This was forwarded to me via email from a member of my Sunday School class. It provides good food for thought as many of us are taking time the next few days to reflect on the year that is behind us and set goals for the year coming forward.
LIFE IS COFFEE
A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.
When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering.
'You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones.
While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems.'
He continued...'Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink.
What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups...then you began eyeing each other's cups....'
'Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups.'
'Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.'
So: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Life is Coffee
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Family Recipe - Turkey Enchiladas
We like to have turkey throughout the year, not just at the holidays. When we have left-over turkey, as we always do, one of our favorite recipes is Turkey Enchiladas. You can also make these with chicken.
Here's how I put mine together:
2 cups diced turkey (approximately 2 cups - you can do more or less)
1 can cream of ____ soup. I use anything without MSG, like cream of broccoli, cream of mushroom or cream of chicken. All of these are good in this recipe.
1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
1 cup plus extra of shredded cheese. We like the Sargento 4 flavor Mexican blend
8-10 flour tortillas. If you use packaged and they are smaller, you'll need about 10.
Salt and pepper and other seasonings to taste - I change this based on how I seasoned my turkey meat during baking. If you are using chicken, I boil the chicken with onions and garlic for extra seasoning.
Dice your turkey so you have about 2 cups and place into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl mix the cream of soup, sour cream, milk and 1 cup of shredded cheese. You want a fairly thick mixture.
Place 1/2 of the soup mixture in with the turkey and stir well. Spoon this mixture into the individual tortilla shells and roll them up. Place them in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
When you have all of the turkey mixture in the tortillas and they are all in the baking pan, you'll spoon the remaining soup mixture over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle with extra cheese.
For baking, if your turkey was cold when you started, you'll want to make sure it gets heated through. So I bake mine on the Convection setting of my oven at about 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is very golden and I'm sure the middle of the tortillas is warm.
If you are doing this with chicken and have just finished boiling your chicken and have cut it up and it is still warm, you can bake it in a regular oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is very golden.
We just had these 2 nights ago - they are a big hit! Enjoy!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Thursday Thirteen
New Year's Menu:
1. Baked Goose
2. Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Veggies
3. Black-Eyed Peas
4. Cranberry-Orange Relish
5. Homemade Bread
6. Homemade Creme Brulee for dessert
Reading List so far for the New Year:
7. Home-making
8. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God
9. In Defense of Israel
10. Bible
A few projects already on tap for the New Year:
11. Order Jesse Tree Cross-stitch ornaments to work on with my 8 year old daughter so we'll have them done by Christmas 2008.
12. Start on cross-stitch stockings for the girls - over the holidays I saw some a friend had done for her family and they were lovely. I decided immediately I'd like to do one for each of the girls - they should last a lifetime and are so beautiful!
13. Continue to streamline and simplify our home environment!
You can visit more Thursday Thirteen lists here.
What are you thinking about as we head into the New Year?
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wonderful Christmas Memories
Wonderful Christmas memories were made yesterday at our home, how about yours? We let our girls open a couple of presents and their stockings on Christmas Eve, a tradition we had in my family when I was a little girl. They were thrilled to get a chance at a little pre-Christmas excitement! My husband spent some time before the gift giving when we talked about the reason for Christmas, celebrating the birth of baby Jesus and about the importance of serving others, not the gifts and presents.
Christmas morning this year we decided to spend entirely at my mom's house. Instead of the girls opening a few presents at our house and then heading to my mom's for more presents and lunch, we decided to just do everything at mom's.
I expected the girls to be up before sunrise - as did my mom. But they surprised us both by sleeping until their usual natural waking time of around 7:00 AM. We called my mom, Meme, to tell her we were up and getting ready so we could head her way. She was shocked the girls had slept as normal - she said she'd gotten up at 5:00 AM so she could be ready when we got there early!
After we arrived we had a quick breakfast of cinnamon rolls and mom also had a fruit and cheese platter waiting. Very nice way to start the morning!
The girls had a delightful time opening their gifts from Dad, Mom, Meme and Papa. There were many surprises and happy smiles! I'll have some pictures posted here later.
We had our main Christmas meal around 2:30 PM - baked turkey and baked ham, gravy, sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing, fruit ambrosia salad and yeast rolls. Delicious! Later in the afternoon we followed it by Lemon Icebox Pie for dessert.
