Another Great Gooseberry Patch Giveaway!

Hello There Gals....

Just poppin' on in to let you know that FHCS is hosting another great Gooseberry Patch Cookbook giveaway here at FHCS.  This is a 10th Anniversary Edition...they are bringing back the best of the best!  Once again there isn't a person out there who wouldn't use, or couldn't use this recipe book.

Meals in Minutes....

So fast...so easy....so good.  It's no wonder they've brought it back!  That's what I have for you on this one. 

Check out the video below for more info.....

I have made a few of the recipes and they  were all great, but I'm excited to share my favorite one with you.  A sweet recipe of course.

One particularly late and rainy Saturday evening, my children and I were craving something sweet and chocolate while watching a movie.  We were all cozied up in our jammies so we didn't want to go out and started prowling through the pantry for something chocolatey and sweet.  I keep a small stash of cake mixes on hand and quickly spotted a chocolate cake and my mouth began to water....

One by one we started to grab the ingredients to make the boxed mix...until I got to the eggs.  And it went downhill from there.  What?  No eggs!  Ugh!  We wanted chocolate cake, but not bad enough to change out of my jammies and head to the store...

Then I remembered a recipe I had spotted in the new GBP cookbook Meals in Minutes, earlier in the week.  I always fold down the corners of the pages that I want to try but this book had A LOT of pages turned, lol.  And so I thumbed through the book, quickly turning to the page with the interesting chocolate cake recipe.Triple Fudge Cake.  I grabbed my favorite mixing bowl, and set to work.  

Within minutes I found all 3..(yes 3) of the ingredients and set to work.  Soon enough, we had the scent of warm cake wafting through the house.  We couldn't believe how good this tasted, company worthy I might add.

Triple Fudge Cake

3.4 oz. pkg. cook & serve chocolate pudding

18 1/2 oz. pkg. chocolate cake mix

12 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare pudding following directions on the package; stir in dry cake mix. Spread in greased 13x9 baking pan; sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 degrees fore 35 minutes; cool.  Makes 18 servings.

Ladies...this recipe calls for only three ingredients  (4 really if you count the milk)!!!  I have to admit that I totally cheated on it too.  I used a ready to serve pudding mix instead of the cook & serve---after all, this was a chocolate-craving emergency!  I was a little worried about how thick the batter was before baking but it puffed right up.  It was moist and delicious.  We also replaced the semi-sweet chips with milk chocolate because that is all I had on hand. We also couldn't wait for it to cool, we ate ours warm, topped with light whip cream......sometimes you just have to be a rebel, lol.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. Now, you ask how can you win this great cookbook? Read on.....

So once again we are having a GIVEAWAY for this wonderful book

compliments of Gooseberry Patch!

 All I ask is that you share a recipe story of yours in the comment section below.  I want to hear about a time you had to substitute ingredients or make do.  What was your recipe like.....do you still make your version of it now or do you follow the recipe still?   The comments will close on Wednesday April 4th at midnight EST.  Of course we would love it if you could share the giveaway on your blog and a link!  

A winner will be chosen by random number generator as usual and announced by next Saturday, April 7th.  I do ask that you please be sure check back then to see if you have won so you can claim your prize and I can get it shipped to you as soon as possible.  Thanks for stopping by once again, and hopefully leaving a comment!  Please try to spread the word about the giveaway so that I can continue to offer them to all of you!  Have a great weekend!

Take care,
Dee

Prayer Request, Updated...

Update:
Hello Gals,
I'm popping in real quick to thank all of you who have prayed for our oldest daughter's best friend in her fight with leukemia.  Her bone marrow transplant occurred and she is progressing along as she should, thank god.  Thank you for all of your prayers and kind words.

My daughter has also read your comments and we appreciate the prayers for our daughter as well.  She is strong for her friend but we've also hit a few emotional bumps in the road when she is missing her, to be expected of course.  Now with her senior year coming to an end and prom season fast approaching it is particularly hard, that has been something they usually do together, the planning, the shopping for their dresses, getting ready and pictures so she is working through the emotions of that too.  She often claims that she feels guilty partaking in all of the events that come with senior year and missing her friend is often very hard for her. She knows very well it's most important that she receives treatment and healing, and she of course wants that more than anything.

As I've said before, the blogging community certainly is full of caring, loving, supportive, and uplifting friends and I feel so blessed to be able to connect with so many of you.  I truly do appreciate the time you all take to leave your comments and sweet emails.  I know life can be very busy for us and yet you all make the time anyway.  Thank you....

