a great day to make a memory

There's A Motion on The Floor

2012-01-09T11:45:00.001-05:00

Over this past weekend, I caught my son reading...
THIS BLOG.

All of the past posts. Chuckling, reminiscing... asking me for more details about certain things I blogged. And then he started sending comments on a few. The last one got me:

turnerkid said...

hey mommy when r u gonna start the blog again
i really enjoy seeing myself in the past and i wanna see myself in newer pics

Weelll... I had stopped blogging because I have been feeling the need to be more private. Maybe it's because I was getting tired of how public so many people are with all of the info they share about themselves online. Of getting the feeling that some people saw themselves as celebraties because of the number of people who read their blogs or friended them on facebook. How self-important some people were sounding and acting on facebook and other social media outlets, and it gave me pause. Did having this blog make me any different? How do I sound to other people here?

But I started it as a journal for my family. As a way to share our life with a far away friend in Switzerland. As a way to update my snowbird parents on their grandkids. And I never realized how much it meant to my kids.

So, I will continue my journal here. For turnerkid. I second the motion. All those in favor?

An Addition

2011-05-02T12:01:00.000-04:00

Easter weekend brought with it a special surprise for Noah and Emily. Aunt Annie brought them a special basket filled with eggs.

Within those eggs they found candy and letters that they had to unscramble to reveal a special surprise....

ehem....

I wish I could tell you that they didn't need any hints at this point.....

But they FINALLY figured it out... sort of....

Noah and Emily will have a baby cousin - or as we must now lovingly refer to him or her - Baby Cushion - come October! We can't wait!

Without Words

2011-05-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

too introspective for blog-speak of late

but here is where we've been and what we've been up to...

parties

and playing

and Phillies in Florida

with a short visit to Disney

Arrows of Light

where a Cub Scout

becomes

a Boy Scout

Peeking Into The Past

and In Awe of the Lady

Dying eggs in remembrance of the One Who Died

And celebrating the way we always do - with food....

Unchanged in a Changing World

2011-05-02T11:48:00.000-04:00

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,

Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.”

~ Psalm 46:1-3

Last week my family returned from a warm, sunny vacation down in Florida, spent with my parents, the Phillies and Mickey Mouse - not necessarily all at the same time. And I praised God for the sun and His goodness, His blessings and His Grace.

We returned home to cold, damp, grey weather and I whined and complained and got a cold and complained some more. And I neglected to thank God although there was so much to be thankful for. And though my circumstances changed, it didn't change Who He Is.

And then the earth shook. And millions of people on the other side of the world are suffering. And I've prayed and cried for the people there and have thanked God for reminding me to keep my day to day life in perspective. And I've searched for the evidence of His Goodness as I watch the evening news, as I scroll through the pictures of devastation on the internet. Because I know deep down that HE HASN'T CHANGED. Faithful always. Good. Loving. Full of Mercy. In Control. Through the sunniest days and darkest hours. And the evidence is all around us. I am convicted in my heart to more earnestly seek it out during those sunny days, but even more so , REMEMBER it when it turns dark.

Praying that the people of Japan turn to Him as their refuge and strength in this dark time. And praying that they experience miracles in abundance.

It's Another Love Story

2011-02-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

Back in the fall I read the book Where Hearts Are Free, by Golden Keyes Parsons, a historical romance, but not of the harlequin type as the cover unfortunately suggests...

But being a hopeless romantic, and because I agreed to do a book review for Thomas Nelson Publishing, I cracked the pages. This novel swept me off to the 1600's into the life of a wealthy girl named Bridget, who finds herself in love with Phillippe, the boy she has grown up with, but who also happens to be an indentured servant to her family. A dark secret she shares with him as a youth, comes crashing back years later and Bridget is in danger, and engaged to a man she does not love. Phillippe is torn between perceived loyalties to his family and their faith, and his love for Bridget. Both of them struggle with their devotion to their families and faith and how their actions will impact that. In the end, they both trust in God and His plan and everything else then falls into place.

I do love a good romance, and when it is set in historical times, it just seems all the more sweeter, more innocent. When I finished this book, I had a great desire to visit with Jane Austin and the Bronte' sisters and devour their books again. And since reading this book, I have. If you enjoy historical fiction, love stories, and books with an element of faith woven through, I think you will enjoy this book. And, I recently learned that When Hearts Are Free was actually the 3rd book in a series! Obviously, it wasn't necessary to read the first two books beforehand, as I didn't feel I missed anything while reading, but I think I'll go back now and read the other two!

Have you read any good historical fiction books lately?

Get Real

2011-02-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's World Nutella Day!

2011-02-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, Sara Rossi, of Ms. Adventures in Italy baked up the idea of World Nutella Day and since then countless recipes have been shared for using Nutella in recipes. I absolutely loved the idea of celebrating this day with fellow Nutella addicts the world over and have faithfully celebrated.

For my recipe this year, I wanted to make something that took me back to Gelatoria Mario's in Bologna, a regular stop for my cohort of International "crime", Holly, and I. I'm sure that there were many fabulous things to try at Mario's, but on my first visit there on a warm August day in 1988, I ordered a frappe' of gianduja e coco (chocolate hazelnut and coconut milkshake) and I never ordered anything but that again. I even brought Keith there 6 years later and made him order one, too.

And because I wanted to kick off my day with Nutella, I decided to make these:

Coco Loco Nutella Rolls
1 loaf frozen bread dough - thawed overnight in the frig (or make your own if you ~~have time~~ prefer)
About 1 cup Nutella (or more to your liking)
1/2 cup coconut
2 Tablespoons milk

Roll out the the dough on a well-floured surface into a 12x9 rectangle. Spread with Nutella, but leave about an inch uncovered on one of the long sides.

Sprinkle the coconut on top.

Roll up starting from the long side that has filling spread to the edge. Pinch the dough to seal the seam. Slice into 9 pieces. Arrange on a GREASED baking sheet and cover.

Let rise until almost double in size (about 45 minutes).

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Mine were apparently having a little party in the oven while I was cleaning up...

While they cool, make the icing:
1/3 - 1/2 cup nutella and 2 Tablespoons milk mixed together. Add more milk if needed for drizzling consistency.

Drizzle the rolls with the icing and serve warm.

Buon Appetito!

Want to join in the fun? Check out Ms. Adventures In Italy, Bleeding Expresso, and World Nutella Day!

Celebrations

2011-02-02T12:32:00.001-05:00

Happy February 2nd - No chance of the groundhog coming out of his den around here today... He is snowed in under our shed! And I don't need to be a groundhog to tell ya' - it's gonna be at least another 6 weeks of winter 'round these here parts!

So how about a glimpse of how a typical January looked in my little world:

Around here, January seems to be as full of family fun and calories as November and December were. Any and all weight loss resolutions must be postponed until after the Superbowl for us. We kick off every New Year with a fabulous brunch at my sis-in-law's home,

and karaoke entertainment from my nephew!

Ya never know who is going to show up at these family events!

then it's my birthday, and then Emmy's birthday - which for some reason she seems to have three or four celebrations every January - not quite sure how that happens, but it does.

skyping with the grand - snowbirds- who chose to celebrate January birthdays with us from snowless Florida

Happy Birthday to me...

And our home is filled with cakes, and pies, and cookies and candy - and then we'll turn around and it will be Valentine's Day!

This January we also took part in a surprise celebration for my dear friend that turned 40. How awesome is this cake?!!

Yes you are my friend, yes you are!

That's the fabulous forty year old on the left!

And did I mention that just last week I received chocolates straight from someone in Italy??? I didn't? Oh, well, I'll have to dedicate a separate post to that. And I would be remiss if I didn't also remind you that this Saturday, February 5th, is one of my favorite holidays - WORLD NUTELLA DAY!!! I'm still working on what I'm making for this most wonderful holiday. You should celebrate it, too. If you do, let me know what you are making and what time I should be over to sample it....

In a Word

2010-12-31T09:24:00.000-05:00

~For just when ideas fail, a word comes in to save the situation.~

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Over the past few years – or more – I’ve read about people choosing a “word” for their upcoming year. It becomes sort of their mantra, or resolution for that year. Crafty sorts make scrapbook pages around their word, or signs or pillows or temporary tattoos.... I always thought it was kind of - - well, silly, I guess.

But a few weeks ago I began thinking about how I’ve felt like 2010 somehow got away from me, and I began reading on blogs and emails some other peoples’ words: Believe, Give, Laugh, Patience, Inspire, Grace…. I began to see some value in having a “word”, a reminder of what I might want to achieve or be or whatever for the coming year. And, I decided that I, too, would pick a word for 2011.

Soooo, here it is the last day of 2010, and I am still trying to decide on “my word” . I kept coming back to “Be Aware” – but that’s two words, AND it looks too much like BEWARE, and I don’t want to start out 2011 THAT paranoid.

“Focus” seemed close – but, good grief, I’ve been saying that to myself for YEARS, and really, it isn’t quite "it". I want to BE AWARE of God’s presence in my life. I want to Be AWARE of my husband’s needs, my children’s fears, my friend’s concerns. I want to BE AWARE of how I am spending my time, my thoughts and my energy. For me, being aware will move me to action. See where I’m going here?

~The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~

Mark Twain

Since I knew I wanted to write about this today, this morning I decided to cheat a little and look up “Be Aware” in my thesaurus (That’s such a funny, dinosaur-looking word, isn’t it? Sorry, I know – FOCUS!)

Here is the list of words that came up when I typed in Be Aware:

Absorb

Grasp

Clutch

Grapple

Get

Realize

Understand

Comprehend

Discern

Receive

Learn

YES, YES, YES! All of the above! The final kicker for me - the thesaurus told me that the opposite word was IGNORE! OHHHH….So, as is typical for me, I’m going against the norm and having a Word Compilation. Since my word can't be "Opposite of Ignore", together this word list makes up My Word. I do like to make things complicated, don't I?

...Perhaps my word just should have been… DECIDE.

Do you have a word for 2011?

~I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying. ~

Oscar Wilde

And The Quiet Comes

2010-12-26T20:08:00.000-05:00

After days preparing with extended family,

making fruit salad and pies

of gift-giving and receiving....

tables draped in splendor,

and fires to warm our hands and hearts,

Today, we find ourselves blanketed by snow and enjoying the afterglow of another wonderful Christmas, filled with love.

The miracle of Christmas. May we keep it in our hearts the whole year through.

Merry Christmas to you!

Preparing My Heart for Christmas

2010-12-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

Desperate Times

2010-12-17T07:42:00.001-05:00

Call for Desperate Measures!

