Irish Coffee Recipe By Susan Branch

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I found a Susan Branch recipe for Irish Coffee which looks delicious my dears.

I might have to stay indoors all day as I have nothing green to wear. Not sure if I'd stand out like a sore thumb in my pink or blue sweaters.

In other news did you hear...that Savannah Guthrie got married this weekend and announced she was having her first baby?
 

 

I'm so happy for her. At forty-two that she finally get's to start her own little family.

Take A Tour Of The Billy Graham Library

On Friday we went to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. Admission is free, however they have an envelope that comes with your parking pass if you choose to make a donation.

 

Billy's family moved into this home when he was nine. It has been moved several times, although it was originally built on a 300 acre dairy farm. Billy lived in this home until he left for college.

Billy's precious mother was the bookkeeper for their dairy farm and she lived in this home until her passing in 1981. This is a photo I took of her on the entrance table into the home.

The décor is so subtle, family friendly-yet traditional. Billy's father built this home and family photos and memorabilia are lovingly placed on all the walls.

 

My favorite room in the home is the kitchen, which has an old-fashioned ice box, built in ironing board and a range. The windows are original and have ripples which is hard to see on this photo.

 

Afterwards we walked over to the library, which has an interactive tour through many rooms with the story of Billy Graham, a touching tribute to his wife and the message he evangelized worldwide. It takes over an hour and afterwards there's a library, a prayer room and a dairy bar dining area to peruse.

 

 

As we left the sun started going down and we meandered down the walkway to the memorial prayer garden where Billy's longtime wife Ruth is buried. Here's a picture of them on their wedding day, isn't it precious.

 

You can take a tour, or see more on their website.

Linked up to:
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson SYC #94
Between Naps On The Porch #268
Coastal Charm #204
Imparting Grace #98
 

Some Of My Favorite Books

Some of my favorite books are about homes, families, memories and get-togethers. The author I most admire, that makes everyone want to be a homemaker and spend all day in the kitchen baking dainty cakes is the darling Susan Branch. I have several of her books, and have just finished her latest called A Fine Romance, Falling In Love With The English Countryside.

 

Maybe it just reminds me of my idyllic childhood growing up in the heart of England, in a charming village. Susan also has a blog which I really enjoy reading with a nice cup of tea. Handwritten books, like Susan's are a rare find. They make you feel like your reading a letter, and they feel more personal.

 

The most treasured books I have are lot of old family journals, with recipe clippings, and pictures of family get-togethers that were done by my late grandparents. Once you loose a lot of relatives like me, you learn how important keeping memories is. How To Keep Family Keepsakes is a wonderful book. After we pass away it's what keeps the stories and the memories of us passing along.

 



 

My husband and I also enjoy reading genealogy and history books together. We're reading about the beginning of time, The Story Of Christianity, How We Got The Bible and The Story of The Bible.

Our cover is a different version.

 

The reason being when we traced back my moms paternal grandfather's direct ancestors, we found that they lived in the town of Thorley, England and genealogy records show that their preacher was Francis Burley. For those who may not have heard of him, we discovered that he was one of the translators of the King James Bible.

For lighter reading, I also enjoy a good recipe book. My favorites are by Ina Garten, I could just move into her guest house, and be a taste tester. Her last book Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust is a good keepsake. I also DVR her TV show on the Food Network every day.

Some of my favorites of all-time:

The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin

 

American Farmhouses, Country Style and Design by Leah Rosch

 

Discovering Home with Laurie Smith, Find your personal style

 

Extraordinary Touches for an Ordinary Day, by Jo Packham

 

Not Without My Daughter, by Betty Mahmoody

 

The Business of Bliss, How to profit from doing what you love, by Victoria Magazine

 

The Pleasure of your Company, Entertaining in High Style, by Kimberly Schlegel

 

The Stress-Free Home, Beautiful Interiors for serenity and harmonius living, by Jackie Craven

 

The Sweet Life, 101 Great ideas for living a happier, more balanced life by William Sinunu

 

A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with The English Countryside by Susan Branch

 

 

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner.

If you have suggestions you think I might like be sure to let me know.

Family History Research On The Heier Family

I've been doing family history research on my fathers side of the family. His fathers side the family name ? (Paternal) and ? (Maternal) and his mother's side had the family name Heier (Paternal) Otto (Maternal).

My dad was born in Germany, and it is a lot harder to find records on family trees that date back several generations. If you have any advice that would be tremendous.

I researched some background to the family name:

 

The family name Heier is South German: generally a variant of Hauer, but in some cases an occupational name from Middle High German heie ‘ranger’, ‘guard’.

 

My grandmother was born in Kudowa-Zdroj on December 27th, 1938 and at a young age, just before the second World War her family home was invaded by Russians. Her mother and brothers were sent on a cattle train to West Germany. Her father was taken to Russia and killed in a line up. My grandmothers mother (Oma) found out about his passing decades later by postal letter.

Oma is the lady pictures with the purse on her lap in the middle of this picture.

One of four children, my grandmother and all her siblings were born on the same day on different years. The youngest, was killed in a drowning accident as a child. The second eldest, was killed in an automobile accident in the early 1960's and her eldest brother owned and operated a grocery store in Lippstadt, Germany.

 

My dad and his uncle who was killed.

My grandmother was only nineteen, when she had my father. She was unmarried, and later married my grandpa who was in the British Army.

Here are some pictures of Kudowa: