An Amish Chocolate Treat

Dear readers here is the much asked for recipe for the cookies I baked on Saturday & posted on Instagram.

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Amish Chocolate Chip Cookies

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2 cups of brown sugar

2 cups of white sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

2 cups of half margarine & shortening ( I use Trex for my English readers)

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

4 teaspoons of baking soda

6 eggs

4 teaspoons of cream of tartar

7 cups of flour (plain)

2 to 3 packets of chocolate chips ( I used dark chocolate chips & also chopped up a bar of dark chocolate)

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Mix together in order given & drop by a large teaspoon full onto a greased sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 375o

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I put one third into a cake tin & the other two thirds I froze ready for picnics.

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Enjoy

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Fondly Michelle

Springtime In England

Hello Dear Readers

I thought you all might like to see a little update of what has been happening here in the English Countryside.

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In February we spent a truly beautiful break away visiting our friends in Somerset.

We stayed in their beautiful old English thatched cottage & spent each day with them, it will be a little holiday that will always hold a special place in

my heart.

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Our first view of Lilac Cottage when walking in, it is such a pretty & restful place.

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The twins bedroom at Lilac Cottage, Hinton Saint George, Somerset.

We have never been to such a beautiful holiday cottage.

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We missed George so much but there was still a cat at Lilac Cottage.

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Last month the twins turned 9, time is flying by far to fast.

They decided they would like a homemade Afternoon Tea to celebrate.

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Kitty deciding what she fancies.

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They choose a sponge cake for their Birthday Cake with strawberries & cream.

Daisy made these beautiful tea bag biscuits & other treats.

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The birthday girls.

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Still little girls at heart.

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Our Easter Table.

All of our children came for Easter Sunday & our two little Granddaughters.

It was a very special day with all the family together.

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A family photo taken on a day out at Stratford Upon Avon a couple of weeks ago.

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I am sorry it has taken me so long to do this small update but due to homeschooling, health issues & trying to live a more simpler life it just hasn't been possible.

Wishing all my dear readers a very happy Springtime.

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Fondly Michelle

Autumn & Winter Memories

Dear readers,

This year has flown by & since taking on the twins schooling I am struggling to find time for writing the blog. I plan to write again in the New Year but in the meantime I have just done a post of all the memories we made as a family since late last Summer. We spent many days in the North of Yorkshire & also some wonderful short breaks to Stratford Upon Avon & Birmingham.

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In August once again we went to Woodhall Spa 1940's weekend with our 1939 Wolseley Ten.

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Kitty enjoying the little carousel.

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Mary winning Best Dressed 1940's Child.

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They were so pleased we were able to fit one of their vintage prams in the car.

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A jumper for Kitty made following a 1940's pattern.

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Visiting Askrigg in The Yorkshire Dales.

Askrigg is where All Creatures Great & Small was filmed, here we are standing outside Skeldale House home to James Herriot, Siegfried Farnham & Tristan Farnham.

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The beautiful Aysgarth Falls in the Yorkshire Dales.

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Sewing some dresses for the twins.

I love how they choose their own fabrics & ribbons now.

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A day out & picnic at Clumber Park with family.

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Sweet Charlotte at Clumber Park play area.

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The weather was beautiful.

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Stratford Upon Avon

Anne Hathaways Cottage

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Mary discovered a love of Shakespeare

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We travelled to Pickering in North Yorkshire for a day out in September.

Pickering is a lovely market town with a beautifully preserved steam railway.

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The twins in their handmade dresses.

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In October it was Pickering Wartime Weekend, it was lovely to revisit this beautiful town & to meet up with some friends we met online.

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Here I am wearing original clothes from the 1940's.

The coat is dated to the end of the war.

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There were so many wonderful people dressed in 1940's clothes for the weekend.

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Meeting new friends.

We finally got to met up with Helen & Andy from @henhousehomemade.blogspot.com 

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Here we all are at the end of the wartime weekend.