Take good care,
Dee

Hello Friends,

Many of you know from reading my blog that we have had one heck of a year dealing with illness.  Loved ones, family members and friends.  Some (thankfully) recovering and those who are still fighting.  I appreciate all of your powerful prayers and believe they play a big part in recovery.


Well I have a prayer request to ask of you all once more.... 

Best friend on left, my daughter on right...

being normal silly teenagers a few summers ago, without a care in the world.

My daughter's best friend, Lauren, has been fighting an aggressive type of Leukemia for the past year.  It has been a hard battle for her but she is one strong and determined young lady.  While many kids her age are experiencing milestones like driving, proms, and making memories, she has missed all of her senior year of High School instead spending her days inside the confines of a hospital room receiving chemo.  Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she has befriended other young sick children on the floor, played with them and kept their spirits up....simply amazing to me.....  

This Friday she will be receiving a bone marrow transplant, and I am asking for prayers on her behalf.  She has already been blessed with a large group of family, friends, that love her dearly and and a community that has rallied for her and her family.  I'm so grateful to say she has recently found a donor match and what a blessing that already is.

Please pray that this transplant will be successful and for a speedy recovery so that she can once again be healthy and resume a normal life after having experienced this fight. Please pray for her family as well.

My own daughter has had a hard year coming to terms with her friend's illness and is missing her friend terribly, these two are the type of giddy girls that can be silly together...laugh so hard they pee their pants (truth), look at one another simply start giggling...even when no one else gets it.  They just get each other.

They haven't been able to see each other as much as they would like to during the past year due to treatments, sickness, and keeping germs at bay which could be dangerous for her friend.  My daughter also knows the most important thing is that she gets back to being healthy as quickly as possible and what a treasure a friendship like this one is.

Make sure you congratulate Tammy in the last post, she is the winner of the beautiful Shabby Apple Dress giveaway!  I have a very overdue Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway that I will be posting on Saturday.....please stop back to sign up, I know how you all love GBP!

Take care,
Dee

A Shabby Apple Winner!

Hello Gals!

I apologize for the delay in announcing the winner of the Boogie Woogie Dress from 

Shabby Apple, there have been some goings on here at the Farmhouse....

Tammy from Flat Creek Farm....is the winner of this lovely giveaway!  Your comment was chosen by an antique random number generator called the old pick a number trick.....hubby picked and I counted, lol!  Stop on by her blog to congratulate her!

Tammy,

I sure hope that you get to go on your dream date with your hubby, girl....please go dancing in this adorable number....I know it's hard to carve out time for ourselves as wives and mothers but life moves all too quickly not to make time for that every once in a while!  I hope you are inspired when you see your dress to put on those dancing shoes!  


Oh, and send us some pictures if you like...we would all love to see how beautiful you look in it!  I will send your info along to Shabby Apple if you let me know the best way to do so in a comment below. Congratulations, xo! 

I read each of your comments and I so wish that you all could get your dream dress for your dream dates....sometimes it is fun to dream though, isn't it?  I hope that most of you took advantage of the coupon that Shabby Apple offered and bought yourself something adorable....they have so many cute things!

Stop Back!
I have another awesome GBP Cookbook Giveaway that I'm trying to get posted.  Hopefully it will be up in the next day or two, so be sure to check back!  Thanks for stopping on by, I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Take Good Care!
Dee

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope you are showered with LOVE today and every day!

It's a romantic dinner for 5 here in my household, lol.

I'm off to cook a special dinner for my valentines!

P.S.  I've enjoyed reading all of your comments for the 

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Thank you for taking the time to comment if you've already done so, if not there's still time to do so head here and leave a comment to enter to win the beautiful

Boogie Woogie Dress!

Take Care,

Dee

Vintage Inspired Fashion at The Farmhouse

Yoo-hoo, Calling all ladies...
Farmhouse Country Style has paired up with an adorable clothing boutique,  Shabby Apple, for a GIVEAWAY!

This dress is called the Boogie Woogie....

Ummm, so how cute is that?

A classic little black dress that would be so pretty for a special 

Valentine's Day Dinner...

(hint, hint, hubby) or any special occasion really.  
You could win this Amazing Dress for yourself!






How stinkin' sweet is this polka dot dress from their 1965 Collection? 

Shabby Apple carries Women's Dresses in  
classic and vintage inspired styles that you can't find in the average department store.  They also have style tools on their website, one which determines the best styles for your body type.


One more super impressive thing about this company..
Shabby Apple donates 5% of it's net dress sales to help women worldwide.
(They have a blog too).

