Friday Die Day and Day 9

Hello friends

 

This week's Friday Die Day features a new Christmas die -

Naughty or Nice.

A 5 piece sentiment die set and this is how they look cut from red cardstock.

I particularly like 'Be Merry' !

 

I delved down my box for some other die cuts and discovered

Fretwork Accents, Classic Oval, a snowflake from Create A Flake Six

and a mini poinsettia.

I placed a white mat onto a card front.  Added Fretwork Accents,

layered the oval and the sentiment to middle.

 

The finishing touch was the snowflake and mini poinsettia - easy!

 

 

Naughty or Nice is available on the website here.

Fretwork Accents is available here.

Create A Flake Six is available here.

 

There is a Christmas section on the website here,

more items will be added very soon - also did I mention it is FREE postage and packing!

 

 

Day 9

 

I should have mentioned that on one of my shopping trips I took a look

down the pet aisle and could not resist picking up these dog food trays.

The flavours - Porterhouse Steak and Filet Mignon!

My Bella has eaten them but insisted on a topping of ham!

 

On this day Kim and Brian had something very special planned -

a trip to Kalona - Amish land.

I knew very little about the Amish, I looked up some details before I went

but nothing could prepare me for the real experience.

 

Kalona is a beautiful little town, also known for its wonderful quilts.

 

 

First we visited a church where the traditions of the Amish and Mennonites was explained.

In basic terms - the Amish are known for simple living, plain dress and reluctance

to adopt modern conveniences and technology.  The Mennonites came about from

reform movements among North American Amish - some live as simply as

Amish others embrace more of the modern world, it's a varying scale.

 

We then travelled to an Amish community where we visited a Buggy Shop,

these carriages are handmade with metal wheels, the time and expertise is

astounding.  Everything is handwritten and accounted for, hours worked in a tally format -

no computers here!

A finished closed buggy and note the corn stored behind the wood panels.

 



 

Following the buggy shop we visited a dairy and store but the highlight

was dinner at a Mennonite home.  The hostess was an elderly lady who has

been cooking for visitors for many years, she has embraced some of the modern

world and catering for this amount of people I truly do not blame her!

 

We are eating dessert here - delicious apple pie.

In all honesty I do not know how I made room for it because there

were many previous courses. 

To start it was bread with peanut butter and/or apple butter.

Then salad served with fruit flavoured tapioca, yes cold tapioca flavoured with fruit!

I actually found something I did not like.

Main course - beef, chicken, potato and green beans.

Then the courses came around again!

Except apple pie - that was just the one course :)

 

It was another amazing day in Iowa where I learned so much.

And here I documented my trip in keepsake book.

 

Thank you for following my holiday journey.

I'm back tomorrow with more.

 

Take care friends - have a lovely weekend.