Or ..... Fake it Til You Make It?

With only an inch of snow on the ground, Noah and Emily attempt to have a full fledged snowball fight.

on an 18 degree night.

I wish they appreciated each other as much as I appreciate that they have each other!

The Best Laid Plans

2010-12-16T19:42:00.002-05:00

I started this blog two years ago with a post about Noah and Emily creating our gingerbread house by themselves. Last year, they again created a masterpiece. This year, they wanted to create an entire village. Well, this year their plans went a little, um... skewed.

This is as far as they've gotten this year. It's supposed to be the "bakery" that you can see on the box in the background. They gave up. For now at least.

Looking at Noah and Emily's "bakery" I'm reminded of a manger. A manger. A reminder of His Master Plan. A reminder of the ultimate gift given. A reminder of a love so big it is impossible to fully comprehend. A reminder that He is in control, despite MY best laid plans. A reminder that He can take our mistakes and give them purpose.

A reminder of something made perfect from something so fractured and lost.

I guess, on second thought, it would seem this humble little bakery may very well be a sweet, sweet Christmas decoration for our home after all.

First Impressions

2010-11-27T15:42:00.001-05:00

Keith and I have very different views on movie trailers. I love them. I love the anticipation they create for movies I "need to see". I think Keith finds them to be a waste of time. He'd rather hang out in line for a $30 cup of popcorn (if we are actually at a theatre for the viewing) or skip right over the trailers (if we are viewing the movie at home). Currently, we have lost our DVD remote, so Keith is stuck watching movie trailers at home.

Last night I had rented a movie for which the trailer looked really good - I thought it would be a really funny movie. It was - just okay. I hate when movie trailers do that to me - when the movie turns out to be very different from what the trailer portrayed. Would have seen these movies if the following had been their trailers?:

Oh, I do want to see Pride and Prejudice again! I think Keith might rather watch movie trailers.... There a few other very funny movie trailer recuts on youtube, but not all are very kid-friendly, so I won't be putting them here on my G-rated blog. But if you are of a mature audience, there are a few worth checking out for a good chuckle.

And last night's movie:
"Did You Hear About the Morgans?" Wouldn't be on my movie must-see's list if I had such a list.

On the 8th Day of Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

the good Lord gave to me....

8 Diners Dining,

Seven nights in SoCal....6 days in Myrtle... 5 friends on Halloweeeeennnn...

4 extra pounds, 3 willing helpers, 2 wannabes,

and a happy healthy, famileeeeeyyyy.

Hold your applause. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying a pumpkin pie-sweet- weekend (or whatever kinda pie you happen to enjoy).

PS. Got the itty bitty gravy boats that I used to hold little favors, here.

Black Friday Surprise

2010-11-26T15:37:00.003-05:00

Are you a rush to the mall before the sun rises kinda person on Black Friday? A Cyber shopper? Have you been camped out in front of Best Buy since late last night with turkey and cranberry sandwiches wrapped in cellophane hoping to get the one flat screen in the store that is on sale for $199 even though you don't even need another tv?

Well, if Black Friday shopping is part of your Thanksgiving tradition and you do score a big ticket item for a teeny weeny fee, good for you. And if you didn't get that Tom-Tom GPS for $29.99 that you stood in line for hours hoping to get, or you got pushed into a tower of beeny babies by a woman trying to get to the last Dancing Mickey, I hope you at least got to experience something like this:

Funny, beautiful and what a nice reminder of what the holidays are all about! I wish I were in one of these groups that goes around surprising people with song... of course I'd have to be able to sing, so there's that.

Happy Shopping or Left-over Eating Day!

On the Seventh Day of Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T06:59:00.000-05:00

the good Lord gave to me...

Seven perfect nights (and 8 days, but that doesn't work here) in Southern California....

6 days in Myrtle, 5 friends on Halloweeeeennnn...4 extra pounds, 3 willing helpers, 2 wannabes,

and a happy healthy, family.

On The Sixth Day of Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T07:45:00.003-05:00

the good Lord gave to me...

6 fun-filled days in Myrtle Beach (with the Kuni's!), five friends decorated for Halloweeeeennnn...4 extra pounds, 3 willing helpers, 2 wannabes and a happy healthy, family.

Only 2 more, I promise...

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Day of Thanksgiving...and a recipe

2010-11-22T18:51:00.000-05:00

Nutcrackers! And things were going so well... I had given you two days in a row and now it's back to playing catch up on my catch up... alright, then, here we go...

On the 3rd day of Thanksgiving, the good Lord gave to me....

three willing helpers (for the girl scout food drive)

two wannabe's

and a happy, healthy family.

On the 4th day of Thanksgiving, the good Lord gave to me....

four extra pounds from eating these...

pumpkin cream cheese muffins...

On the fifth day of Thanksgiving, the good Lord gave to me....

five friends decorated for Halloweeeeennnn...4 extra pounds, 3 willing helpers, 2 wannabes and a happy healthy, family.

Okay, all caught up.

For making you wait, here is the recipe for another one of my favorite fall desserts and a yearly must - make,

The Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (makes lots and freezes well!)

Cream Cheese Filling:

12 oz. of cream cheese

1 egg

1/2 c. sugar

1/8 tspn salt

Mix and set aside. Don't forget where you put it, and don't keep eating it while making the next step.

Pumpkin cake part:

Mix together:

3 c. sugar

3 1/2 c. flour

1 tspn salt

1 tspn nutmeg

1 tspn cinnamon

2 tspn baking soda

4 eggs

2/3 c. water

1 c. oil

2 c. canned pumpkin

1 c. chocolate chips (of course there is chocolate!)

Line 36 muffin cups (or a few more) with papers. Put about 2 Tbls. pumpkin mixture in each cup and top with 1 tbls. cream cheese mixture. Top with 2 Tbls. pumpkin mixture, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. YUM!

The Second Day of Thanksgiving

2010-11-19T06:40:00.002-05:00

On the second day of Thanksgiving the good Lord gave to me....

2 Man vs. Wild Wanna Be's

After watching too many episodes of Man vs. Wild and Man Woman Wild, Noah and Emily were determined to take on the elements and try to survive - in our backyard. When we told them that they weren't going to be able to sleep above the ground in this makeshift um..treehouse?... that the sticks they had chosen probably wouldn't support their weight, they threw in the towel. I was thankful they hadn't signed any contracts.

The Eight Days of Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T06:33:00.002-05:00

Please bear with me as I attempt to update my blog while at the same time confuse the 12 days of Christmas with the Eight Days of Hanakuh and come out with the 8 days of Thanksgiving. If I had remembered it was the TWELVE days of Christmas, I would have started this little post 4 days ago (my apologies to all drummers drumming, lords a leaping, etc.) Such is my life these days... so here we go... (but don't sing along, cause after today it won't rhyme or be at all rythmical (is that a word?)

On the first day of Thanksgiving, the good Lord gave to me....

a happy, healthy family....

Happy Birthday, Keith!

Tune in tomorrow for the next verse.... I know. It's so exciting, isn't it?

There's A Hole In This Cake

2010-10-08T10:36:00.002-04:00

Over the past few months I've been feeling very much like Maria Portokalos - focusing on the hole in the cake, instead of like her husband, Gus, just embracing life. Many of you know that I had a sad summer - among other things....my Grams left us to go be with Jesus. And now, well, there is a big hole in the cake. I haven't blogged because I thought that I should write about it, but honestly, I don't want to. Not yet. My personal cheerleader is gone. So if you didn't know, now you do, and maybe someday we'll revisit it.

I will say, however, that I know that Grams would expect me to focus on the positive. And so for now, I'll share this with you : My favorite fall cake, I mean BUNDT.

Harvest Cake (adapted from Gooseberry Patch, Flavors of Fall)

Mix together:

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground ginger
1 c. oil
1/2 t. vanilla extract
4 eggs

Add:
2 c. flour, 1/2 cup at a time
15 oz. pumpkin

Fold in:
2 apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts, if you prefer)

Pour into a greased and floured BUNDT pan, bake 350 degrees for an hour and 10 minutes. Cool 20 minutes and remove from pan to finish cooling on wire rack.

BUT WAIT! your not done.. oh, no. This is the best part:

The Frosting:

Blend the following together and spread on cooled cake. Feel free to lick the bowl.

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 butter, softened

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Moist and delicious and tastes like Autumn. Grams would be proud.

So, Embrace the bundt, hole and all! I know I'm learning to.

Skipping Stones

2010-09-09T13:00:00.003-04:00

The first day back to school. I now have time to ponder the events of our summer (which I’ll address in another post). Even though the list of “things to be done when the kids go back to school” looms over me, the list of “things I want to do with the kids this summer” stares at me with lots of things still on it to be done! Yesterday as I looked at the list, I questioned whether I’d done enough before having to give them back to the public school. And I don’t mean academically. But then, as I sat to reread a book I received from Thomas Nelson Publishing this summer so that I could review it, I was reminded that even a small stone thrown into the water will make a ripple. The book is entitled The Boy Who Changed The World, by Andy Andrews and is the children’s version of his book The Butterfly Effect.

This beautifully illustrated children’s book has such a wonderful message that I would say it is for young (although not youner than 8) and old alike. The entertaining way in which it is written keeps the reader interested and would make a great read- aloud to a group. Essentially, the author shows how several real individuals’ small acts and positive choices influenced one of the others, and added up to a great invention that “changed the world”. It shows children (and adults, alike!) how their actions and choices really do matter and can have a positive impact on the world. And, that little things can have a really big impact.

I need that reminder as I look back over our summer. And even as I prioritize the things on my to do list today! I can’t wait to read and discuss the book with my kids. I think I’ll add that to the list of “things to be done when the kids go back to school”...

Beach Bums

2010-07-09T21:27:00.000-04:00

I've just meandered off the beach, strolled back to the house, splashed water on my feet so as not to bring too much sand in the house with me, and plugged in my computer. Phew! I'm tired. All of that hard work, just to check in and say we are enjoying the blessings that the beach brings to our little family and life has been very, very good.

There has been a heatwave in these parts for the past ten days, but at the beach we've had a pleasant breeze to help keep us cool. Our fourth of July was celebrated with gusto, and after two of us had suffered the stomache flu a few days earlier, we were ready to celebrate.

