Recipe: Yummy Cocoa Bars

Mix together:  1/4 C softened butter, 1C sugar, 1 teas vanilla,2 eggs and 1/4 C milk.  Mix well.  Add 1 C flour, 2 teas cocoa, 1/4 teas salt and 1/2 C of chopped walnuts (opt).  Place in 9x9x2 inch pan and bake for 20 minutes at 375.

Top with this frosting while hot:  1-1/2 T of cocoa, 1 T milk, 1/4 teas vanilla, 1-1/2 teas soft butter and 2/3 C powdered sugar, mixed together till smooth.  Let bars cool and cut into desired sizes.  You will probably feel like eating half the pan, but pace yourself!  These are good with ice cream or with just a glass of cold milk or hot coffee.  Hope you enjoy!  BN

ABOUT MY BLOG NAME

I know I don't HAVE to explain the title of my blog but it is one of the "good memories" that I'd like to share.  I wanted to give my blog a name that would remind me of a pleasant time in my childhood.  The first thing that came to mind was gathering violets around my farm house in Wilmore, Pennsylvania.  One of my fondest memories is going into the woods with my 5 brothers for our first adventure in the spring.  We played in the woods often.  I can still hear the crush of the "woodsy" floor under our feet as we ran through the trees.  They were looking for the perfect tree to climb or small creatures that were running through the leaves.  I, on the other hand, was looking for the first "circle of violets" that I always seemed to find somewhere in the woods.  Hundreds of violets grew in a huge circle and I was anxious to pick as many as my hands could hold to take back to my mother.  I thought they were beautiful!  I loved the heavenly smell and the beauty of lilacs also, but the violets were so small and purple and the sight of them in the forest will always be a special memory for me.  BN

My Life and Times Lately!

This last month I've had to remind myself that I am retired!!  If life gets anymore busy, I'm leaving!  You know, when you are raising your family or working in your younger years you are constantly busy and wondering what it would be like to have your children grown and out of the nest.  You visualize yourself at the beach sipping something refreshing, possibly staying overnight in a comfortable hotel and getting back home whenever.  You can't imagine what you will do with all your EXTRA time!   Then you actually retire and BAM, you find yourself replacing all the busyness of your young years not with leisure time but with necessities!  Now you go to the dentist and the doctor more often.  Now you even see "specialists."  Or your body is obviously wearing out and you must find time to frequent the dreaded "gym."  Also, there are new and different meals to be made which take up more of your time with chopping, slicing and dicing that take seemingly hours to prepare!  But it's for your own good, right?  

Well, I guess I should be thankful that I am able to still get to the doctor and the dentist and that there are specialists to take care of all the "special" illnesses that come up.  And I should be thankful also that I am able to prepare all the new healthier foods that we need to eat to keep us going and that we still have the money to buy them!  Things have to be put into perspective I guess.  I will try to remember that this week when I feel as if I'm just "on the edge!"  Later.  

Better very late than never at all!

Well, I finally made it back!  I was gone so long that, believe it or not, I actually forgot my own password to my own blog!  Well, so goes old age!  Hopefully it won't take me months at a time to get to my blog from now on.

I do want to report on finishing the book I was reading about Caleb.  It turned out to be very interesting and gave me more insight into what was happening at that time and what the people of Israel had to endure on their journey to the Promised Land.  I would recommend these little novellas by Francine Rivers anyone.