Category Archives: crafts

Glorious illuminations part I

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in beach sunsets, crafts, fun stuff for grandparents, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  II Corinthians 4:6

I love to go shell hunting with my grandchildren.  The tiny little Coquina butterfly shells that come in so many beautiful colors are among our favorites to collect and admire.  But finding sand dollars are the best of all because they tell the story of Christ.  They are imprinted with a flower-like design on the top of the dollar that resembles the Easter Lily and on the back of the shell is a Poinsettia- the Christmas flower.

The five holes represent the five wounds borne by Christ when He hung on the cross.  The five pointed star in the center represents the star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men.

When the sand dollar shell is broken open five tiny white doves are found- the Doves of Peace which represent the hope of eternal life that Christ, God’s beloved and only Son gives to each of us who believe.

Fun Stuff For Kids and Grandparents

One week around Thanksgiving I found so many sand dollars on the beach that I decided to turn them into Christmas ornaments by mixing two parts Elmer’s glue and one part water together and carefully brushing about three coats on each side of the sand dollar, letting it dry between each coat.  Then I tied a pretty red Christmas ribbon on each and included the story of Christ that the sand dollar represents.  A friend of mine later told me that her daughter after seeing the sand dollar ornament on her tree decided to give sand dollars away to all the guests at her wedding.  Isn’t it amazing what God can do if we will just listen to him and find out his plan for our life and follow it.

Our beach neighbor loves to make a shell garden each year for his grand kids.  Our grandchildren like to see and admire the many wonderful varieties of shells that Bob finds on the beach and displays in his garden.

More Fun Stuff For Kids or Adults

I decided to make a shell covered treasure box with some of the shells I have collected on the beach.  I bought peel and stick, glitter foam that comes in 10 assorted colors and only costs about $5.00 at Walmart.  I cut out pieces from one of the sheets to cover a tiny treasure box that I bought from a beach gift shop for only $2.99.

Next I glued an assortment of small shells to the lid with Elmer’s glue.  The glue took quite a while to dry but it did stick the small shells to the top of the box.  A hot glue gun might have been faster, but I wanted to see if I could use this craft later with the grand kids.

The box was already lined with a black velvet material, but if it hadn’t been I would have cut more glitter foam in a contrasting color to line it with.  It is always fun to find a useful way to use our collections.  Enjoy!

Beach Friends

This morning I met up with two of my sweet beach friends as I was out walking.  Louise was in a terrible auto accident months ago and now is overjoyed to be able to be back walking the beach again.  Her friend Dino came to the hospital and stayed with her night and day the first couple of days after the accident.  That kind of friendship is very special.  It reminds me of the verse in Proverbs 17:17:  “A friend loves at all times…”

Jesus asks us to leave all and follow Him.  But what those who refuse never find out is that by leaving those things we think will give happiness, we discover the delights that God offers and which bring lasting joy.  As we walk out of the darkness and gloom into the light of His presence, he places a new song in our heart.  That song is a song of joy that only the love of Christ can give.

No matter how tired and exhausted we feel when facing great difficulties, by coming to the LORD and crying out to Him, we discover that our strength is renewed like the eagle who is lifted by the wind currents.  And there in His Presence , as we place our trust in Him the joy of the LORD becomes our strength.

When my mother died, after suffering with Alzheimer’s disease for 3 years followed by a stroke that took away her ability to walk and talk, my spirit was weary and downcast and I felt very sad.  But as always my wonderful Savior gave me words of comfort in my devotions and bible reading.   The following morning I read:

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

I began to visualize my mother happily walking the beach with her beloved Savior singing hymns of praise the way she always did.  She looked just like Helen Hayes with her lovely white hair and she was always out on the beach before dawn so she could watch the sunrise.  She had a soft, sweet voice and people called her the singing beach lady. I am confident that if God can create such beauty in our world here on earth with gardens of flowers and birds, sunsets and beaches, mountains and forests;  then heaven must be all that and even more glorious.

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.”  Psalm 89:15

Each evening after dinner we all go out to the beach to watch the sunset.  Often the beach is very wide and it is possible to walk along the sandbar and discover many sand dollars and other treasures.  Children develop a real sense of appreciation for beauty at the beach.  Shepherd, our two year old grandson, will sit spellbound beside us in the sand watching the big red ball of the sun go down and dip into the ocean.  God in His wisdom has planned so many beautiful things for us to enjoy!  How important it is for us to keep our spirit alive and see His creation with the eyes of our heart as we teach our children and grandchildren to know Him and develop a close relationship with Him.