Prior to our personal flu epidemic, Emmy and I had grand plans for decorating the beach house. Illness dampened our efforts, but we did get these made:

Unfortunately, we forgot about thumbtacks to hang them up, so they sit in a basket for this year. Hopefully, we will be able to store them so that they can be used next year. I found the idea here, but used scrapbooking paper instead of the fabric Martha recommends.... Super quick and easy. Using 12x12 scrapbooking paper, I cut strips to be 5 1/2 x 12 for the smallest stars, and then for the larger ones I put 2 together of 8x12's or 10x12's. I used glue dots to hold everything together. This will make much more sense after you read the original directions at the link above. I think these would be adorable for lots of different celebrations just by altering the paper (or fabric if you are that adventerous) to the theme of the party!

Just don't forget the thumbtacks!

There is much more that we've been up to, but I'll have to save that for another post, because right now I have to tell you how thrilled and humbled I am that my blog has been spotlighted on a positively splendid blog that I so enjoy reading and where I find inspiration aplenty!! Awhile back, I won a giveaway that Amy was doing on her blog. The prize: a framed silhouette vignette of my babies!! I sent her pictures via email, requested the colors I wanted and she blew me away with the results! It is at my home (and I am at the beach) so I haven't seen it in person yet, but she posted it on her blog today, so I did get to see it. Look what she created!

I am thrilled beyond words (okay, well there are these words, but you know what I mean) with what she was able to do. And she even has a tutorial on her site for creating a silhouette of your own. Like I said, her blog is so inspiring, and from the interactions I've had with her, she is a really sweet person. Check out her blog: http://www.positivelysplendid.com/ I know you'll leave there feeling the same way I do!

Well, that's enough excitement for this evening. Next time the breeze blows me in off the beach, I'll check in with more! Until then,

Feeling Crabby

2010-06-24T15:24:00.000-04:00

Our first day at the beach and the kids just wanted to do a little shopping...

Meet Utley (as in Chase from the Phillies)

and Taylor (as in Swift)

and their two very happy caretakers.

And now I'm off to a high intensity crab race.

You can feel the tension in the air..

It's not for the faint of heart

On Your Mark!

Get Set!

Go!

Whooo! That was fun. Okay, I think we can go to the beach now.

Did I Just Feel A Drop?

2010-06-22T21:44:00.001-04:00

Everyday, the headlines seem to grow more alarming. The news of disaster, devastation and heart-wrenching situations is overwhelming. Should we be surprised? According to the thought-proving book, Storm Warning, by Billy Graham, we shouldn't be.

This book, sent to me by Thomas Nelson publishing to review, compares the events we are reading about and hearing of, in the media every day, and the tragedies and heartbreak we are personally experiencing, to a gathering storm in the skies overhead. He shows us how God has warned us of these events and those to come throughout the Bible, and he specifically focuses on the book of Revelation. The book started out very strong and I was looking forward to reading it. But after I got through the third chapter I began to worry that I would not be able to give it very high marks! I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading this book because I believe the subject matter is so important, timely and necessary to consider. But I need to warn you that for a time, the book seemed to be trying to sell me on the book of Revelation and on the validity of Billy Graham, himself. There was a lot of repetition and I was feeling that the book could have been a lot shorter.

Having said that, by halfway through the book, it picked up and got to the substance of what I was hoping for. Graham goes into detail about the signs of the End Times in the book of Revelation and considers what is happening in our world today. He provides insight into the four horsemen of Revelation Chapter 6, provides the hope that is found in Christ Jesus, and calls us to action as a result of what is to come and what is happening today. This book isn’t a quick read, but I think it is a valuable, if not necessary, one. If you are looking for a compelling summer read, maybe this is it. You can read more about the book by clicking here.

One Awesome Lady

2010-06-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who gives reverance to the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31: 30- 31

I don't have to look far for a shining example of strength, dignity, hardwork, laughter, joy,.... While we celebrated a week ago, today is the official birthday of this mighty woman.

Today Millie is 95 years old.

Among other things, she has endured losing her mom as a toddler and her step-mom as a young girl. She was widowed in her forties and left to raise 3 children while holding down a full-time job to support them and she is a breast cancer survivor of over thirty years now. So what does SHE have to smile about? She's had a very hard life. Well, she won't hesitate to tell ya why she smiles- she's got Jesus.

The Joy of the Lord is her Strength.

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

Thank you for your example, Grams. We love you! Happy Birthday!

Dad Life

2010-06-21T12:40:00.001-04:00

My friend Shawn, sent me this video, and I just had to share it. I hope that everyone was able to acknowledge a Dad for Father's Day. Where would we be without them?

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Thank you, Lord for the gift of good dads. Thank you for giving so many of them wisdom, patience and a sense of humor. Amen.

Last Minute Daddy Day Gift

2010-06-19T11:07:00.000-04:00

Well, it wouldn't be last minute if I had actually posted this when it was made, but it has been a crazy few weeks around here. More on that later. For now, here is a last minute Father's Day gift in case your young ones decide that they need their very own homemade gift for daddy-o.

Clean out a pasta sauce jar - or jar of equivalent size - fill with chex mix -ours was homemade, but as the clock is ticking here, you'd do just as well with the premade stuff out of the bag!

Cut out 2 large circles from decorative paper, and 3 smaller circles out of plain white cardstock. Have your child decorate the smaller circles for Dad. Glue 2 of the smaller circles to the patterned paper circles. Lay a piece of ribbon over the lid of the jar and attach the 3rd smaller circle to the lid - on top of the ribbon. Lay the ribbon down both sides of the jar and attach the other circles to the ribbon and the ribbon to the sides of the jar.

Easy Peasy! You can even make a coordinating card with the left over patterned paper and wrap the whole thing in a simple brown paper bag.

Have a wonderful Father's Day celebrating all those awesome Daddies out there!!

I'm Seeing Double

2010-06-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

I knew this day would come

But I still wasn't ready

A decade isn't supposed to go by so quickly

And now, seemingly overnight, my baby has hit the DOUBLE DIGITS. Ten years old.

So a celebration was in order. Some good old-fashioned fun is what my boy wanted.

Baseball and soccer games

crafts for those who didn't want to "sport"

and smore's and an outdoor movie, "The Spy Next Door" to end the evening!

But the highlight of the party was definitely this:

We had a wonderful face painter come to the party. She painted anything each of the party guests wanted - even dancing pickles! They loved her and her art work.

All of her products are FDA approved, won't hurt your skin and are ingestable (although, not a recommended party snack of course!) In other words, she's using the good stuff!

Lauren was fantastic and if you live in the Jersey, Philly, Delaware, Maryland area, I highly recommend her for a party or event. You can find her company here: Face Painting

This little pup is already begging to book her for HER double digit day...

Let's just put a leash on the thought of this one turning 10, please.

Well, this was just the beginning of the big boy's celebrating. The party is going on all month long - More to come later!

Ninja Gardening

2010-06-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

It looks innocent enough...

And I'm sure many a neighborhood outdoor cat would love to roll around in our beautifully composted soil.

But upon closer inspection, it is clear...

There won't be any pussy-footin' around these parts.

Cats, Beware. My garden is not your playground, nor is it your potty. Consider the cats warned.

Speaking of gardens, wouldn't this be perfect for me any gardener?

I took a picture of this potting bench when I went to Longwood Gardens last week (again!) in the hopes that Keith will build me an exact replica. Hey if I can deter cats with plasticware, maybe I can persuade a husband with inspiring pictures I've taken. Maybe?

Kids These Days

2010-06-02T17:14:00.000-04:00

Are you guys playing AGAINST each other on two different machines?

Yeah, we’re doing battle in the wireless union room. Want me to grab Steelix out of my PC now? Hold on. I have to evolve my Jigglypuff...

Whaaat?

On a side note, what's up with the 2 pedometers? Does that work? Does that mean if they both say 5000 steps, you can say you've done your 10,000 steps for the day? Hmm...

All The Ladies In The House Say "Yea!"

2010-05-18T14:48:00.004-04:00

A few of my "now over 40" friends and I were talking the other day about the "changes" we were warned about but didn't believe before we were actually 40. My one friend said she started noticing those changes about 20 minutes after she woke up on her 40th birthday.

So, in honor of all of my beautiful friends, (and yes, each and everyone of them IS beautiful) and because it is a very rainy day here and I'm in this kind of a mood, I share with you this:

"Darlin' I love you but give me Park Avenue"

2010-05-16T09:01:00.021-04:00

For the past week I have been immersed in "nature", and I think I'm ready for the SPA, thank you.

On Tuesday and Thursday, I acted as a chaperone and photographer to the 4th grade of our school. First, we walked to the town park....

where the classes were divided up into groups of 3 and each assigned a task..

My charges were assigned to find things in nature that catch their eye....

They got right to work....

ME: Hey, guys, how about this?

well, maybe...

I guess....

Sure, if you say so....

You think?....

OH COOL! Come here, Mrs. T. You've gotta see this! Mom, take a picture of this!!!

Oookay.

Two days later, we walked back to the park and the kids' project was to create artistic designs using nature as discovered on our first trip....

I kept my mouth shut, ( I did to!!!) and kept my camera clicking and after a 1/2 hour of strategic planning and unabashed creativity - this is what my group came up with:

They were very proud of their achievement. Particularly their use of thorns to hold down the fragile leaves to the sticks.

They weren't quite as impressed with the fact that I had to practically climb a tree over the water in order to actually take any pictures of their masterpiece. It was worth it anyway.

On Friday, I took my Brownie Troop on our first overnight experience. We went here:

And stayed in here:

As close to a tent as I hope to get with my troop!

Cost to stay here and have my daughter and troop study animals up close and personal,

Learn about constellations, and make star charts, all during a scream-seeking lightening and thunder storm...

And stuff themselves silly full of SMore's

before going to sleep in these posh accomodations?...

$45....

The cost of new sneaker's for my girl the next morning, after going on a hike .....

to do a pond study....

and play in the mud collecting samples,

About $30, if I catch a good sale.

The cost to witness the awe,

and excitement in her face as "Kermie" was caught, studied.. and then

released back to his home in the pond?

Let's say it all together now: Priceless.

Maybe Green Acres really is the place for me.

Inspired Reading

2010-05-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

A Book Review

About a week ago, Thomas Nelson Publishing sent me a complimentary copy of the book I Am Hutterite, by Mary Ann Kirkby because I agreed to do a book review of it. I was thrilled at the opportunity to do this as it combines both my love of reading AND of writing and a free book just made it all the more exciting for me. I Am Hutterite is not a book I would have picked up off the shelves on first glance, which makes me all the more happy to do this review because I have to say – the book was delightful. If you enjoy this type of read, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on it.

Just as a point of reference if you aren’t familiar with “Hutterite” ( I wasn’t). It is a religious community of people much like Mennonites or Amish colonies (of which I am familiar), with one of the biggest differences, in short, being that Hutterites practice communal living – shared responsibilities, shared possessions. They are mostly located in the Pacific Northwest. This true story is written by a woman who began her life in an Hutterite colony and enjoyed the predictability, security and relationships within it. However, events occur that result in her family leaving her beloved community – uprooting the author at age ten, and plunging her into a modern society that she is completely unprepared for.

Her story chronicles the history of her family in the Hutterite Community and takes us on a journey of self-discovery as she navigates through her young life learning to deal with prejudice and doing without, and the lessons she learns about the value of a strong faith, hardwork, family and forgiveness. The honesty of her story is raw and emotional and I just wanted to sit and hold her hand as I read. The voice of her writing is easy to listen to, as if she is sitting at the table with you telling her story over a cup of tea (or several) and at the same time full of rich detail about day to day tasks so that I could picture being there on the prairie with her. At times I envied her simple life in the Hutterite colony, and at others – completely horrified. Even more difficult, though, was reading her transition into life away from the colony. I am so glad she has so openly shared her life with us. I believe we can be reminded of the important values in our own lives as we delve into hers.

I’ll give this book a 4 out 5 stars on the Beth Blog–o-meter. You can read more about this book here.

Soup's On!

2010-05-10T20:43:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago, Maria and I did the "DuPont Estate Tour" (as named by me). On Day 1, we visited Longwood Gardens, as I shared here. On Day 2, (one week later), we visited Winterthur, as I mentioned in my last post.

Winterthur is a musuem and "country estate" with both beautiful grounds and period furniture within the home...

Look at this WALLPAPER!!!

I just love soup tureens.

And as luck would have it, the museum was having a special display of soup tureens while we were there!

Here are a few of my favorites...

maybe a sweet, cold strawberry soup in this one?

Chicken and Wild Rice I'm thinkin'

How about creamy lemon artichoke soup for this one? oohh or lemon asparagus!! Both so springy!

Minestrone?

This one is different!

Frogmore Stew? (Actually, I don't even know what is in frogmore stew so scratch that)

These little individual soup tureens really had me:

Yes, I suppose I could eat soup out of rabbit -

But this?

I'm thinking Ham and Bean.

And this one?

I think I'll order out!

Name the Movie

2010-05-08T08:57:00.006-04:00

"Donkey, you HAVE the RIGHT to remain silent. What you lack is the CAPACITY!"

Sometimes people say hurtful things. Sometimes those hurtful words come from a person who claims to be your friend. It could be just a fragile moment for the friend - or maybe that person just has a different definition of what being a friend means.

Recently, I had a friend say some things that were completely untrue about the essence of who I am - in front of me, and other people who didn't know me as well as I THOUGHT she did. I actually believe that she didn't even think there was anything WRONG with what she said. Because I tend to handle things very differently than she, I didn't react to what she said in front of those other people. Overthinking the whole situation (something I tend to do), at first I let her words make me feel all knotted up and twisted inside.

But then I realized, her words don't define me.

My life and who I am is defined by the One who created me. That is something that this friend doesn't get about me. My motivations are different than hers. So my actions - and reactions, are different.

Sometimes, I need gentle reminders of that fact. And once I wrap my head and heart around that again, I can see the forest through the trees. And the view is beautiful from there.

These pictures were taken at Winterthur - yet another DuPont estate in the area. I have more pictures to share of this blissful day, which I'll share, along with a recipe, tomorrow! (or next week...) In the meantime, I have a friend that I need to go talk with.

PS: The words of wisdom are from the movie......SHREK! Did you guess that? What a smart audience I have...

The Winner Revealed - Finally...

2010-05-05T20:26:00.008-04:00

So, which of the cookie recipes won the throwdown? I guess I've made you wait long enough...

Could it have been the recipe I 've been using for several years now which uses bread flour, an egg and egg yolk, 1 1/2 c. of brown sugar, and a batter that sits in the fridge for several hours before baking?....

Or could it have been the one that uses vanilla jello pudding?

Or maybe the eggless, nutless, dairyless one with chickpeas and oatmeal in it?

It could have even been the one with corn syrup and white vinegar in it, or the one with corn syrup and dark brown sugar.... the recipes were all so different!!

Before I tell you the winner - please meet the contestants:

#1 - My favorite recipe going into the throwdown - hello, beautiful...

#2 - from my friend Lisa - great for those with food allergies! And you truly would never know that there are chickpeas in these little morsels of deliciousness.

#3 - The Martha Stewart Recipe...

#4 - This recipe called for Vanilla Jello Pudding

# 5 This recipe includes both corn syrup and white vinegar!

#6 - The recipe on the back of the Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip Bag

If you remember, the Trader Joe Chocolate Chips won the chocolate chip contest and therefore were used in ALL 6 RECIPES. I know this comes as a surprise to some of my judges who didn't like particular cookies because of the "chips"! I had to laugh at that. But I guess depending on the ingredients, it may have effected the taste of the chips...

A HUGE THANK YOU to my 14 judges for indulging me by indulging in 6 different chocolate chip cookies in one sitting!!!

So - who won? Well, coming in 3rd Place: #5 (with # 4 right on it's heels) # 5 has 2 tbsp of corn syrup in addition to white, light and dark sugars, AND has 1 Tbsp of vinegar in it. The vinegar smell really disturbed me in the making of the dough. It didn't have that pleasant chocolate chip cookie dough smell to me. Obviously, that disappeared once the cookies were baked!

2nd Place goes to: #6 The recipe on the back of the Trader Joe's bag. Quite a few of the judges wrote that this one tasted most like a traditional "Toll House" cookie. Very true. The only difference between this recipe and the one on the back of the Nestle bag is that this one has 1 c. of brown sugar (Nestle- 3/4 c.) and 1/2 c. of white sugar (Nestle - 3/4)

And the GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF THE 2010 CHOCOLATE CHIP RECIPE THROWDOWN:

#1. I kid you not. The very recipe I've been using all along. I should have known....

And because you have waited so long, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 c. bread flour

1 tspn salt

1 tspn baking soda

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. light brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 bag Trader Joe's chocolate chip cookies (or any of your other favorites, if say the nearest Trader Joe's is 600 miles away... :)

Directions:

Melt butter in the microwave. While that's going on sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set those dry ingredients aside.

Pour the melted butter in a mixing bowl with the white and brown sugars. Mix til creamy. Add the egg, yolk, milk and vanilla. Mix til they are well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and then the chips. (at this point I often also throw-in my favorite add-ins - toasted pecans or almonds, and coconut) ( I did NOT do that for this throwdown, though. Had to stay traditional).

Now, stick the batter in the frig for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 375. Scoop dough onto parchment -lined baking sheets. Bake for about 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Eat one or two, then cool the rest completely and store in an airtight container. That is, if there are any left...

Bake them. Enjoy them. Don't let me know you have any in your house. I have been eating chocolate chip cookies for a week and I really need to detox now.... although I do have a few cupcake recipes I may need to Throwdown...

Throwin' Off My Mitts (oven mitts, that is)

2010-05-01T11:05:00.008-04:00

And Throwin' out the scale!

The LONG-awaited Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Throwdown has finally begun!

While we await the judges' final decisions please enjoy this little interlude from Wednesday night's Spring Concert:

Well, well... look here. There are only 7 boys in the school chorus (6 in the picture)...

They are so precious....

And I could eat 'em all up!

Good thing I've got about 800 chocolate chip cookies on my counter!

In keeping with the healthy theme...

2010-04-23T07:12:00.008-04:00

Oh, you don't remember a healthy theme to my blog? Well, I'm sure if you scroll back far enough you'll find something. There WAS my whole "weight loss challenge 2009" thing last year...

Anyway, in keeping with that theme, about a month ago Noah's class was working on "persuasive writing". (As an aside - this is not a subject Noah needed any help with - in fact he told me a few days ago that persuasive writing has been his favorite part of language class this year... no surprise as I've been saying since he was 18 months old that he is going to be a lawyer...) Quite a few of the kids in Noah's class wrote persuasive letters to the principal regarding the unhealthy school lunches. (Noah's letter was concerning the atrocity that is called "Only Twenty Minutes for Recess")

School lunch in our country seems to have become a national topic as of late. I was reminded of an email that went around about a year ago regarding school lunches around the world: (please note: these pictures were copied from various articles about this on the internet. I did not actually get to visit schools around the world for the purpose of this post. Unfortunately.)

Russia

South Africa

France

China

China Again..

Japan

Japan again...

And a variety of school lunches from around the USA...

Carbs, fat, carbs, fat, carbs.... very sad for our kids...

Noah and Emmy complain that at their school the pizza is too cheesy, the waffles and pancakes are too drenched in butter, etc. but they would LOVE to buy lunch on chicken nugget and smiley fries day. NO WAY! Now, I only let my kids buy lunch once/week, and I know I shouldn't even do that. But it is a compromise because they would like to buy more often like their friends do... And there is that occassional morning when I haven't prepared well enough (read: don't have any food in the house) and having that once a week cushion is helpful to me on those days.

Jamie Oliver is doing a show this season, Jamie's Food Revolution, which explores the whole idea of healthy school lunches, and eating in general. I have to admit I haven't had the opportunity to watch the show yet, but tonight is the finale on ABC, and I hope we get to watch it as a family.

You can also visit Jamie's website here about this and even sign a petition. I appreciate his passion for good (real) food and his desire for people to think about what it is they are putting into their bodies.

I hate to admit it, but Great Britian does not come to mind when I think of "good food" but between Jamie Oliver, and this report done by the BBC, maybe it's time for me to rethink my position on that... Here they tell us how Japanese elementary students study, grow and cook a different food plant every year. They integrate food awareness into their everyday school environment. Living in such a rural area, I stomp my feet and say, "Why aren't we doing this here!" If we felt more connected to our food, maybe wiser choices would be made.

I'm not standing on any soapbox here, nor would Noah consider this a persuasive argument. I just wanted to open it up for discussion since my boy brought it into our home. Here's to healthy eating habits, Cheers!

And on that note: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Showdown IS still in the works! (It's all about balance, people...) All of the ingredients have been purchased, I've just been lacking a full day to dedicate to the baking of 6 different recipes of cookies!!! Thanks for your patience!

How Will You Spend Earth Day?