Their adorable little Girls dresses and the aprons are too sweet and any 
homemaker that I know would love to doll themselves up in one of these.

How to qualify for this giveaway you ask?

In order to qualify first you must be a Farmhouse Country Style Follower

To enter the Giveaway to win 
The Boogie Woogie Dress:

1. Please leave a comment below about your Dream Valentine Date and which Shabby Apple outfit you would like to wear! 
Lets have fun with this!

2. If you are on Facebook, visit the Shabby Apple Page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/shabby-apple/56291792791

and LIKE them for another entry  
 (just let me know you have did so in an separate comment below for another entry).

And, while you're at it...Stop on over to the Farmhouse Country Style Facebook page too, lol.

3. To earn yet another entry, post a link to this Giveaway on your Blog, then come back and leave one more comment below (with a link) for yet another entry.

NOTE
***Giveaway is for the above Boogie Woogie dress only*** 
Okay, so you can enter up to three times if you meet the above requirements and comment for each entry.  You have until midnight on February 26th to enter.  
Winner will be chosen by random number generator.


***LASTLY***

Here is a Bonus something extra for FHCS followers..... 
I'm so excited to share this with you all....

In addition to the Giveaway,
Shabby Apple is graciously extending a 
10% off coupon to Farmhouse Country Style Followers
use coupon code Farmhousecountrystyle10off
Offer Expires on February 27th, 2012


 Oh, and don't forget to check out their new Mad Hatter Collection too...
okay I'm finished now, lol.

   

I can't wait to read your comments!  Thank you for all of your comments in the last post...I haven't given up hope on the holiday photos yet...I'm still trying to find out if I can retrieve them, so thanks for the encouragement!  
Thanks for stopping by!

Take care,
Dee

Until next year...and a GBP Cookbook Winner!

Hello there Ladies!

Happy Belated New Year (wow-that has a weird ring to it)!   
I hope you all had a Wonderful CHRISTmas!  We had such a nice Christmas Day, spent with family, I just wish it all didn't fly by so quickly!


I know this post has taken way to long to get up but if you could see my one handed typing right now you may understand why, lol.   Long story short...New camera for Dee....and no pictures to show for it!

I am now in the process of reading the manual for new (long awaited) camera Santa brought me After shooting 1,235 pictures on Christmas and accidentally deleting them.....mmmmhmmmm.  Hence the lack of pictures for this post.....:(


Yes,
I received a lovely (and high tech) camera this year.  I have ooohhed and ahhhhed over this camera for a VERY long time...and sure did a LOT of saving for said camera...for a long time....just to explain what a treat it was to receive it.  So funny, I don't think a diamond ring would have gotten the same reaction that this camera received....but then again, I'm not a a Fancy Schmancy jewelry person anyway.

I was definitely moving up in the world of photography....sheer excitement...oh the possibilities!  Then poof...all gone....just like that.

I was snapping Christmas pictures up left and right...no one could move without me chasing them with the new camera. 

See the tree?....SNAP!   Opening gifts?.....SNAP!  Playing with new toys?.....SNAP!    Oh, Christmas Ham done?....SNAP?  Eating?.....SNAP!       Sneezing?.....SNAP!    OOOOH, WHAT DOES THIS BUTTON DO?  wait...one more picture pleease!

Oh, wait, Eating again?.....SNAP!    
Blowing your nose?......SNAP!   Napping?......SNAP!
SNAP, SNAP, SNAP, SNAP, SNAP, SNAP!!!

 Hehe.....

Oh, Whats that?  You're trying to eat?  

Okay, great honey, now can you retake that bite so I can capture that picture would ya?...SNAP!!!

They were good sports for a while but I SNAPPED until they almost SNAPPED, lol......

then I got a hold of myself.

I now know that what I should have been doing instead of chasing family members for photos was taking the time to read the owners manual....BECAUSE.....

If I had.......
I would have known that the top button deleted ALL of the pictures not just the one bad one....
Oh, boy!

I would still have all of those awesome pictures to show all of you

LOL,

sniffle, sniffle.....

So if your still following me here you now know that all of my photos are gone....

poof.....

that's right, all gone! 

My baby opening his gifts...gone.

The look of surprise on their faces.....gone.

The excitement that was captured...now gone. 

It's so sad it's almost funny ...almost.

So my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 are:

PATIENCE........
Taking it slower...not rushing into everything just to get it done.
Enjoying the process more.
Even if it means waiting and reading the manual.

Also to start taking time for myself to do more of what I would like.
Is it terrible to tell you that I would like to say No more in 2012?
 