Advertisement

St. Patrick’s Day illumination

10 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in adoreable puppies, Best Friend Dogs, crafts, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy, recipes, St. Patricks Day

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

When Patrick was taken prisoner at age 16 by a group of raiders who were attacking his family estate in Britain, he probably was angry with God blaming him for what had happened.  He was taken to Ireland and remained a prisoner for 6 years serving his captors as a lonely shepherd with only sheep for companionship.  But like David, he had a lot of time to talk to God and probably voiced not only his complaints but also his fears and dreams.  He finally escaped by walking 200 miles to the Irish coast and returned to Britain.  Once in Britain he began religious training and became a priest.  His dream was to return to Ireland and convert the pagans to Christianity.

He used the lovely shamrock leaf to explain the Trinity; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit three in one.  He became the Patron St. of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 which is the anniversary of his death.

Fun Craft For Kids: 

Shamrock Pins

  • Using Sculpey green clay (can be found in most craft stores) on a piece of Cut-rite wax paper, let each child flatten out 1/4 of a small package.
  • Flatten to fit a metal shamrock cookie cutter shape.
  • Cut out the shamrock shape pressing down firmly with cutter so as to cut out completely.
  • Pick up shamrock shape which is still on wax paper and carefully bend back wax paper around it to peel off extra clay.
  • Gently peel away wax paper from shamrock and lay on a fresh piece of wax paper on a cookie tray.
  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bake shamrock on wax paper for about two hours till firm.
  • Let cool completely on tray
  • Using a hot glue gun, glue a jewelry pin (which can be found at most craft stores) to the back of the shamrock.

When I was growing up anyone who did not have on something green on St. Patrick’s Day got pinched.  I didn’t have any green outfits and I remember how grateful I was that my sister Judy had crocheted me a green shamrock pin to wear so I wouldn’t be pinched.

Rainbow illuminations

I’m still searching for rainbows and I imagine Ireland has lots of them.  It is known as the Emerald Isle because of the abundance of rain and beautiful green grass.  Kentucky also has abundant rain and it is known as the Blue Grass State.  I guess the grass sometimes looks blue in the misty atmosphere after a rain.  This is a picture of some of our puppies who are a bit muddy after playing in the rain.

Fun Stuff For Kids

The Fresh Market

It is still too cold for the farmer’s market to open so we decided to take a visit to a beautiful Fresh Market store.  The fruit and vegetables were placed in rainbow assortments and it all looked so yummy it was hard to resist.  It was a great learning experience for Shepherd.  He wanted to know about everything and seemed determined to load up the grocery cart with all he could get his hands on.

When I returned home I made a fruit tray using some of the pineapple, cantaloupe, Honey Dew melon, strawberries, raspberries, Kiwi, grapes and blueberries.  I believe it had all the colors of the rainbow which I learned long ago to remember with the letters  ROY G BIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

Recipe:  Favorite Fruit Dip

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp.almond extract

Stir all together and serve with fruit.

Mind illuminations

It is a myth that St. Patrick got rid of all the snakes in Ireland.  It is more likely that he rid Ireland of a lot of the evil attitudes which some might attribute to Satan who was disguised as a snake in the garden of Eden.  A young teenager had all his life plans altered and what seemed like a terrible tragedy, God turned for the good not only for the boy but for an entire country.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!  

AN IRISH BLESSING FOR YOU.                                                                        MAY THE Irish hills caress you, may her lakes and rivers bless you, may the luck of the Irish enfold you and may the blessings of SAINT PATRICK behold you.

Treasures and Great Riches

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Challenge to Great Riches, crafts, Hearts Filled With Joy, recipes and wisdom for parents

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , ,

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”   Matthew 6:21

Fun Stuff For Kids

For cousin’s night last Thursday, I decided to let all the grand kids decorate little wooden treasure boxes.  I asked them to cover the top and sides of the box with glue using a glue stick and then one at a time I let them shake their boxes in a zip locked bag that I had filled with sequins, tiny bits of shiny colored cellophane paper and gold glitter.  I personally made sure the bag was well zipped before they began to shake it and I asked them to please shake it gently.  Then they placed their box on a sheet of wax paper to dry. To complete their boxes I gave them a shiny red jewel heart to glue on their box and talked about Matthew 6:21.  A couple of days later I opened each box and inserted a tiny twig in it to hold it open and sprayed the boxes with Design Master Clear Finish Gloss so that the decorations would not come off.

This week for cousin’s night I am going to give each of them a small notebook and ask them to write out their bible verse for this month and place it in their treasure chest.  I have told them that from time to time I intend to draw out one of the verses and there will be a special reward for anyone who is able to say it.  I hope this will encourage them to not forget the verses they learn.