2010-04-22T06:41:00.001-04:00

Today is Earth Day. I’m not sure when this "holiday" began, and fortunately for you I’m (feeling too lazy) much too busy to research that at the moment. However, I think more and more people are trying to make EVERY day Earth Day and I’m glad for that. Whether you are in the camp of global meltdown or global freezeover or somewhere in the middle, we all live here and until we hear that trumpet call, will continue to live here - and our kids and grandkids and greatgrand kids, too. So, we really should try to take care of God’s creation. Yes?

So, how WILL you spend Earth Day/s?

Will you:

Look into recycling more?

Plant a garden?

(can you believe I’m holding about 18 heads of lettuce in my hand?)

Go for a walk?

Turn out the lights in the rooms you aren’t currently in?

Stop using plastic bags at the grocery store?

(I know, I forget to put the resuables back in my car, too. Is that really a good enough excuse?)

Buy produce from a local farm?

Stop throwing out batteries in the regular trash?

Use a stainless steel water bottle and stop buying bottled water?

I guess every little bit every one of us does has to help, right?

This week I went to Longwood Gardens. Not because of Earth Day, but because of a coupon. But as I walked around admiring the beauty of God’s creation (and Mr. duPont’s foresight) I couldn’t help think it was the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day. Honoring the One who created it! So I thanked Him for

The Colors in His Creation

And

His Creativity

And

His Sense of Humor

And

His Beauty

And

His Perfection in Nature

And

Shame on us for taking it all so much for granted. Maybe a good way to celebrate Earth Day would be to just stop and smell the roses and spend time in prayers of Thanksgiving.

Happy Earth Day!

Boot Camp

2010-04-21T13:31:00.003-04:00

I've just returned home from my 3rd week (or 10th session) of boot camp - a 3 days/week fitness program I began upon my return from Arizona, along with my friend Anne Marie, and 9 other masochists. Today I was wishing there had been a volcanic eruption somewhere in the middle of Kansas (no offense to any of the lovely people living there. I'm really just saying this for effect and current events relevency) so that I wouldn't have had to endure the 80 push-ups, 80 step-ups, 5000 million crunches and leg squats that I had to endure today. And my trainer is not even like Jillian - more like Bob, but female. Hey, now! Be nice to Bob, please.

In addition to the the 3 hours a week of torture, I have had to record everything I'm eating and try to maintain a balance of 40% carbs, 40% protein and 30% fat in my 1370 calories I'm supposed to eat everyday. I have to say I have never kept a food log like this, nor have I ever tried to live within any kind of perameters like this. I don't like it. But I'm giving it a go anyway, because I do want to be healthy and fit. (Although, today, I ask myself "Why, really?")

I've made some interesting discoveries: 1. I don't eat ENOUGH 2. I don't get nearly as much protein as I should. 3. I hate to exercise (although I already knew that one).

In three weeks I haven't lost any weight or inches, but I am STRONGER and have more energy. I can actually do 10 REAL push ups now. No knees involved. And I can run a quarter of a mile without dying. So, Hurray for me! I think I'll go reward myself with a brisk walk around the neighborhood and an hard-boiled egg! (or not)

The Weekend of My Getaway

2010-04-16T19:08:00.010-04:00

AKA: "Celebrating My Soul Sister's 10th Anniversary of Her 30th Birthday" AKA: "Five Days of Adult Conversation Without Interruption" AKA: An Awesome Time!

We touched down in the Grand Canyon State on the Thursday before Palm Sunday.

We stayed at a swanky ALoft Hotel that first night...

Very Mod. Somewhat Masculine.

I Loved the Alarm clock. Instead of a buzzer, it had a light that lit up over and over. But it was the color and shape that really got me. Am I really going on about an Alarm Clock? There are much bigger items to cover. Sorry.

After picking up our smokin' bright blue rental car, we headed for Mesa for some lunch and shopping.

While it was about 2pm our home time, it was still morning there, so we went to Mangos Cafe and Bakery for Huavos Rancheros. Maybe it was because we were starving, but more likely because we were in Mesa, Arizona, but it tasted AMAZING.

Then we did a little shoppin' on Main Street - Domestic Bliss, Sweet Cakes (for cookies - YUM!) and The Glitter Box. Crys found a few things...

Then we hot-rodded it over to Scottsdale...

Old Town first to check out some Art Galleries... (and find a bathroom...)

And then to 5th Ave. District Shops (or something like that) for some more serious shopping...

I went all out and purchased - cupcake liners. Cute ones. What can I say. We were trying to go home with just "Carry-Ons".

I went to Z Gallerie for the first time. Boy, it's a good thing there isn't one of these near home. That would be dangerous. And the shop in the background is where we spent alot of time: Anthropologie....

After a very full day of shopping, we needed to refuel, and did so at the Green Restaurant in the same shopping plaza.

Day 2: Time to head to Tuscon. Along the way, we can across this delightful little cafe. All organic, vegan, and "raw" foods on their menu. It was so delicious we made sure to stop back on our way back to Phoenix the next day!

Have you ever experienced this tea?

I say "experienced" because from brewing to drinking is an experience. The teapot actually sits on top of the teacup and releases the tea into the cup from the bottom. It was so fun!

Our purpose for heading to Tuscon was THIS amazing woman:

Beth Moore.
The Event:

Bible Study Beth Moore style, my favorite kind. Music with Travis Cottrell...

And energized, intense, wonderful study of 1 Corinthians 15 with Beth.

Yes, studying the Bible with Beth Moore is FUN. For real. I wouldn't joke about that.

(okay, not the best selves portrait - let's just move on.)

So when we weren't being inspired by Beth Moore's teaching, we were here:

the Westin La Paloma

Doing a little of this...

On Sunday, we headed North. To Sedona. Is there anywhere else in the world you can meet a person named Journey? Just askin'.

Something about this mountain really scared me. I guess the awesomeness of it. I wonder if people who never see the ocean feel the same way when they finally go to the beach....

We did some shopping here

Tlaquepaque Village...

There was a couple getting wedding pictures taken here. A beautiful location for it!

We didn't shop here:

But Crystal did a bit of Birthday shopping here:

(That's our bright blue hot rod!!)

We also spent some time here - It was Palm Sunday, after all.

Chapel of the Holy Cross.

And then it was time to come home.

I think we are all caught up now!

Moving Backwards

2010-04-15T21:11:00.006-04:00

Hunting. Eating. Celebrating. The activities of Easter Weekend.

Saturday Brunching and Hunting and Nana and Grandad's:

( cause we all know the Easter Bunny hides eggs on the ceiling?)

Sunday Morning: (clues from the Easter Bunny as to where there might be baskets...)

Looks like the Rabbit may have taken advantage of the nice weather!

Found!

And a new potting table made by these two bunnies, complete with tulips, just for mommy!

Dinner here....

And a birthday celebration for Mimi!

All in all, a very full weekend as we worshiped the One who left empty a tomb.

At the moment

2010-04-11T21:13:00.009-04:00

I am sitting back in the recliner recovering from 3 whirlwind weekends...Phew! I'd love to get you all caught up in one itty bitty blog post, but I just can't do it. I can't. So, I'll start with the magic of this weekend and work my way backwards. It's what's comfortable for me tonight.