For Christmas baking each year I like to make a few things leading up to Christmas that my family can enjoy. This year I made chocolate peanut butter brownies, coffee shop fudge, ginger cakes, gingersnaps and mixed nut brittle. We've been really enjoying these goodies!
We don't usually participate in the after Christmas sales, so today will be a day of relaxing and savoring the Christmas memories made yesterday!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
It Was The Night Jesus Came
It was the night Jesus came and all through the house,
not a person was praying, not one in the house...
The Bible was left on the shelf without care,
for no one thought Jesus would come there...
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
not once ever kneeling or bowing their head..
And Mom in the rocking chair with babe on her lap,
was watching the Late Show as I took a nap .
When out of the east there rose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter ....
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and lifted the sash .
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but Angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.....
The light of His face made me cover my head...
was Jesus returning just like He'd said....
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself....
In the Book of Life which he held in his hand,
was written the name of every saved man....
He spoke not a word as he searched for my name,
when He said 'it's not here' My head hung in shame....
The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to his Father above....
With those who were ready He rose without sound,
while all of the others were left standing around ....
I fell to my knees but it was too late,
I'd waited too long and thus sealed my fate ....
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight,
Oh, if only I'd known that this was the night.....
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear
the coming of Jesus is now drawing near ....
There's only one life and when comes the last call,
We'll find out that the Bible was true after all.
B -Basic
I - Instruction
B - Before
L - Leaving
E - Earth
Holiday Giveaway Week 7 Winners
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen of my favorite things to drink, in no particular order:
- Sweet Tea
- Water
- Coca-Cola
- Sumatran Coffee
- Mexican Coffee
- South American Hot Chocolate
- Mulled Cider
- Orange Soda
- Chocolate Milk
- Blush Niagara Wine
- Margaritas
- Gin and Tonic
- McCormicks Irish Cream
You can visit more Thursday Thirteen Lists here.
Be sure to check out my final Christmas Giveaway this week - there will be 4 winners announced on Saturday, December 22nd!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Holiday Giveaway Week #7
This week I have some helpful household items to give away just in time for Christmas and New Years! There will be FOUR (4) separate winners this week!
Item 1: 2 winners
Two winners have a chance to receive a Capture Carpet Cleaning Total Care Kit. If you haven't seen my previous posts about my product loyalty to this product and my previous giveaways of these kits, please visit them!
I absolutely love this product and I haven't found a stain that it won't remove. Plus, it is a dry-cleaning product, meaning no yucky wet carpet. We are very careful about not using chemical cleaners in our home and we've had no problems using this cleaner for many, many years now. You can see the material safety data sheet here.
The folks at Capture were nice enough to give me several of these kits to give away and these are the last two I have left! So, if you think you might need to do some spot cleaning or clean some high traffic areas after your Christmas and New Years guests have departed, this is the giveaway for you!
Item 2: 1 winner
One winner has the chance to receive these great little knives that my husband donated to my giveaway. One is a fish filet knife - great for those of you who love to go fishing or know someone who does! One is a great little knife for opening mail and one is a handy little knife to carry in your pocket or purse. I keep a pocket knife with me at all times and use it often for lots of little things that come up. These would also make a great gift!
Item 3: 1 winner
One winner has the chance to receive these three helpful books:
1) Mom's Busy Book is a great little organizer for your family details. It has room for personal and health details for Mom, Dad and 2 children. It has a place for details about financial documents, household decorating, clothing sizes, emergency notifications - the list goes on. It is brand-new and unused.
2) Quick Home-Cooked Meals is a recipe book for cooking meals with your microwave in 30 minutes or less. It was given to me as a gift, but is unused because I just don't use my microwave for cooking. If you do or know someone who does, this is the perfect gift.
3) Simple Pledges is a book that gives women the building blocks for healthy living. Peppered with scrumptious recipes and delightful stories, this book is sure to be an encouragement to you on your road to healthy living and eating!
>>>SO, how do you win one of these prizes? Here's what you need to do:
1) Leave me a comment telling me how you and your family like to ring in the New Year! If you have a favorite recipe you can share that too if you'd like!