We will remember 2017 for making such wonderful new friends.

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A weekend away in North Yorkshire.

We visited the Treasurer's House in York for the first time.

This is a National Trust house with a beautiful city garden near York Minister.

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A beautiful cupboard in the kitchen of the Treasurer's House.

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In the garden of the house in York.

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Visiting York National Railway Museum.

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& then a day in Beamish to round off our weekend away meeting another wonderful friend for the first time. So many happy memories to remember 2017.

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Little Charlotte, she is growing up into to the sweetest little girl. We are overjoyed as Amy & Dan are expecting another child next year, our third grandchild.

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Autumn nature walks around our village.

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In late November we met up with our friends we first met in Pickering for a weekend away.

We visited The Black Country Living Museum on the Saturday & then the Birmingham Back to Back Houses on the Sunday, we also managed to fit in some crafting lessons from Helen at the hotel.

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The twins at the 1940's house at The Black Country Living Museum.

This was the first week of the museum being decorated for Christmas.

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Kitty in one of the Victorian cottages with a handmade Christmas tree.

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1930's Christmas Tree at the musuem.

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They have a small town in this museum & each shop is stocked with beautiful vintage & antique items.

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The two Andy's enjoying a Mince Pie.

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Here we all are at The Back to Back Houses with our wonderful tour guide.

These houses are wonderful & are set in different era's.

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It was a hands on museum so the twins could play away until their hearts were content.

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In December we went to Gunby Hall in Lincolnshire, the hall was all decorated for Christmas.

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This years theme was a White Christmas.

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These dresses were simply stunning, they were all made out of paper.

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Such a magical dining room at Gunby Hall.

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There were so many handmade items made by the staff at Gunby Hall.

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Playing with the snow machine.

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                                            A day out for Christmas shopping & afternoon                                                                                                          tea  at Betty's Tearoom.
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Our first time at betty's.

It was such a special day out, Daisy was with us too & we all felt very festive.

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Betty's Christmas window.

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I started a Sourdough adventure this October thanks to the support of a friend.

We very much love Sourdough & I can't wait to try all different types of Sourdough bread.

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Christmas is starting to creep into our cottage.

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A sunday teatime, our first with the Christmas Tree up.

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The twins are studying the Second World War so they made a wartime recipe for a Christmas Cake last week. It was made with stewed apples rather than eggs.

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My mother turned 80 this December so she had a family party.

Here is Andy with our cute & cuddly Tilly our second Grandchild.

It is not often that all of our eight children are together so we made sure we took lots of photographs. ~

Our four wonderful boys.

Everyone is growing up so fast.

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& our four beautiful girls with me & my mother & sweet Charlotte.

How truly blessed we are to have our wonderful family who we love so much & are so proud of.

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Everyone all together apart from little Tilly who was sleeping.

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We have been married 27 years this year & we have filled those years with so much love & of course our children who we love dearly. Our family keeps on growing which brings us the greatest joy & love, we are so proud of all our children & their beautiful families.

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Myself & Tilly.

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The Christmas Cake is all iced & ready for Christmas Day.

I love using these vintage cake decorations that we have had many years.

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The dining room all decorated for Christmas.

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The heart of the home, it will be a busy heart over the Christmas period.

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Vintage Christmas decorations.

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We have just made up some of this Butter Biscuit dough for the children to make Christmas Biscuits.

This makes a lovely buttery biscuit.

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9 oz softened butter

5 oz icing sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 egg yolk

13 ozs of plain flour

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Beat the butter & sugar together until it becomes pale & fluffy.

Add vanilla & the egg yolk next, then stir in the flour.

Chill the dough or you can freeze it.

Roll out until it is 1/8 inchs thick, then cut with Christmas shapes.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 190 oc, 375 of, gas mark 5.

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Enjoy.

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Homemade Christmas Crackers forties style.

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Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all my dear readers & their families.

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Fondly Michelle