Yesterday, was the pride and joy weekend of our little rural town. We call it: Opening Day. Yep. Little League. Our town is all about Little League. It's all we've got, really. That and horses. And one traffic light. And apple and peach orchards, and, well, never mind.

~~~~
The day starts off with pretty much the whole town gathering at the school to decorate the team floats. The kids are giddy with excitement, with absolutely no clue to how cold it is with the 40 mile an hour winds.

They are geared up for an awesome season and couldn't wait for the parade to begin.

As soon as all floats were decorated, all non-team members rushed down to the park to await the parade (of floats that they just decorated...)

My guys are on this float. Hi guys!!! Feel free to wave to your mom who has been standing here for 20 minutes freezing her you know what off just to get a picture and a smile, Noah. Or Don't.....

Emmy didn't care. She was having too much fun with friends. Parade? What parade?

Our town even went upper echelon this year with a REAL marching band, " The Orignal Hobos". Yep, we go all out here.

On a serious note, our favorite coach, Jeff, was honored by being chosen to throw out the first pitch. That's his dad, who did the actually "throwing" for him. Jeff's daughter caught the ball with her team all standing behind her, many of which have been on Jeff's teams in past years.

We sure do love that family. It was VERY emotional. That's all I can say about that right now.

Before we knew it, all of this year's teams had been announced, honors granted, National Anthem sung, safety rules read, and the words our kids had been waiting for - finally spoken:

Play Ball!

And my boy, for one, couldn't be more elated!

The Minor Boy's Team played a round robin game/s of 3 innings each. After hangin' out with the River Sharks mascot, (searching for the pictures of this!!!) though, Emmy and I had to book it over to her outdoor soccer game. All of our outdoor activities ended late in the afternoon, much too late to go home and cook...so we headed out for Brick Oven pizza with some of our favorite peeps and prepared for today's Championship Indoor Soccer Game for Emmy...

Yep, this has been an all winter endeavor that I never reported on. Em's team had a phenomenal season of indoor soccer, which was a great change over their outdoor fall season....

There's my girl.... so much like her mom at that age - NOT!

I was wearing a tutu at this age, preparing to throw up because the instructor not only wanted me to do pliats, but cartwheels, too. In front of people at that!

Today's championship game was a lose, but that didn't dampen our spirits. The beautiful afternoon was spent helping daddy-0 do yard work.

followed by our first dinner grilled and eaten out on the deck this Spring.

The End.

The Votes Are In!

2010-03-21T20:29:00.005-04:00

I know you've been putting off buying more chocolate chips until you heard from me regarding my chocolate chip contest, and I apologize for the delay. But wait no longer will you, because the results are in!

After blind taste testing each of the 5 different chips, my highly trained judges made their choices by secret ballod.

And it was unanimous! I couldn't believe it. Actually, you wouldn't believe how different the chips can taste when tasted one brand right after the other. I was very surprised.

My judges? Well, of course they were the people who will eat most of my chocolate chip cookies - Keith, Noah, Emily, Me... and Em's BFF who was over here for the afternoon.

The winner? Trader Joe's Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips got all 5 votes! So, I'll be headed back out to Trader Joe's at some point this week to purchase many more bags of chocolate chips. But the Chocolate Chip cookie recipe Throwdown will have to wait til next week. I'm off to Arizona!

Happpy Spring!

2010-03-20T16:54:00.003-04:00

or as Emily would say....

Yeah, those legs need some sun! We've got plenty of it today! Yeah!

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful day!

Meet The Contestants

2010-03-18T16:33:00.003-04:00

The contestants have gathered in my kitchen and are ready for judging. Now if I could just coordinate my judges' schedules, we could get on with this "Throwdown"!

Nestle, Hershey, Trader Joe's, Ghirardelli, Essensia. Semi-sweet, every one.

May the best chip win!

It's In The Bag!

2010-03-14T14:58:00.007-04:00

A few months ago I found a blog website that is full of inspiration, creativity, humor and great photography. The author, Brooke, doesn't post everyday, so it is an easy site for me to follow along with. I like that in a bloggy website. And unlike my own blog, this one is "professional", with sponsors and giveaways and stuff. Anyway, I commented on one of her posts recently and WON a giveaway!! I was thrilled as I never win anything, and since I received the item this week in the mail, I wanted to share both the blog and my prize here with you.

The Prize:

An insulated lunch tote. Trendy, practical, pretty and fun! It looks like I could pack at least 3 pints of Chunky Monkey Ice Cream, 6 chocolate chip cookies, 4 chocolate bars, 2 cupcakes and a diet coke, easily. Not that I would do that. I don't drink diet soda.

And as if I didn't love the stylish patterned wet suit material enough on it's own, it's called the "Gourmet Getaway". Yes, please. Let's book that right now.

Okay, maybe that won't be happening right now, but I can cart all of my HEALTHY, gourmet snacks to soccer and baseball games, and be able to offer refreshing alternatives to all of my soccer/baseball mom friends from my new trendy bag! Now I just need a pair of shoes to match. Hmm...

Check out Brooke's site, but after you fall in love, don't forget to come back and visit me every once in awhile!

And you can get one of these bags, too. Visit Land of Nod here!

Two Very Unrelated Things, Now Related

2010-03-12T16:13:00.004-05:00

(last year's photo - it was raining and he was too far from the house today!)

Chewy crawled up from under the shed today and showed his ugly mug!

In honor of this Super Springy tradition, I am having a chocolate chip throwdown next week.

See, related, yet not.

First, my highly trained panel of judges will choose the best chocolate chip. Then, later in the week, I will bake chocolate chip cookies a-plenty, using 6 different recipes (and the winning chocolate chips) to determine which recipe is best.

I promise no groundhogs will be harmed in the making or eating of the cookies. I cannot necessarily say the same for my waistline.

I'll introduce you to the panel of judges next week. In the meantime, if you have a favorite chocolate chip you'd like included in our judging, let me know!

Looks Like We Made It

2010-03-09T16:13:00.008-05:00

No, I'm not singing Barry Manilow, and I'm sorry if now you are. This isn't a post about 70's tunes, it's about SPRING! I've torn myself away from the great outdoors to share with you how we celebrated our balmy 58 degree weekend.
And this is a picture I took today!!! WooHoo!!

Oh look , there's me taking the picture!

Sorry - back to our regularly scheduled post... This weekend I took my Brownie Troop to a workshop at the beach. It was a "Magical Fairies" workshop.

They painted tooth fairy boxes and made comfy pillows for their tooth.

They made glitter globes and body sparkle....

And they used this... ( oh, the possibilities!!)

to make magical fairy crowns...

And got their faces painted - Emily is a "Fire Fairy" - says she, not me.

After the workshop, we went to the beach!!!

The girls had a blast running around and searching for treasures.

It was a perfect day. And when I got home, Keith announced that we would be going back on Sunday afternoon !! Yeah!!!!

I've told you before where you can always find us in Ocean City, and even in March that holds true...

As long as there are free samples, my gang will be there.

And, well, Keith bought a pound a fudge. We needed our fix.

So Spring!!

And Spring Break for my nephew, Christopher. Emily was just a little excited that he came with us! I'm thinkin' Christopher can't wait to get back to college....

Okay, my angels. Get closer, look like you know each other...

A little closer, please. I just want a picture of the two of you TOGETHER.

Um, okay. I'll take what I can get.

Flock of Seagulls....

Yeah, I'd have to say Winter Weather is pretty much for the....

Couldn't resist. Sorry. Eleven more days til Spring is "Official"!!!!!

Record Keeping

2010-03-06T08:11:00.001-05:00

Because one of the purposes of my blog is to record family memories, my thoughts and our story, I have to mention here that Keith and I... well, ....we went on a cruise in February. I'm sorry I didn't mention it sooner. I don't know why I didn't. I guess there were other things I wanted to record first, and I guess I feel a tad guilty because I've been spoiled by travel this past year.

For the record, we didn't find Spring on the cruise. Well, I guess it would be considered "Spring weather" if it were here and we had the clothing options of our closet. But it was Mexico, and it was only about 60 degrees, and we had packed for weather 20 degrees warmer. We layered - a lot.

Having said that, we did have a very nice time.

This was sunrise on the first morning. The last morning of calm seas...

After this morning, I spent a day believing we may be on the Titanic.

Because of the rough seas, I didn't sleep much, so I saw every sunrise - however, I'm thankful I took pictures on the first morning, because it was overcast and raining on the following mornings.

Someday, I'm sure I'll laugh about it. Or not.

This is Keith and I getting ready for our dinner with the Captain.

Okay, so maybe I was completely ready before I let Keith take my picture.

For the record, it was a short cruise with just one stop in Cozumel, Mexico. Thankfully, we had a few hours of sunshine, although too cold for swimming. We shopped instead.

I really liked this statue in town, and wish it had been working. You may recall seeing another picture I took of it here.

Well, of course there is a food picture. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Pancho's Backyard (recommended by the cruise staff - we didn't stray to far off the beaten path...) It met our need for Mexican cuisine. I was happy just to have fresh guacomole and margaritas while listening to Pancho and his daughter play music for us. It was nice of them to have us over.

For the record, I only had one margarita - and a sip of Keith's Pina Colada. Not that anyone is counting - except my Mom.

It was Carnivale while we were there. We weren't able to stay for the parade, but we saw them preparing for it.

We were on the cruise for Valentine's Day. The crew thought to "entertain" us. How sweet. THAT is the Captain dancing there in the front. And I wondered why the ship was rocking so much... hmmm....

Don't even ask what was happening here. Those crazy crew members....

And you may remember my appreciation for towel animals. Well, this little piggy stole my heart.

But for the record, I have no idea what our stateroom attendant was thinking here...

I will say it may have impacted his tip. Okay, maybe that's a poor choice of words. For the record -- I'm jumping overboard now.

Fake It Til I Make It

2010-03-03T22:15:00.010-05:00

Well, I've decided that since it seems that Spring is going to be taking her sweet ol' time reaching me, I'm going to have to search out my own Spring until she decides to arrive - or even gives us a clue that she is coming soon.

I started Monday.

Maria and I took on the Philadelphia Flower Show. Despite the throngs of people, it was very good for my soul. It is so hard to decide what to share here, so here are just a few highlights...

These beautiful orchids

were a part of this much larger magnificent display.

This display was so unique, I couldn't decide how I felt about it. I loved the creativity, but it represented how I've felt about the winter - trapped in the ice!!!

This year's "theme" for the Flower Show is "Passport to the World" and so the plants and landscape of different countries were highlighted.

This was South Africa. A lot of seeds and dried plant material were used in very creative ways...
These are just the masks...

I've yet to inform Keith that we really need all of THIS in our backyard....

I mean, come on... there is even a bed with a waterfall right next to it....

I can't imagine how he could possibly have any problems with this, can you? (Careful, don't ruin my personal Spring.)

Oh, look. Another bed in the yard. Very colorful. Very India.

This may have been one of my favorite parts of the flower show...and it was in the shopping section - it wasn't actually a part of the show. These are David Austin Roses...

Until I saw these roses, I wasn't a huge roses fan. I much prefered a bouquet of tulips, or a basket of hydrangea, a vase of peonies or a potted hyacinth. I could go on... but all to say that roses weren't at the top of my list.

Until Monday.

These roses took my breath away.

I needed that. My soul has found some Spring.

What is your favorite flower?

Awake, thou wintry earth-

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!

Thomas Blackburn, An Easter Hymn

A Little Snow Is A Good Thing

2010-02-28T21:09:00.008-05:00

Well now, I know I shouldn't have complained so much about the coming storm in my last post. Sorry about that. And as it turns out, the weather guys were wrong! We only had about 4 inches of accumulation which this year is NOTHING! But the kids still had a half day on Thursday and Friday off - so we made the most of our long weekend....

