DIANN MADE JEAN'S VALENTINE'S DAY MARASCHINO CHERRY CAKE

Diann in Ohio made Jean's Valentine's Day Maraschino Cherry Cake and sent me a picture of  the cake.  I thought everyone would like to see it.  Diann said she made the cake for her husband for Valentine's Day (minus the nuts) and it is yummy! Her husband loves it to!  She frosted the cake and added some red sugar on top.  She said to tell Jean, it's a winner!

Like me, Diann doesn't make scratch cakes very often, but she told me this one is worth the extra work. 

Thank you, Diann, for sending the picture and allowing me to put it on here.

Marilyn

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

These heart quilt pictures are from the Haiti Auction last June.  Also, I mark this day as having Pierre for two years. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY,

Marilyn and Pierre
Jean and Family
Martha and Family
Elmer and Family

A NEW POST ON TOMORROW MORNING

PIERRE'S "THE BARK" - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  I know it's tomorrow, but I wanted to be early.  It was two years ago tomorrow, that I met my current Mom for the first time.  I was so happy to meet her.  Really, I didn't move in with her until the 15th, but we celebrate it on Valentine's Day because that is day Mom asked God to bring me to her and He did.

Mom is my third owner and I thought when Valentine's Day came this year Mom might want to get rid of me like my previous Mom's did, but Mom says no way.  I am here to stay.  She's not getting rid of me.  We are here to stay together.  I am happy.  It makes me feel so much better.  Marilyn's my real Mom.

So, as Mom and I celebrate our Happy Valentine's Day, we hope you have a great Valentine's Day, too. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY,

Pierre and Marilyn

P.S.
That is not me in the pink ears.  My Mom found the picture while looking for Valentine's Day poodle pictures and thought it would look cute.  She promised she would never color my ears pink.

JEAN'S VALENTINE'S DAY MARASCHINO CHERRY CAKE

 

JEAN'S VALENTINE'S DAY MARASCHINO CHERRY CAKE

2 cups and 2 Tbsp Gold Medal flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup soft shortening
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
16 maraschino cherries, cut into 1/8
1/2 cup milk
4 egg whites, unbeaten

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 cake pans.  Stir dry ingredients together.  Add shortening, cherry juice, cherries and milk.  Beat 2 minutes medium speed.  Add egg whites.  Beat 2 more minutes.  Fold in nuts.  Pour in pans.  Bake 30-35 minutes.

I use my heart-shaped pans when I am baking this cake.  If you don't have heart-shaped pans you can bake half in a round pan and half in a square pan.  When the cake is done and cool, you can cut the round cake in half and arrange them around the square cake so it looks like a heart.  I frost the cake with pink frosting. 

Happy Valentine's Day,
Jean

ELMER TELLS OF PINECRAFT

When we left Pennsylvania, it was snowing.  Some of us on the bus were a little worried, but we said a prayer which I believed helped guide the bus driver.  We made it to Pinecraft, the next morning, safe and sound. It was just about 80 degrees when we arrived in Florida.

When we got off the bus, Bishop's parents were there to meet us and help get our luggage to the cottage and gave us the keys.  They asked if we would be interested in staying two months as the people that rented for March, had a family emergency come up, and wouldn't be able to come to Pinecraft.  We spoke with Bishop to see if he and his family wanted to come, but he said they couldn't as he had too many things to do.  Anna, John and I discussed it for a couple of days.  John is going to go back, later this month,  as he has jobs to do, but Anna and I are going to stay until March 26th.  This will be the first time Anna and I have been together, alone , in a long, long,  time.  We are looking forward to it.

Anna thought she would have to go grocery shopping, but the Bishop's parents had the refrigerator and cupboards full of food for us.  After we had our naps, Anna and I went to the Benefit Supper. John was still sleeping. Every Tuesday, there is a Benefit Supper here.  This Tuesday it was fried catfish along with a cowboy stew.  There were lots of people.  Lines were long.  It was worth waiting through for.  There is also music there, too.  While we were eating, John joined us.  Even though we had naps, we were still tired, so didn't stay long after we ate.

( The money from these benefits go to upkeep of Pinecraft.  Some went to cover the expenses of Haiti Benefit auction, and other goes to local places like Gator Boys' Camp.)

Next day, John and I got our three bicycles.  It was funny, the two us, with three bicycles, but we got them home.  After breakfast, the three of us road around Pinecraft to see what was going on.  We met some people we knew and chatted a little.  We took it pretty easy that day still trying to get rested up.

We are planning on deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, one day,  next week. It's nice to go fishing with a pole from a dock, but even more fun fishing on a boat in the Gulf.  As part of our trip, we look forward to it every year. 

