Hope Toler Dougherty's Blog, page 8

How to Show Love to Children? Show Up!

One comment we heard a lot when our children were growing up was “your family sure does support each other.” Our family always showed up at events together whether at school or church or the community.  Yes, it takes work and juggling schedules, but it’s infinitely worth the effort.

Show up together!

Experience games, concerts, recitals, plays, and volunteer opportunities as a family. Attending these events together strengthens bonds that last for a lifetime. When you and your spouse and all the...

How’s June Treating You!

What’s been happening in June at your house?

We’ve traveled a bit, enjoying our annual trip to Deer Valley YMCA camp in central Pennsylvania, modified but still loads of fun. It’s one of my favorite places and so beautiful. Go here to see the post I wrote a few years ago and more pictures, too!

Lane made Deer Valley even better this year showing up to surprise me on Sunday morning!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember I mentioned the modifications? Masks were mandatory until the sailboats glided away from ...

Are You Interested in Beekeeping?

I thought I was talking a picture of the bees, not me!

Beekeeping is the newest cool hobby, and Kevin and I are joining in! Daddy kept bees as did his father before him, so I’m carrying on the tradition, using his tools and bee paraphernalia.

Bees are fascinating creatures and really intelligent, not to mention hard working. Remember the old saying, busy as a bee? It’s true! The bee hive is always humming with much activity. Startup costs for this hobby can be expensive, but we’ve inherited Dadd...

Making Goat Cheese

Do you like goat cheese? I used to think it tasted like Daddy’s goat pen smelled, but over the years, I’ve come to enjoy it.

An Easy Process

Last week, I traded a sour dough loaf for some goat’s milk from a writing friend. The process is really easy. Just bring a quart of milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Then stir in lemon juice and vinegar. After about an hour, pour the cheese into a colander over a bowl to catch the whey. I worked one quart at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

This picture shows the cheese af...

Who Has Advice for Your High School Self?

My Bible Study Fellowship teaching leader asked us to share pictures of our seventeen-year-old self to go along with our study of Genesis 42. Joseph recognizes his brothers in this chapter, but they don’t know him. since they sold him into slavery about twenty years prior, they don’t expect him to be the second highest ruler in Egypt.

Here’s my senior picture from high school. The pictures were taken in the Mrs. Langston’s beautiful garden, the grandmother of one of my best friends. I thought my...

Easing Back to Easter?

Eater 2021 looked a lot different than Easter 2020. Instead of a quiet lunch for six people, we hosted 46 people for lunch and then 6 more came for the egg hunt in the afternoon. The weather was beautiful, so we were able to spread out on the front and back porches, keeping will within the new guidelines of up to 50 people in inside gatherings.

But guess what?

No matter the number at our table, the tomb is still empty!

Praise God!

Hallelujah!

Another Easter way back in the day!

I had a couple mo...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I wish I could share a piece of this yummy soda bread with you!

 

Don’t like raisins? Here’s a loaf of brown bread. It will be yummy in our asparagus soup for supper!

 

I had fun today wearing this super cool leggings!

 

 

How about my St. Patrick’s Day Cactus!

 

 

 

 

Our shamrock plant is awake for the festivites now, but it’ll go to sleep around dinner time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, this one’s just for fun!

 

 

 

I hope your day is filled with four leaf clovers all day long!

 

The post Happy S...

Happy Valentine’s Day Late!

I have some pretty cool sons. For several years now, together they’ve sent a dozen roses to their single sisters on Valentine’s Day and on their birthdays. How much do I love this? So much so that it doesn’t bother me that they don’t send me anything. Ha ha. My husband buys flowers for me, so I’m good.

Roses from my own garden!

Anyway, I had written the scene in Forever Music  when Josie receives flowers from her brothers way before Lane and Quinn worked their good deed. So what I’m saying is, t...

Joy in the Middle of Sadness

Proud parents!

Daddy started failing the week before he died. Walking became a struggle, so I borrowed a wheelchair from church. When the hospice nurses assessed him on the Monday before he died, they told us we were looking at a few weeks.

My first thoughts were “No. No. No, we cannot have a Christmas funeral. No Christmas funeral.”

Then he stopped swallowing except for applesauce. Then his breathing began to be labored.

On Wednesday morning, I thought, “Hope, you’re being selfish. Wouldn’t it ...

Celebrating 65 Years!

A young Mr. & Mrs. Toler.

February 3 would have been my parents 65th anniversary. They were high school sweethearts, so their love story endured for longer than their marriage. They missed the big milestone by 49 days, but we celebrated their life together all day long with treats and meals and gifts and calls and visits.

I love this old picture from their early days together. Daddy is so handsome, and Momma is beautiful, too. Does anyone else think he’s got a little Elvis Presley going on?

Thei...