2) Let me know your order of preference for the giveaway items above if you are chosen as the winner.
3) You don't need a blog to enter, but please make sure I have a way to get in touch with you via email to notify you if your name is chosen as a winner.
4) The 4 winners will be drawn and notified via email on Saturday, December 22nd.
That's all there is to it! Please be sure to tell your friends to stop by and enter!
Blessings this week and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Secret Sister Thank You!
A very pretty towel and pot holder set with a sweet Christmas card! I love to put out decorative towels and pot holders in my kitchen to go along with the different seasons and this set fits in so nicely with the holiday and winter theme!
Thank you, Secret Sister, for adding a little surprise to my day yesterday! Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Christmas Tour of Homes
BooMama is sponsoring a 2007 Christmas Tour of Homes where we can share our decorations for the Christmas season with all our online friends and family! What a wonderful idea! Click on the button on my sidebar and you can see the complete list of participants.
Here's a summary of our decorations ~ with a family recipe at the end!
Please be sure to check back on Tuesday, when I post this week's holiday giveaway!
We live in Tennessee, where it has just started to get cold. We rarely have any snow, much to the disappointment of my girls and much to my delight. Cold is not my thing! We have 3 little girls, ages 8, 5 and 2 and are a homeschooling family. The girls are my decorating helpers - my 8 year old daughter is developing quite an eye for style, along with the help of my mom and aunt! My 5 year old daughter has been really enjoying this holiday season and my 2 year old has been our main source of re-arranging!
Here is our tree that the girls decorated. It is in the front window of our living room. This year we opted to use our 4 foot artificial tree, mainly because of all the re-arranging help by our 2 year old. We wanted to make sure we didn't have a tree that would cause bodily injury to her if it comes crashing down while she's admiring the ornaments! We have our collection of holiday stuffed animals, books and some packages under the tree.
Here's a quick shot of the girls having fun after their decorating efforts!
Just to the left of the tree is our piano, which we kept a little understated this year
Here is our mantle above the fireplace in our living room. It is a wood-burning fireplace we use lots during the winter to keep our living room area warm.
Here is our nativity set on a end table in the living room. This is by far the decoration that our 2 year old daughter loves to re-arrange the most!
In our kitchen and dining area, we have a little desk with our phone and pens on it across from our dining table. The girls decorated this little tree on the desk.
Here is our dining table:
I have 3 shelves on the wall above a built-in desk area in my kitchen. Mainly for cookbooks, pie plates, etc. I added a couple of Christmas plates and holiday bears to add to the holiday feel.
As you go down the hall from the kitchen toward the stairs, we did a little decorating in our downstairs bathroom - not shown is a delightful peppermint soap bar that leaves this room smelling just heavenly!
Here is the table at the end of the stairs in our hallway. My 8 year old daughter decorated this little tree.
Here is the wreath on our front door. The door color is actually a kind-of brick red color, although it always seems to show up as a cranberry in photos. I made the wreath about 10 years ago - I'm amazed it has held up this well!
I hope you've enjoyed a little peek into our holiday decorating. We like to put a little touch of Christmas in every room. We also have lights on the house outside, along with a little snowman and some packages, but alas I don't have pictures of those yet. Last year when my youngest daughter was 1 and we didn't want a tree inside that she could pull over, we put our Christmas tree outside and decorated it for all the birds and squirrels, which was a big hit!
Here's a family recipe for a Fruit Ambrosia / Salad that you might like to use this holiday season. My mom makes it every Christmas and it is a delicious addition to a heavy holiday meal! You can use any variety of fruits you'd like and it will look very festive in a lovely clear bowl! I make mine like this (it will feed 15-20):
1 bunch of green or purple seedless grapes, cut in half
3 large cans of mandarin oranges, drained well
2 large cans of chunk pineapple, drained well
4 large Gala apples, peeled and cubed
1 can shredded coconut
1 cup or so of walnut pieces
about 1/2 bag of minature marshmallows
1/2 jar marashino cherries, diced
2-3 Tablespoons sour cream - more if needed
I put all of the fruit and nuts and marshmallows in a large mixing bowl. Stir gently with a large spoon to mix. Add the sour cream - just enough to lightly coat all the fruit. I then refrigerate mine overnight to allow the flavors to incorporate. Before serving, I spoon into a clear, decorative bowl with a slotted spoon so any extra juice is left in the mixing bowl - you don't want the final product to be soaking in juice. Keep refrigerated.