Saying No more and Yes only to the things with the greatest payoff?Things that will really matter to others, and things that are truly important to me or my family.
That should help with Patience right?
It won't be easy...I used to say YES a lot!

I also want to make the time to

learn a few new things too, like how to really use this camera and all of the functions.

So, what are your 2012 Resolutions?

Have you been able to keep them up thus far?

Now onto better things.....

The GBP Rush Hour Recipes Cookbook Giveaway!

I have to say that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed each and every Christmas memory shared.....THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THAT it truly was a treat!

So many memories you all have with your families, matching homemade flannel night gowns, holiday candy making, families decorating trees and baking cookies....many spent with loving Grandparents, cousins, and other special people in your lives, many of you who now hold their precious memory in your hearts.

Favorite childhood gifts...(I too LOVED my Easybake oven and baked many cakes for my daddy that Christmas).  Daughters coming home unexpectedly (that must have been the best Christmas gift, Joni).  Hiking in the snow, homemade gifts and cookies.  Patty Hart what a neat tradition...the Surprise you must have had when finally seeing that tree!  Stringing popcorn on your family tree...so precious!

Thank you for sharing your stories...it was such a gift for me to read all of them!  I couldn't choose any one story that was better than the others, in my opinion each and everyone of your stories was very special and so I let my daughter choose a number from the hat, foolproof and fair.   

Here is our winner.....Judy, please contact me with a comment, as to the best way to get your shipping information and congratulations on your win, you will really like this cookbook, I'm sure! 

Judy@cutest-little-things.blogspot.com              Dec 29, 2011 09:54 AM

There are so many special Christmas memories to choose from since many of my family are no longer here, but the most magical was the Christmas that I became pregnant with my now 5-yr. old son. Oh it wasn't official - I hadn't taken a test...but I'll never forget Christmas Eve church services, standing before the altar, listening to the heavenly choir and a little feeling...something that just told me to lay a hand on my belly and I knew!!! Just a week later I took a test that confirmed the good news! I'll never forget that moment of feeling a magical secret within - and feeling more connected than ever to the Christmas story of Jesus' birth :)

If you haven't had the chance yet, try to read through the giveaway comments...they are all so heart warming!  I'll be back soon....Stay warm and Take care!

~Dee~

Christmas Past

Reflecting on Christmas Past.

While I bustle around with last minute preparations for the holiday today I am remembering Christmas Past.

I am so thankful, for all of the beautiful Christmas memories I have in my heart.

From the wonder filled white Christmas mornings from my own Childhood to watching my children's twinkling eyes as the big day approaches.

First Christmases spent in new homes....

My husband and I closed on our first home 2 days before Christmas 18 years ago.  We actually moved in before we closed but I wouldn't unpack a single box until it was officially ours.  So I ran around that last day putting what I could out to make it our Christmas home.  

Because we had just committed to a new home our budget was very tight that year, and I made dried orange and apple slices to hang from our freshly cut tree hung with raffia.  Our house smelled so nice that Christmas, it's funny how even smells can be remembered!

Each of our babies First Christmases, 

so grateful for the new addition to our family.

Now I put out

nativities and ornaments handed down from loved ones no longer with us.  Items that bring my heart closer to the fond memories of Christmases spent with them. 

and

Through all of the Christmases...

we may 

add new loved ones to our family, remember those no longer with us, we can also,change our holiday decor, try new recipes, and search for the perfect gifts...

all a part of celebrating.

But, one thing remains constant with each passing year....

Our holiday has always been filled with....

love

hope

joy

peace

enjoying the company of family

making memories with loved ones

Excitement in the preparations

At peace with our continuous blessings one Christmas to the next...

Of all the Christmas gifts I have received over the years,

There is no gift that I treasure more than the memories that I have been blessed with...

I sure hope you don't mind taking a walk down our 

Christmas memory lane 

with us for a little while.... 

A Baby's First Christmas...

Visits with Santa

Decorating the tree....... 

(Years with braces on....braces off.  New glasses....contacts)

and crafting presents and decorations....

Chubby baby fingers swiping Santa's cookies, 

Babies more excited with the wrapping paper and packaging than the gift itself.

Posing for Christmas Card Pictures.....

Making a mess in the kitchen with my boy baking up some Christmas Cookies... 

The joy on Christmas Morning!

After Church, Quietly reading  

The Night Before Christmas....

Waiting Patiently on Christmas eve...

 Those are some of my favorite Christmas memories....