A special lunch with Grams at her residence, in the private dining room....

"The Emilias"

Noah is all about the food - and the fruit punch...

And Grams, she's a simple girl. Just give her the strawberry "Minnie Mouse" and she is happy!

On Saturday, Noah and I had "Date Day" while Emmy and Keith went to an ice skating birthday party. First we went to see Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief. I highly recommend this movie as a mother/son date movie. And afterwards, he took me to Barnes and Noble to check out the Percy Jackson books. But Thirty Nine Clues wins out right now for Noah.

It is amazing what a good movie, a mocha frappucino and a chocolate chip cookie as big as his head will do to my boy....

Sunday: Brunch, baby.... oh yeah!!

Just look at the excitement.... um, don't we all have our own seat -please!

We trek about 40 minutes to get to this favorite haunt.... Tortilla Press. Why the extra effort?

Maybe because THEY make the extra effort....

Citrusy goodness in their fresh-squeezed (like 3 feet away from the table) orange juice...

Or maybe it's the $6 Sunday Brunch entrees that are eyes-rollin'-into-the-back-of your-head deliciousness:

Noah's ChileQuiles

My Huevos Rancheros (yeah, I did pretty much eat all of that)

Emmy's "Eggs The Way You Like 'Em" - which for her should be titled "Four pieces of crispy bacon and honeyed toast as big as my face"

And Keith's breadfast enchiladas.

I really wish I was more versed in the cooking of this type of food myself!!!

We finished off our weekend with a birthday celebration for this guy:

Happy 73rd Birthday Poppy!!!!

For our family, we can always count on Banana Creme Pie in February. It's been the birthday boy's request for as long as we can remember!!!

My Mother-I-L's Artistry:

Okay. No more snow days. I'm full.

Really?

2010-02-25T08:06:00.004-05:00

We were finally starting to see grass again and then some wisecracker weather guy told me to expect another 10 inches today.

Stop the Insanity! I need me some SPRING!

That's My Philosophy!

2010-02-23T10:43:00.003-05:00

Well, you didn't think I was going wax philosophically on a deep level, did you? Oh. Well, not today. This was a Christmas present from my dear soul sister, Crystal. She knows me well.

While the bottle says it can be used as a shampoo, shower gel or bubble bath, I've only attempted shower gel as I am very particular about what I put in my hair. That would be because I have taken out a loan to pay my hair dresser. That' all I'm sayin'. I'm sure it works as a fine shampoo. And Bubble Bath.. ahh.. yes, if only there were time, and enough hot water to keep me comfortable... Let's just say that it won't be happening unless my dear hubby lets me pump up the heat above 65 in our home. Maybe mid-summer I'll try it as bubble bath...

I will also say that this particular product makes for a very heavenly shower experience, not that unlike my Hershey Spa experience. So if you can't get to Hershey anytime soon, perhaps you can get your hands on a bottle of this stuff.

It also comes in this flavor:

But I'm partial to the Chocolate Mint Truffle, myself.

And that would be because they forgot to put on the bottle: "tastes as good as it smells!"

Well... SOMEONE had to check...

Putting on My Pollyana

2010-02-20T08:46:00.007-05:00

So, several posts down, I made some excuses for why I hadn't been blogging - out of balance, things not quite right, etc., etc. And then I proceeded to show you pictures of parties, and chocolate, and spa treatments. What's the problem, right?

Often, we don't have pictures of the bad stuff that is going on. I don't normally take pictures during intense arguments that Keith and I are having, or the abominable behavior of certain 9 and 8 year olds. Although, maybe I should - it might give pause to some inexcusables.

I didn't have an opportunity to take a picture of Keith's car dying, although I should take a picture of his nightly search on the internet for a new - used- car. It has become such a part of our routine now.

And I didn't take a picture of my Grams in the hospital, when she threatened us with leaving this world for a better one. Although, I should take a picture of her now - back at her residence, playing BINGO!, and attending Valentine's parties.

However, I DID get a picture of Keith and I before leaving for his Annual Company Party. What? You don't recognize that as a bad thing? I must tell you that the Annual Company Party is the most dreaded of all dates in my calendar. More dreaded than MY Annual, if you know what I mean. To say that I hate going would be an understatement.

But at least, in year's past, I've been able to "find the glad" as Pollyana would say, and tried to look at it as an opportunity to get dressed up in my finest and have a lovely dinner with my hubby.

This year however... well, this year, Keith's company threw me a curveball. For the first time in 18 years, the Annual Company Party would have a THEME. And this year's theme, my friends was...

Country Western. Lord help me.

Now, maybe at first blush, this does not seem to be such a bad thing to you. But please take into account that I know no females at Keith's company, I had no one to confer with. No one to discuss unknown clothing faux pas. Keith ASSURED me that everyone was wearing jeans, but I was very wary of this. After years of cocktail gowns and high heels, I am supposed to wear jeans and cowboy boots. I wasn't so sure. So, my yearly high anxiety about the Annual Company Party reached new heights. And you see the smile I'm wearing in that picture? That's Love, right there. Painted on for my cowboy.

Now for the Glad:

It could have been togas.
A collective prayer of thanksgiving is in order here. Amen.

Milton and Me

2010-02-19T07:09:00.007-05:00

This is the story of Milton Hershey and me. Do you know Milt? I'm thinkin' you know his chocolate. Why do we have a story together? Well, because we have so much in common. We both love Jesus and chocolate. And I went to his town in January. So, there's that.

Way back in January of 2009, yes - last year - my dear husband, the yang to my yin, gave me as a 40th birthday gift, a weekend at the Hotel Hershey with money to spend at the Hershey Spa. Aahh...

One year later, we still had not ventured off to that chocolatey place. I began to whine just a little. My man made it happen. We descended upon Hershey before the blizzards of 2010 and I found chocolate bliss.

While I'm off at the spa, Keith will take you on a little tour around the cottage where we stayed...

Keith surprised me with chocolate covered strawberries as a little extra gift. Don't they look cute sitting on a bed of jimmies? You don't suppose those jimmies were just for decoration, do you? I sure hope they weren't....they sure tasted like I was supposed to eat them... all.

The room was very luxurious!!!

Bathroom really wasn't too shabby, either. Keith actually took 3 or 4 more shots of the toilet, -must be a guy thing - but I'm sparing you those. Your welcome.

The shower actually had a rain shower head above and two other shower heads on the side walls... heavenly...

We ate at 3 different Hershey restaurants, but I only got pictures at breakfast. Should you ever find yourself in Hershey (which I highly recommend you find yourself at some point) the hotel's restaurant, Harvest, was amazing. I wish I'd had my camera with me for that. Sorry. But here is breakfast at the Circular Dining Room. Also, on my list of places to eat again.

This was our view over-looking the hotel grounds.

We had the buffet, of course. I behaved quite well, I thought.

Well... okay, I almost did. How could I possibly pass up this?

Chocolate Bread Pudding with vanilla creme sauce? Breakfast of Champions I tell ya! Ask anyone on the US Olympic Team. Or not.

Okay, well I tried to do better at lunch. This was the Tuscan Salad at Houlihans, next to the Hershey Museum in the town. It was really quite beautiful, and delicious and I didn't even get dessert. I didn't need to. I had a big ol' dark chocolate Hershey bar in my purse, a small token of thanks from the hotel...

So, that was our Hershey weekend. Well, except for the spa part. I was NOT bringing the camera with me in there! I will tell you that I had a whipped cocoa bath, a rejuvinating facial AND a Cocoa Bean Body Scrub. I highly recommend the last of the three, if you could only pick one. I smelled like chocolate for days. Although, come to think of it, that could have been all the chocolate I was eating....

Thanks for the memories, Milt. You've wooed me. You had me at "cocoa".

I'll be back. The End.

A Good Place To Begin

2010-02-18T09:50:00.000-05:00

As if there were not enough calories to take in during the month of December, January brought with it party after party after party. It was my birthday, and Emily's - however, Emmy's was celebrated approximately 8 times.... Even if our birthday cakes were less than traditional, all this partying was such a HUGE problem for me. For my birthday, I insisted on a "cake" that I would not be tempted to eat. Keith purchased grocery store cinnamon rolls, as these have never been a problem for me to say "no" to in the past.... We'll blame it on the time of the month... I ate three. For Emmy's birthday parties, I did a little better, but not much. I was able to pass on the cupcakes and chocolate chip cookie cake with the blue icing, but not my homemade cinnamon rolls which were a part of a brunch that I had for her with Keith's family.

Where's the chocolate you ask? Well, of course there was chocolate in January. I'll tell you all about it - tomorrow.

Coming Up For Air

2010-02-17T11:45:00.003-05:00

So where have I been for the past 7 weeks?! Wow. It has been awhile and I have missed writing in this little world of Blog. That is not to say that I haven't thought of blogging. I'm hesitant to admit how many blog posts I have written in my mind in the wee hours of the morning, while standing in the shower and while driving in the car. But I never got those thoughts to paper or screen and they are now mostly gone, lost forever in the mire of thoughts along my perifory.

It has been difficult for me to write or even read other's blogs as I was feeling (and still do to some extent) rather out of balance and whiny and, and, well, fat. Do you get that way? Not fat, but out of joint for reasons you can't quite put a finger on and then have difficulty in even discussing the simple, easy, every day? Well, I do, apparently.

The start of my 2010 wasn't smooth. It was fractured, fragmented, disjointed. Not unhappy, but just not right either. And I couldn't put finger to key until I found my balance again. Since some will argue that I've never been very balanced anyway, I decided to stop waiting. Over the next few days I'll fill in some of the gaps of my time MIA, and then get back to the norm. It's nice to be back.

Time Keeps on Slippin'

2009-12-31T12:02:00.012-05:00

slippin', slippin... and I haven't posted in a while. I started a post earlier this week wishing you all a Merry Belated Christmas, but then the phone rang and it was a BFF so we had to talk til all hours, and I never got back to that blog post...

And so here we are. Snow-covered on New Year's Eve 2009. Preparing for 2010. Well, not really, but I like seeing this first decade of the new century so obviously stated. How will you pronounce the new year? Is it "Two Thousand Ten" or is it "Twenty Ten"? I haven't decided yet. I do know that I'll still be writing 2009 on my checks in April, though. It takes me awhile to get used to change.

This has been quite a decade. Ten years ago today, I was triple checking my inventory of food and cash for the inevitable crash that was going to occur as the clock ticked into the YEAR 2000. Obviously THAT didn't happen.

Keith and I were still in pre-children bliss, but eagerly anticipating the birth of our first child after having just told everyone that we were "expecting" that Christmas. We were both working, fixing up our first home, and we were so happy (well, except for my concern about the whole YEAR 2000 thing)

Now, a decade later, and still so happy, we have 2 awesome children, we are in house #2, we've purchased 2 new (and one used) cars, I've had 2 different hairstyles and I'm 2 pant sizes fluffier. I've said goodbye to one grandparent, one dear friend, and a brother-in-law (although he's still on this side of eternity...) And I won't even delve into all of the changes we've indured as a country!

Things sure do keep changing. And I already told you above how I do with change. Not that I don't like change, it just takes some getting used to. And that's why I haven't taken the time to blog over the past few weeks. I've wanted to, needed to, savor the moments I have with my family because in another ten years things will inevitably look so very different from now.

Here is our NOW:

May your New Year be full of fun, laughter,

and may you find warmth in the comfort of dear family and friends.

Have a blessed, Happy New Year! Cheers to the Now, and to our Future!

***Updated on 1/2/2010 to add more of our NOW that I somehow didn't get pictures of on Christmas!

These two nephews of mine need their own post, I think. I'll get to that sometime soon....

About Last Night

2009-12-18T14:21:00.004-05:00

