, Mr. Henry Dashwood had a small interest in his former wife's estate that would end after his death. His present wife had no fortune coming into the marriage and thereby neither did the daughters of their union.

The elder Mr. Dashwood passed away and the estate was left to left to Mr. Henry Dashwood with such terms as that it would belong to his grandson upon Henry's death. This of course would leave his wife and three daughters with very little to live upon when he died. Knowing that he was to soon pass away he called upon his son John and had him promise to care for them and make them comfortable. Mr. Henry Dashwood passed away a year after the elder Mr. Dashwood and the estate became the property of Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood and his young son.

Mr. John Dashwood remembered his promise to his father to care for his half sisters and intended to do so. However, he was easily persuaded by his wife to do nothing. As soon as the funeral was over his wife prepared to move into the estate and make changes. Mrs. Henry Dashwood felt very deeply this lack of love and concern and would have quickly taken her girls and left Norland. Her love for her girls and her desire to encourage the relationship with their brother helped her to restrain her feelings.

Elinor, a young woman of 19 years, was the oldest of Henry's daughters and was blessed with a great deal of understanding and a steady judgment. She was a counselor to her mother (who was rather imprudent) and helped with the decisions and affairs of the household. Elinor was an affectionate young woman with a good heart and felt many things deeply but was well able to govern her feelings. Her mother and sisters did not have the desire to govern their emotions.

Marianne was a very clever and sensible young woman and very close to Elinor in both age and relationship. She felt sorrows and joys deeply and felt little need to restrain her emotions. In fact the only thing she lacked was prudence. She was in every respect very like her mother. This concerned Elinor a great deal but was a characteristic valued by her mother. Young Margaret, at 13, was good humored but, had observed and taken on much of the behavior of her mother and Marianne. As a result, Elinor dealt most with her brother and sister-in-law after their arrival and continued to encourage her mother and sisters.

Sense and Sensibility

Leslie and I have decided to read this lovely book together. I will be posting a brief synopsis of each chapter and Tim's Mom will also be posting about our reading on Bona Vita Rusticanda Est. I will also post questions that Leslie will answer. I hope that you will join us in our adventure into Jane Austin's World.

Festive Cheese Ball- Recipe Monday

2- 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1- 8 1/2 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups of chopped pecans
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped finely
2 tablespoons onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Beat cream cheese till smooth. Add in other ingredients using only 3/4 cup of the nuts. shape into a ball and then roll in remaining nuts.

This was a family holiday favorite when I was young. I hope that you and your family will enjoy it too.