Enjoy the tour of homes and have a very Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Holiday Giveaway Week #6 Winner
The winner of the great set of knives is:
Laura Williams ~ you can visit her blog Laura Williams' Musings and get information about lots of great things and contests going on!
CONGRATULATIONS LAURA!!!!!
One more giveaway to go this coming Tuesday - think Household Helps and be sure to tell your friends to stop by!
Have a blessed weekend!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Show and Tell Friday
There's No Place Like Home and Canadagirl both sponsor a Show and Tell Friday - you'll want to go visit them!
I thought I'd share some of our final Christmas decorating photos today ~ we've finished our indoor and outdoor decorating for this year. We have a few presents left to wrap and a few Christmas cards left to get out the door before we can settle back and ease off the "to do" list!
Enjoy your weekend! Oh, and if you'd like a chance to win a brand-new, 21-piece cutlery set just in time for Christmas, be sure to click on the giveaway button at the top of my blog and leave your comment!
Here's a picture of the little tree on the desk near our dining table - my two oldest daughters did the decorating and my youngest (2 years old) keeps re-arranging!
Here's our dining table this year:
Here's a shelf in my kitchen with my Christmas plates and a couple of Christmas bears:
Here's our nativity on a end table in the living room - another thing the little one has fun re-arranging!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Heard In Play . . .
>>The girls are playing "rescue" while I'm doing some cooking - the following was overheard:
8 year old: "I need help, OVER".
5 year old: "Help is on the way, ODOR".
Hmmm -
>>My 5 year old daughter's Christmas medley this morning (sung as all one song)
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Have a holly jolly Christmas
Mistletoe hung like Christmas bows
With Christmas trees and cookies
A budding songwriter, perhaps?
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen jobs I've had (in sequential order):
- Bakery Associate at a grocery store
- Recipe and menu typist for a restaurant
- Secretary in a college admissions office
- Real estate agent
- Bookkeeper for a real estate office
- Secretary for a research office
- Clinical Research Monitor
- Clinical Research Project Manager
- Clinical Research Monitor Manager
- President / CEO / Owner of a Clinical Research Clinic
- Clinic Director for a birth center
- Clinical Research Consultant
- Rancher / Market Director for our grass-fed, natural beef
You can visit more Thursday Thirteen lists at the link.
If you'd like a chance to win a brand-new, 21-piece kitchen cutlery set just in time for Christmas, click on the giveaway button at the top of my blog and leave your comment!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Works For Me Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Holiday Giveaway - Week #6
Everyone who spends time in the kitchen will love this week's giveaway!
This week I'm offering a Brand-New, 21-Piece Cutlery Set. It is a Chef Deluxe Miracle Edge set by Frost Cutlery ~ a $40.00 value. Here is a photo:
The set includes the following knives that will make all of your food preparation tasks so much easier!
1 Butcher's Knife
1 Cleaver
1 Filet Knife
1 Utility Knife
1 Tomato Knife
1 Boning Knife
1 Chef's Knife
1 Bread Slicer
3 Paring Knives
1 Utility Scissors
1 Large Kitchen Utility Knife
8 Steak Knives
All are dishwasher safe and made of surgical steel blades. So, if you could use a set of new kitchen knives or would like these for a special Christmas gift, here's what you need to do to enter this week's giveaway:
1. Share with me a holiday kitchen memory or favorite holiday kitchen recipe or favorite holiday kitchen short-cut.
2. You are not required to have a blog to enter, but be sure I have a way to contact you via email if you are selected as the winner.
3. One winner will be drawn this Saturday, December 15th.
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to tell your friends to come enter!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday Meanderings
Monday Meanderings is sponsored by Less of Me~More of Him - please click over to see how you can participate!
This is my very favorite time of the year as we prepare for our Christmas celebrations. Here's what's on my schedule this week:
Bible Study: Chapter 19 - Mothers Are Revealers of God's Heart - in the Power of Motherhood Bible Study - Click here if you want to know more about this awesome Bible study!
Must-Do Household Task: Here's what I have on my MUST do list this week:
~ Christmas cards finished and out the door - ugh, I'm still trying to get this done this year! Usually I get mine all sent out by Thanksgiving weekend!
~ Put away totes and boxes from indoor and outdoor Christmas decorating.
~ Continue to finalize presents to be mailed to family / friends.
~ Move 2007 business / ranch tax receipts to envelopes to prepare for 2008 receipt filing is still pending from last week.
Train Them Up: Week 19 of our school year using My Father's World Kindergarten and Adventures in My Father's World is on schedule, along with extra craft projects for Christmas.
Character Training: Our usual daily chores using Managers of Our Chores - I love this program. I found that it was easier to plan out my chores that needed to be done each day first, then use the Managers of Our Homes to plan out my schedule for each week. We will continue working on good attitudes using tips from this great site about child training - our ongoing activity is "tomato staking" and working on the heart attitudes that go with service to others. We are continuing our work on Kindness, Appreciation and Listening Skills. Special emphasis these next couple of weeks with reminders about "needs" versus "wants".
Prayer Journal: I'm replacing the Menu Planning section I was doing here with this section for special prayer journal notes. I do keep a prayer journal (click the link to see how mine is organized) ~ I'm not putting my regular daily/weekly prayer listings here, just a couple of items of concentration for this week:
~ My mom as the holiday season approaches ~ holidays are a tough time for her as her thoughts and memories turn to the loss of my dad (12/1983) and my brother (12/2005).
~ A family new to our church - the mom has ovarian cancer and has been given 6 months to live - they have 2 sons, ages 9 and 12. The father, who is supporting the family financially and doing all the "home" support for this family was hospitalized at the end of last week for diverticulitis and could need surgery. They have no extended family in our area. Our Sunday School class is reaching out to provide meals, schedule activities for the boys and provide help with transportation for the mom to her doctor's appointments while her husband is still in the hospital. We're trying to wrap this family in Jesus' love!
Praises:
~ My mom ended up having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic they put her on last week for her UTI. We had a few tense moments when she was hospitalized for 1/2 a day on Friday because her potassium dropped critically low. Fortunately, she received great care with oral and IV potassium and antibiotic - she seems back to her old self this weekend.
~ My sister-in-law who was hospitalized for a stroke on Thanksgiving Day was able to be discharged home this past Thursday and is continuing her physical therapy; she seems to be in good spirits.
~ My husband and his unit made it home safely from their drill weekend in Kentucky this past weekend.
Don't forget to stop back by on Tuesday to sign up for this week's holiday giveaway - this week's giveaway will be a culinary delight for those of you who love to spend time in the kitchen - or if you know someone who does it would make a great Christmas present!
Christmas Lessons For Children
This is taken from a little booklet I have called "Mini Moments For Christmas" - a good reminder that what we do and how we behave is noticed by our children and makes a permanent impression.
~ Christmas Lessons for Children ~
When you ask me what I want and what I'm going to get, I learn that Christmas is GETTING.
When you tell me I'd better be good, I learn that Christmas is CONDITION.
When you make promises and don't keep them, I learn that Christmas is DISAPPOINTMENT.
When you are short-tempered and make threats, I learn that Christmas is UNPREDICTABLE.
When you hurry around, get up early, and stay up late, I learn that Christmas is BUSY.
When you do things for others and help me to do the same, I learn that Christmas is SHARING.
When you go to church and take me with you, I learn that Christmas is WORSHIP.
When you hum to yourself and smile at strangers, I learn that Christmas is PEACE.
When you put up lights and bake cookies, I learn that Christmas is PLEASURE.
When you stop in your busy day and spend time with me, I learn that Christmas is LOVE.
Blessings as you go through this week!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Holiday Giveaway Week 5 Winners
I am very excited to announce the winners of this week's giveaway from Ugly Mug Coffee! I enjoyed reading all the entries to see what you all chose as your favorite products ~ everything they have is so delicious!
Even if you aren't a winner here today, please support this fabulous Christian company and place your holiday order today! In case you didn't see it on their website, they have a DirectFix option, which will send your personal choice of coffee, tea and/or hot chocolate to your home every month - no more shopping necessary!