Oh, I forgot to mention, when we got here on Tuesday, we went to an early lunch at Yoder's Restaurant.  John had chicken while Anna and I had meat loaf.  You are always served enough food and the deserts are great especially pies.  John had chocolate pie, Anna had lemon and I had apple pie with ice cream on top - they were delicious as were the dinners. 

The places people stay in here are either constructed small houses and some trailers - I guess they call them Mobile Homes now.  It is a really nice community.  Some people like to go to see the buses come in and the buses go out.  Some of the people that live here are here all year round, but most of the people come for just the winter or like us, come stay a month or two and go back north.  When our time comes to retire, Anna and I would like to buy a place to stay down here all year round, but that is a way off. 

I don't know what to say, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

JEAN IS BACK !!!!!

I would like to thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.  Also, would like to thank both Martha and Elmer for filling in for me. 

Right now, the flu is going through Martha's house.  We didn't have meeting (church) last week because Bishop Joseph was ill.  The Ministers could have put on a meeting without the Bishop, but with all the flu going around, it was thought that it would be better to not have a meeting on Sunday.  Many of the people got a driver and went to a meeting a way from our area.  David and I decided it would be best if our family stayed home.

The biggest concern through the flu was Grandfather Albert and Grandmother Olive.  The doctor suggested that Grandmother Olive go in the hospital, but she said she had never been in a hospital as a patient and she wasn't going to go into one now.  She took some home remedies along with the doctor's medicine and came through just fine.  Grandfather Albert had to go to the hospital.  He has had a heart condition for many years.  The flu did not help and he had breathing problems.  When Grandmother Olive was allowed in the hospital she went to his room and said: "Albert, don't you dare die on me. It's not time."  After about a week and a half he was home.  We don't believe Grandmother Olive's words had any power, we believe God did, but Grandmother's words didn't hurt either.

We had a time when Katie, Susan,  David Jr., Grandfather Albert, Grandmother Olive and myself were sick with the flu.  That left all the work inside the house and out to David Sr., Michael and Edward.  So glad that Edward knew how to cook or we wouldn't have eaten as well as we did.  Poor Michael did something to the washing machine and it wouldn't work.  When Kevin came to fix it, he told Michael he had fixed many other washing machines, why he couldn't fix ours.  Michael was afraid if he messed up, I would be upset.  Kevin supervised as Michael fixed it and the dryer, too.  I told Michael I was proud of him for fixing the maschine.

Because they did so well and helped us so much cooking, cleaning, seeing we took our medicine plus their barn shores, David gave Edward and Michal the money to go skiing on Wednesday that turned out to be the day of the snow storm.  Kevin went with them. 

While they were gone Bridget came to give me a hand.  She was sad as she has been married over a year and is without child.  I told her that we were married over 8 years before I had Susan and six more years before I had David Jr.  The Lord gives in His time not our time.  Also to remember all the children that came to Martha's and Joseph's door that they adopted including Kevin and the ones that came to our door that we adopted.  I think I made her feel some better.

David and I worried about Michael, Edward and Kevin coming home as the snow storm got worse.  They ended up coming home in our usual drivers son's pickup truck.  It has a back seat inside so all could fit in the truck and has four wheel drive. All of the men had a great time skiing.  It had been snowing, but great for skiing. 

Things are getting back to normal at our house.  All of us are well again.  Bishop Joseph said that he will hold meeting this Sunday.  We look forward to meeting as Sunday did not seem the same without it even though we had Bible readings and prayer at home.

We also, wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.

Be With God,
Jean

ELMER WILL HAVE A POST ON TOMORROW.

ZION EPISCOPAL CHURCH , PALMYRA, NY

Zion Episcopal Church is the fourth of the famous four corner churches.  This church is different in that the other three main churches are of brick, but Zion Episcopal's  main church is made of sandstone.

On June 23, 1823 Zion Episcopal Church came into being under the ministry of Rev. Rufus Murray and two others who were the first wardens of the parish.  On February 1, 1829 they consecrated the first building - a wooden one that stood on the present site.  In July, 1873 the present sandstone structure was consecrated.  The entire spire was given by George W. Cuyler (one of our bank founders of the time), as a memorial for his children.  Since then the brick addition has been added and the inside of the church was remodeled and rededicated on June 21, 1998.

In the last two church pictures, I tried to show the beautiful spire on the roof of the church.  The house picture is of their parsonage. 

Zion Episcopal is a very giving church.  Two Sundays a month they have the Free Community Dinner in their new addition.  On Thanksgiving Day, they also put on a Free Community dinner.  All of their meals are hand cooked by the people of the church  and are delicious.  At these dinners, they do not mention religion unless you do.  Also, they have the Food Bank in their church for those that might be running low on food during the month. Most of the churches contribute to the Food Bank.


THERE IS A NEW POST, EVERYDAY, MONDAY THRU FRIDAY THIS WEEK !!!