Last night was the beginning of the end for me --- weight-wise, that is. At least for the next few weeks. Because last night was the annual cookie bake with my sisters-in-law. Thankfully, we only made three kinds.

There were spritz cookies in several different shapes, in both red and green (and some accidentally both red AND green...)

And these....

Which became these....

And then there are these... a personal favorite

No, not the carmel apple martini - I have NO idea how that even got there....

I mean these...

Almond Crescents...ahh...

Aside from the dozen I ate last night, today I've eaten, umm.. well, let's just say I'm covered in powdered sugar right now, and so is my keyboard...

And the worst isn't over. Tomorrow is my own annual cookie baking day. When I make the rest of my favorites. I have to. It's tradition. And I'm big on tradition. I'll be making 2 different kinds of biscotti, and cracker candy and truffles and raspberry swirls and ... and my poor little wii mii. She is going to be in some bad shape - literally.

Here is one cookie I won't be making tomorrow, but I just had to share it because it is so stinkin' cute and creative and crazy time-consuming. Saw it on www.notmartha.org. There are some very cute ideas on that site. However, I do think she must be related to THE Martha. I'm mean just look at these things!

Gingerbread houses that hang over your coffee mug! I know, I know. I rolled my eyes, too. and even had a milisecond thought of thinking I should try to make some. Thankfully it was a fleeting thought.

Anyway, I'm hoping that my home looks like this winter wonderland tomorrow. "They say" we are going to get 10-12 inches of snow tomorrow! Sounds like a perfect baking (eating) kind of day.

Santaday

2009-12-12T20:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I could have done better with the outfits for their pictures with Santa. But, really we were just at a pancake breakfast to support the Ruritans in our community, and boy scouts, and I really wasn't thinking about sitting on Santa's lap. But he was there, so we had to get a picture with him, and tell him what we want for Christmas. And by we, I mean Noah and Emily. I spared the poor man my current poundage. He would have immediately put my name on the naughty list. Plus, my wish list is even longer than Noah and Emmy's this year. I might have had kids throwing candy canes at me 'cause I was hogging up all of the jolly guy's time.

My wish list includes things like a tumbling composter, canning supplies and a generator. Don't ask. It also includes things like magazine subscriptions to Eating Well and Clean Eating, the book Mastering Your Metabolism ( by Jillian - the OTHER trainer...) and gift cards to Anthro and Loft (for when I actually lose all the weight I gained on the um...cruise? ....

Noah has a very modest list this year, and his most desired thing is a Marshmellow Shooter. Emmy? She's asking for the moon - and a puppy, and a DS, and an IPHONE!! among many other things.... What's on your list this year?

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2009-12-09T16:55:00.012-05:00

Despite how often it happens, it continues to rattle me that people can be listening to or reading the exact same thing and come away with something so completely different. Whether it be listening to a TV news reporter, politician or comedian, it is amazing to me how differently people hear what is said. I do not know when this extreme divide occured in our country, but it scares me.

So, I've decided I'll just be listening to Christmas music for a while. Pretty straight forward I think. Simple message. Important message. Timely. And fills me with hope and peace. Because despite all the opinions and interpretations out there, God is in control. Praise Him for the life of that Baby born in Bethlehem.

Last night, we enjoyed a special concert at Barnes and Noble, featuring our very own Noah. Okay, well, he wasn't FEATURED, but he was part of the chorus. Keith continues to be amazed by our son's lack of fear when in front of large groups of people, or even just performing in front of us. Keith has said so many times, "I never would have been able to do that at his age!"

And in 4th grade, I may have very well thrown up and/or passed out in such a situation as this.

But not this handsome feller. Nope. How nice for us. And how nice to hear him singing.

Do you have a favorite Christmas song that you like to listen to or sing? I have too many favorites to say, but I do enjoy singing Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" just to drive my kids crazy :) And I think O Holy Night is one of the most beautiful. But there are sooo many good ones out there! Thankfully - since that's all I'm going to be listening to for a while!

Sweet Tart

2009-11-25T09:22:00.004-05:00

One thing that I know for sure is that Keith will not make a cranberry bog for me in our backyard. It is good to know some things for sure. Creates some stability.

However, I really like things with cranberries in them. Thankfully, cranberry bogs are plentiful in our state, and therefore so are cranberries at this time of year. Yesterday I made a Cranberry bread that turned out just right, so I thought I'd share the recipe with you here. The aroma as it bakes will have you dancing around your kitchen AND the best part is that it makes two loaves - one for you, and one for everyone else! ;)

Cranberry Bread

4 oz. butter, softened
2 extra large eggs
1 T. orange zest
1 1/2 c. fresh orange juice
4 c. flour
2 c. white sugar, plus more to dust on top of each loaf before baking
3 tspn. baking powder
1 tspn. baking soda
2 tspn. salt
12 oz. of fresh cranberries (about 4-5 cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 8" loaf pans and set aside. In bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Beat together butter, eggs, and zest. Add the juice and and stir well (will look a little curdled - ignore that). Add flour mixture and beat til just incorporated. Fold in cranberries and walnuts and then divide batter between two pans. Dust the tops with sugar ( I actually made up some cinnamon sugar and put that on top) - about 2 tspns per loaf ( I like a thick, sweet crust on top). Bake for about 50 minutes depending on your oven and loaf pans. Let cool 10 minutes and remove to a rack to cool completely.

Moist, sweet, tart, delicious. Just in time to take to Mom's for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!

Enjoy!

Back Up Plan

2009-11-21T18:26:00.008-05:00

Should you find yourself on the evening of your husband's birthday with say, a coconut custard pie that never set and you're just a few short minutes from gift giving and Happy Birthday singing, I've discovered an impromptu back up plan....

Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake:
(thanks to my friend that forwarded this recipe to me in an email! :)

4 T flour
4 T sugar
2 T cocoa
1 egg
3 T milk
3 T oil (don't accidentally add OLIVE oil... not as tasty in cake... wasn't a good day all around..)
3 T chocolate chips
splash vanilla extract (yes, that IS a measurement in my kitchen)

1 Large Coffee Mug - microwavable

Mix dry ingredients in mug, add egg and mix thoroughly. Add milk and oil, mix, add vanilla extract and chips, mix again. Pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts ( I just did it on my microwave's normal setting and assumed it was that) (If you know how to determine the watts on your microwave, more power to ya -get it, power, ....hello? Right. Back to the recipe.)

Don't be alarmed when the cake looks as if it is going to rise up out of the mug and take off like the gingerbread man. Instead, grab the kids and stand around laughing like crazy at it. Takes your mind off the time spent on the coconut custard pie that never set.

Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if you want. Or just let your loved one eat it right out of the mug. Top with the real whipped cream that you can't use on your coconut custard pie that never set. It's really good! Even if you do accidentally use olive oil....

The birthday boy was thoroughly impressed. But he also reminded me that I still owe him a coconut custard pie.... hmmm.... I think Sara Lee's are on sale this week at the market...if so, I'm all SET! Sorry, I couldn't help it. Please stop by again sometime. I'll try not to be so corny.

A Cause Not Wanted to be Found

2009-11-14T20:47:00.017-05:00

Six months ago, a friend of our family, who has also been Emily's baseball coach for 3 years, pulled Keith aside after a baseball practice to tell Keith that ---he was dying.

Keith walked away from that tear-filled conversation in disbelief. Our friend, Jeff, a 38 year old husband and father of 3 young children, athletic, outgoing, funny as all get out, extremely active in our community in Little League and as a member of the school board, was diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Have you known anyone with ALS? I hadn't until then. I don't think any of us were prepared for how quickly the disease would invade Jeff's life. And his family's. It is a horrible, horrible, horrible disease. With no cure. Yet. Last weekend we participated in an ALS walk at Citizen's Bank Park as part of the "Bases for Brown" team.

Jeff's team raised more money then any other team there. And there was a second team there in his honor, too. He works for Campbell Soup, and they had a team named "Red and White for Brown". It was amazing to see the support there for him. But then, I wasn't surprised, really. He is a great friend to a lot of people.

There were many, many other people there, too. And many of them walked for loved ones already gone.

What I saw was a lot of people needing praying for, but also a lot of prayers of thanks for the love and support that surrounded them that day. Pray for Jeff. Pray for his wife, Janet and their 3 beautiful children. Thanks.

Field Trip

2009-11-06T14:19:00.006-05:00

No school for 3 days this week due to Teacher's Convention normally means getting out of Dodge City for the week, but this year we opted to just do a day trip. Keith took the day off, and we headed West - to Pennsylvania. Not wanting to veer far from his element, Keith decided we should do a "How's That Made" tour.

First stop... Herrs Food, Inc. - producer of salty snacks I really shouldn't eat, but do.

Of course, going to production sights where sights, sounds and smells are proprietary is not the best situation for someone who wants to blog the experience. So... I don't have many pictures. We really did go inside and take the tour.

Luvin' Emmy's outfit.... ??

We were even given free snacks... new flavors... not our first choices, but not too bad...

Then we made our way back to into Philadelphia, and headed to another How's That Made desination - in which I was not allowed to bring a camera, lest I be assaulted by a Homeland Security Guard or something...So, here it is...

Wait... Here it is....

The Philadelphia Mint. We did go inside and took the self-guided tour, but I left my camera in the car since I knew I wouldn't be allowed to take pics. I didn't want to have to fight a security guard for my camera, so I played it safe... It was very interesting, although they weren't making any money. I won't even make any political jokes about that.

After all the touring, it was time to get down to business. Let's EAT! Keith has been wanting to go to a place called Chickie & Pete's for... forever, so we thought this would be a good time as it is in Philly, and we were in Philly. Like it was meant to be or something.

It's a sports bar, right next to the huge sports complex that houses the Phillies (baseball)Stadium, Eagles (Football) Stadium and Flyer's (Hockey) Stadium. The "kids" had fun wandering around trying to figure out which pictures of sports figures they recognized. Me, I was starving and sat at the table eating the menu. Forgive me, but there are no food pictures as I was too busy eating. And, um.. it was very good.

Of course, we wouldn't be Turner's if we ended our eating there. After a full meal, we walked next door for dessert.

Termini's Bakery. A Philadelphia Icon.

What to have, what to have...

One of everything, please?

Easy choice for Keith and I. Cannolis - filled with creamy goodness - while you wait! And, I can even take pictures. My kinda place!

Yum!

Scary Times

2009-11-03T07:46:00.002-05:00

These are scary times for our country. Make sure your voice is heard. Get out today and VOTE!!

Where Did I go Wrong?

2009-10-31T17:07:00.008-04:00

It seems like just yesterday, my boy's desire was to be his sister's Knight in shining armor, and she the fair maiden....

Or a brave pirate, showing chivalry to the fair maiden.... kind of, anyway...

Or a Ninja, rescuing the... fair maiden, of course..

Or even his future career, with a fair maiden cheering him on.

But not this year. Nope. This year he went in a slightly different direction...

Lord, help me. He wanted to be Ozzy Osbourne for Halloween. Now, mind you, not the Ozzy of my youth. Not the bat-head lovin', Jesus cursin' , crazy train-wreck psycho of years gone by. No, no, no.

The more subdued, very confused, hard to understand, Samsung commercial-making Ozzy Osbourne. 'Cause THAT makes it better.

Of course, I'm not sure how I'm feelin' about this either....

Next year, I think we are going to go away for Halloween. Maybe on a nice little church retreat somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains. But for right now, I'm going to get the bowl of Halloween candy and sit in the closet. A few Reese's products and many prayers and maybe I'll start feeling better...