Well, I still have a lot of wrapping to do......
I'm off for now, hopefully I can share Christmas Present with you tomorrow.  I wonder if that is why we call it  
"Christmas Present".  Is it because we spend so much time wrapping it up...Ba-dum-dump...(Oh boy!).....lol.  

Thanks for stopping on by if you haven't signed up for the GBP cookbook giveaway there's still time.....head over to the last post to sign up!  If you have already signed up, I am truly enjoying your Christmas stories....thank you!

Take good care of yourself!

Dee

Compliments of the Season.......A GBP Giveaway!

Hello gals!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have moved happily into the Christmas Season. We have had a hectic couple of weeks here (always hectic!) but Christmas is in full-swing now here at the Farmhouse and we are still preparing for the big day!

I been able to gather a few posts from now until Christmas so I hope you have a minute to stop back and visit amidst the Holiday Bustle and Cheer! 

For the past several weeks, I have been doing the usual decorating, shopping, wrapping and baking as many of you have. 

This time of the year I love to pull out my Holiday Cookbooks and see what I can add to our traditional holiday menu.  You may already know that I love my Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks!  I have alot of them and have been collecting them over a long period of time, they sure do accumulate!  Now that I review their  cookbooks, my collection has grown even larger, so thank you GBP!


Here are some of my Christmas Favorites, they make wonderful gifts, wrapped in an apron or festive holiday dishtowel with a wooden spoon tucked inside.   If you have finished your shopping and happen to receive gift cards this Christmas then treat yourself to a new one!  I actually drag mine out sporadically throughout the year to poke around for ideas.

Purchase Here


Maybe you like E-Books instead?

 
Buy Here
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shop Here

for 10th Anniversary Christmas

Those are just a few of My Favorites...I could certainly go on and on....but I want to tell you about a small little holiday Surprise.....

GBP Rush Hour Recipes ..arrived on my porch for a review and it couldn't have come at a better time!  Do you rush around any more throughout the year than during the Holidays?  It is a hectic time of the year on top of our daily responsibilities and making delicious meals can be hard with so little time! 

There are some wonderful recipes in here....easy, quick, and delicious!  As usual! 

With chapters like 5 Indgredient Favorites, One-Dish Dinners, Slow Cookers to the Rescue, Soup's on, Make-A-Meal Sides and Speedy Potluck & Party Foods, you will find great recipes in each section. 

Check it out here....available for purchase soon!

I have to rave about the Golden Parmesan Potato Recipe...

(At risk of sounding like an infomercial, but seriously)

So Easy, So Quick, So Good!

With only 5 Ingredients!

In fact they were so good, I didn't even get a photo

they were gone so fast!

2- 15 oz. cans of whole white potatoes, drained

1/4c. butter, melted

3T. grated Parmesan Cheese

1 T. Fresh parsley, minced

1/2 t. seasoned salt

Place potatoes in an ungreased 8x8" baking pan, drizzle butter over top, sprinkle remaining ingredients over and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until golden. 

Makes 4 servings

(I had everything on hand except fresh parsley..so I used dried and I had to double the recipe...wish I quadrupled it thought!)

They were company worthy too!

And...

Here's another one you can add to your Holiday Baking list now...

These were gone in a Flash!

These were so good, buttery and sweet. 

The perfect accompaniment to a warm cup of tea!

This is a great Cookbook for the whole year through...easy recipes, with few ingredients most of which you probably already have on hand..it will not disappoint.

And Here's The Good News...

Farmhouse Country Style is hosting a Giveaway for

GBP Rush Hour Recipes!

Would you like to own your own copy

before it is available for sale?

Aside from being a follower of FHCS, all have to do is leave a comment about your most

Favorite Christmas Memory!

Who wants to reminisce with me?

Of course if you would like to post about it on your blog and LINK up to the giveaway, you may get an honorable mention during one of my January Posts, just let me know so I can stop by!

This Giveaway closes on December 29th, midnight EST

Winners will be narrowed down by their Stories of Christmas Memories, printed out and then chosen randomly from a drawing.

Winner will be announce on New Years Day and the book will ship out by January 6th.

Wait....More good news:

GBP is offering one of their Christmas E-Cookbooks,

Christmas With Family and Friends E-Book

FREE for a limited time...the WHOLE book!

so head on over there and get it!

Sorry gals.....as of December 20th, 2011 it is no longer available for free download.  But be sure to head on over to GBP's website through the above link to see what else they are offering.  They are so generous and love to share their products with their customers, you may find a new special treat.

I'll be back in a day or two with a new Christmas Post....

I hope you can stop on by!

Take care,

Dee