I put all the names in a bowl and my daughters and I each drew a name this morning - I'm pleased to say that the winners this week are:
1. Ellinghouse - her blog is Ellinghouse if you'd like to go visit her.
2. Christis - her blog is Blah Blah Blog if you'd like to go visit her.3. Aunt Bea - no blog listed, but I've sent Brenda an email.
4. Jean - her blog is Working Momma 247 if you'd like to go visit her.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THIS WEEK'S WINNERS!
The winners have been notified by email with the details of their win. Each winner has until the end of the day on Monday, December 10th to respond to my email to claim their giveaway or a new name will be selected.
Please be sure to come back next week, starting on Tuesday, December 11th, for my next giveaway - think in terms of Culinary Delights - and please tell your friends!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Show and Tell Friday
There's No Place Like Home and Canadagirl both sponsor a Show and Tell Friday - you'll want to go visit them!
This week we've been busy putting the final touches on our indoor Christmas decorations. The girls love making the house look festive and bright! We put on Christmas music of all varieties and spend a couple of days putting a little something festive in every room. Here are a few photos that I'll share with you today:
Here's a picture of our little tree in the living room that the girls decorated. We decided that since our youngest daughter is 2 and fascinated by the ornaments, we'd go with this small artificial tree for this year. The girls also have a Christmas book basket that goes under the tree.
Here's our piano, which is just to the left of the tree. I kept it simple this year.
Here's our mantle. Mainly in reds and golds this year.
There is a little landing to the right of the front door as you are headed upstairs. My oldest daughter decorated this little tree for that area.
Here's our front door wreath - I made this one over 10 years ago - it has held up pretty well!
We're still working on the dining table, the kitchen shelves and a little tree for the girls' room. I'll post those pictures soon!
While you are here visiting, please stop by my holiday giveaway and enter - if you love coffee, tea or hot chocolate, this is a great giveaway! 4 winners will be drawn on Saturday! Just click the holiday giveaway button at the top of my blog and it will take you to this week's giveaway post!
Have a blessed weekend!
Blogger Friend School - #11
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Thursday Thirteen
I thought I'd get this Thursday Thirteen list up early, as the time nearing Christmas is often a bit hectic! For more Thursday Thirteen lists, you can visit the link. Also, please be sure to stop by my holiday giveaway this week - if you love coffee, tea or hot chocolate, you'll enjoy this giveaway!
A CHRISTMAS DAY for us is:
A = Angels
C = Christ
H = Happiness
R = Red Ribbon
I = Icicles
S = Santa
T = Treats
M = Merriment
A = Adoration
S = Surprises
D = Decorations
A = Apple Cider
Y = Yuletide
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Wordless Wednesday
More Wordless Wednesday pics are here.
Works For Me Wednesday - What Do I Cook?
Today's Works For Me Wednesday is a themed edition - we're supposed to share what we fix for dinner on those days that, well, we'd just rather not have to fix dinner at all!
We try to keep a well-stocked pantry so that we can come up with "quick fixes" on those nights that need something quick, easy and still nutritious.
One of our favorites is Pasta with Pesto and Chicken. Easy as pie. My girls love the twisted pasta noodles in the tri-color. I put some pasta on to boil and saute a few chicken breast tenderloins while waiting for the pasta to get done. Once the pasta is ready and drained, I put it back in the warm pan, stir in some olive oil and pesto, then add the chicken that I've cooked then cubed. I put this into bowls and add a little freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Easy as pie and everyone has a clean plate!
While you are here, please stop by my holiday giveaway this week - if you like coffee, tea or hot chocolate, you'll love this giveaway and there will be 4 winners on Saturday!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Blogger Friend School - #10
Secret Sister Thank You!
I'm participating for the first time in the "holiday edition" of Secret Sisters sponsored by Tamara at Training Hearts ~ the purpose is to find small ways, twice a month, to uplift a fellow homeschooling mom that we've been assigned.
Well, I received my first "uplifting" package today from my Secret Sister. It definitely put a smile on my face! I received a crossword puzzle booklet, a pencil and 2 Hershey milk chocolate bars! I've mentioned a few times here that I love chocolate (they are calling my name as I write this), but was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see the crossword puzzle book! I think I might have mentioned once in passing here that my grandmother taught me how to work crossword puzzles starting when I was about 8 years old - so this secret sister either really did some digging through this blog or just has an uncanny knack at knowing what would make me smile! I haven't actually had a crossword book to work in many years - so I am really looking forward to getting the chance to work on this one a few nights over the coming weeks!
Thank you, Secret Sister - you definitely made my day!
Holiday Giveaway - Week #5
I am so EXCITED about this week's giveaway that I can hardly get the words on this page fast enough!
Okay, I know there are a lot of coffee, tea and hot chocolate lovers out there, right???
Well, you haven't had your daily fix of coffee, tea or hot chocolate UNTIL you've tried some from UGLY MUG. That's right, roasted right here in my hometown of Memphis, TN are some of the most delicious and delightful taste sensations that will ever cross your taste-buds! Can you tell we absolutely LOVE them???
This is one fantastic company, ya'll. Christians. Homeschoolers. Believers in all things fair trade and organic - they walk the walk in a time when everyone is talking the talk about "fair trade". And they know their coffee.
To quote their website: "It’s not easy, but we select the purest beans in a way that’s 100% fair to growers, not “just enough that we can claim to be fair.” One Hundred Percent. A fair trade price means farmers can feed and clothe their families. It means they receive adequate healthcare, and can give their kids educational opportunities."
This is a business that deserves our support, wouldn't you agree??
Ugly Mug has very generously offered some of their most delicious products for me to share with you this week. I have 4 coffees, 2 hot chocolates and 2 chai teas that are just begging to be enjoyed this holiday season! So, FOUR lucky winners will get to choose (1) coffee blend and either (1) chai tea or (1) hot chocolate to go with it!
Here's what you have to do to enter this week's giveaway:
1) Head on over to Ugly Mug and spend some time tempting your tastebuds while you browse through their fabulous shop.
2) Come back here and let me know what your favorite products are.
3) It is not necessary to have a blog to enter, but please make sure I have a way to get in touch with you via email if you are a winner.
4) FOUR winners will be chosen this Saturday, December 8th. I'll contact each by email and they will have until Monday, December 10th to claim their giveaway.
That's it - now hurry on over to Ugly Mug and get busy shopping! Oh, and don't forget to tell your friends to come by and enter!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Holiday Open House
Tiany over at Less of Me ~ More of Him is sponsoring a Holiday Open House until December 10th. She's inviting moms to share their holiday inspirations with her so she can share them with all of us! Please click the link to her site to find out more about this wonderful event and how it will be a blessing to you this holiday season!
I'm going to try to update this post each day of her open house, adding new information about our Christmas traditions and celebrations each time ~ please join me!
Monday, December 3rd:
We have three little girls, ages 8, 5 and 2. This year we are doing a Jesse Tree with our girls for the first time. I sawthis several weeks ago on another site, but only had time to find a website that had beautiful embroidered ornaments to order and it wasn't in my budget. But, blessings upon blessings, as I was reading a frequent blog I visit - Training Hearts - she shared her Jesse Tree info, complete with free information about making your own ornaments and a link to the information about the scripture reference for each one! So, the girls and I are going to start these first thing today!
I do plan to order the pattern for making the embroidered set - since I'm teaching my 8 year old daughter to sew, this will be something we can work on all next year and have ready for our tree next year!
Do you have a special tradition, like a Jesse Tree, that you incorporate into your Christmas celebrations?
Tuesday, December 4th:
Baking is another big tradition that surrounds our Christmas holiday. I love to bake and I'm fortunate that all 3 of my girls seem to have inherited a love of being in the kitchen. Throughout the year we share baked goods periodically with neighbors, family and friends. But during the Christmas holiday, we make certain to bake something special for each of our neighbors in the cove where we live. We also share baked items with clients, friends and family. These goodies could be anything, depending on the time we have to dedicate for baking that day - cookies, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, candies, jams or jellies we put up in the summer, homemade bread, etc. Just a little something "homemade" during a season when so many around us might not have the time to make a little something special for themselves. If you want to see some of my family favorite recipes, you can visit my recipe site at M4-D Ranch Recipes. I'll be posting more of our Christmas special recipes frequently during this month.
How about you - are there special recipes that you pull out and share only during the holidays?
Wednesday, December 5th:
One special thing we do with the girls every Christmas is make sugar cookies that they can then decorate any way they like! I usually make the dough in advance, cut out the Christmas shapes and bake the cookies the night before. The next day, each girl gets a cookie tray of cookies to decorate. I make a simple powdered sugar frosting - sometimes with a hint of vanilla or lemon and they can then add sprinkles to their delight! We don't usually do much of anything with artificial colors or preservatives in our meals, but this is one time that I make an exception and let them have some holiday fun. We'll probably do this sometime next week for this year's Christmas holiday.
Is there a special project that you do with your children this time of year?
Thursday, December 6th:
A childhood memory I have of Christmas often involves family gatherings. I remember when I was between the ages of 7-12 we would often have family from out of town come to our house in the weeks before Christmas for a sort-of "family reunion". My mom's two sisters and their families would come to our house in Arkansas. Each of her sisters had 3 children - all older than me but one. My grandparents on my mother's side also lived in town, so it would be a great time of fellowship and fun! We would exchange gifts between cousins from names we'd drawn earlier in the year, eat lots of goodies - oh, my grandmother could make the best cornbread dressing you've ever tasted! There would be lots of music and laughing - good memories.
Is Christmas a time when you connect with family that you don't see often during the year?
Monday Meanderings
Monday Meanderings is sponsored by Less of Me~More of Him - please click over to see how you can participate!
This is my very favorite time of the year as we prepare for our Christmas celebrations. Here's what's on my schedule this week:
Bible Study: Chapter 18 - Mothers Are Prayer Warriors - in the Power of Motherhood Bible Study - Click here if you want to know more about this awesome Bible study!
Must-Do Household Task: Here's what I have on my MUST do list this week:
~ Christmas cards finished and out the door.
~ Indoor Christmas decorating and present wrapping.
~ Finalize presents to be mailed to family / friends.
~ Move 2007 business / ranch tax receipts to envelopes to prepare for 2008 receipt filing.
Train Them Up: Week 18 of our school year using My Father's World Kindergarten and Adventures in My Father's World is on schedule, along with extra craft projects for Christmas.
Character Training: Our usual daily chores using Managers of Our Chores - I love this program. I found that it was easier to plan out my chores that needed to be done each day first, then use the Managers of Our Homes to plan out my schedule for each week. We will continue working on good attitudes using tips from this great site about child training - our ongoing activity is "tomato staking" and working on the heart attitudes that go with service to others. We are continuing our work on Kindness, Appreciation and Listening Skills.
Prayer Journal: I'm replacing the Menu Planning section I was doing here with this section for special prayer journal notes. I do keep a prayer journal (click the link to see how mine is organized) ~ I'm not putting my regular daily/weekly prayer listings here, just a couple of items of concentration for this week:
~ My mom as the holiday season approaches ~ holidays are a tough time for her as her thoughts and memories turn to the loss of my dad (12/1983) and my brother (12/2005).
~ We found out during the Thanksgiving holiday that my brother's widow had suffered a stroke and was in ICU at a local hospital - she has been moved to a regular room and is now undergoing physical therapy.
~ Safety for my husband as he's meeting with clients, working cattle and delivering beef all this week.
Don't forget to stop back by on Tuesday to sign up for this week's holiday giveaway - this week is a HUGE giveaway and there will be more than one winner. If you like coffee, tea or hot chocolate - this is the giveaway for you!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Holiday Giveaway Week #4 Winner
I put all the names of those who entered the giveaway in a bowl and my 5 year old daughter drew one out this morning ~
The winner of this week's Homeschool Mom T-shirt brought to you by Homeschool Boutique is:
Drum Roll Please:
Melissa Neece - you can visit her blog at http://melissaneece.blogspot.com
CONGRATULATIONS!
Melissa has been emailed and will have until the end of the day on Monday, December 3rd to get in touch to claim her giveaway. If I don't hear from her on Monday, I will draw another winner and let you know!
NOW - next week's giveaway is HUGE. If you or someone you know likes coffee, tea or hot chocolate - you definitely won't want to miss this one - and there will be more than one winner!!! So be sure to come back on Tuesday, December 4th when I post the next giveaway!