In The 12 Month Challenge To Great Riches:  The Hunt for Gold ages 5-8, the verse for February is Proverbs 3:3,4:  “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

For The Hunt for Gold, ages 8 and up, the verse for February is Matthew 6:20,21:  “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

For The Hunt for Diamonds designed for those who have completed the Hunt for Gold, the verse for February is Jeremiah 29:11-13:  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

If you would like to read the verses for the rest of the months of the year I have copied The Challenge To Great Riches in my January part II post.

My Favorite Banana Bread:  It has the most delicious crust!!
This is an old family recipe from Martha, the Great Grandmother of Christy’s children.  Martha owned and was the head chef of the very successful restaurant, Wadlingtons in Western Kentucky.  Martha has written the cookbook, “Martha’s Kentucky Kitchen” which I believe the Joseph Beth bookstore still has for sale.  Martha dedicated her cookbook to her husband, children, grand children and great grandchildren and said a special thanks to God for blessing her with such a wonderful family and for the special times and memories she has of each of them and the joy it is to her to be their Grandmother.

BEST EVER BANANA BREAD

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon buttermilk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl add eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture.  Add nuts with flour stirring just to combine and do not beat.  Grease one 9x5x3 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until bread tests done with cake tester. (I place a piece of foil like a tent over the bread after 50 minutes to protect the crust from browning too much.  I generally find that it takes between 10 and 15 more minutes for my bread to get done.  I always make it without nuts because that is the way our family likes it.)  After bread is done let set in pan 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool on wire rack.  Yields one loaf.  Note:  Recipe does not double well.

Mind illumination

This morning on day five in my Beth Moore Bible study on James, “Mercy Triumphs” I read in Acts 15:14 how God from the Gentiles took a people for himself.  Then in Deuteronomy 14:21  read that “Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”

While I was still pondering the wonder of this, I walked from my reading chair into the kitchen and discovered that the sunlight coming in the window was reflecting tiny rainbows on my floor.  I had never seen this before and could hardly believe it and I was reminded to pray for Betty over in China.  I counted seven tiny rainbows and decided to step on each one.  I know this was God’s wonderful way of confirming to me that as His treasured possession, I can stand on His Promises and trust in His Unfailing Love.

Babies Are Precious!

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Babies are precious, crafts, Hearts Filled With Joy, miscarriage, recipes and wisdom for parents, valentine celebration, Valentine Fun Stuff

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

“But now this is what the LORD says – he who created you… I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.”  Isaiah 43:1,4

BABIES ARE PRECIOUS

Shepherd is our miracle baby.  After our daughter had two miscarriages she went to a high risk pregnancy specialist and was told that her test results indicated that her body was unable to absorb the B vitamins and Folic Acid necessary to have a baby.  The specialist informed her that in order for her to have a full term baby, she would have to give herself a shot in her belly every night of her pregnancy.  Shepherd was born beautiful and healthy because she was willing to endure this painful treatment.  She later said that it was a small price to pay in order to have her baby.

Our culture today has given the “go ahead and have an abortion” to girls who get pregnant and find it inconvenient to have a baby and so they decide to have an abortion.  What these girls probably do not realize is:

At The Moment of Conception:

  • a baby’s DNA is created: the hair and eye color, height, body type and personality are already determined,
  • at 22 days after conception a tiny heart begins to beat,
  • by the 14th – 16 week the brain development enables a baby to suck and swallow and make irregular breathing movements.

Facts about Abortion:  

  • A human life is being taken every 25 seconds.
  • Each of these white crosses represent one million babies, over 50 million precious babies killed in the United States since Roe vs Wade in 1973.
  • In fact it is estimated that more than 50 million babies are aborted each year worldwide.

Did you know that even an eagle’s egg is more valuable than an unborn baby?  If you break a bald eagle’s egg you will receive a fine of  up to $20,000 and get 1 – 5 years in Federal prison.

If you kill a doe with two unborn dear out of season, you will be fined $250.00 for the doe and $125.00 for each of the unborn dear.

There is no penalty for killing an unborn child!!

I believe we need to teach our children to LOVE LIFE

and to JUST SAY, NO WAY!

  • Because I refuse to ever kill my baby.
  • And I don’t want to have a baby until I’m married.

Obviously, the school’s way of education is not working.  Free hand outs may even encourage children to experiment which later results in far too many unwanted pregnancies.  BABIES ARE PRECIOUS!  It is time that our schools and Nation stand up with courage for what is right and speak the truth!

JOY PRODUCTIONS is planing to make the movie, “A Matter of Convenience,” which I believe would change the mind of any girl who was thinking about having an abortion.  The story written by my husband, an attorney in Lexington, Kentucky, follows Jason and his girlfriend Kim, pregnant from a one-night spring fling.  Kim decides to have an abortion saying it is just a fetus, but Jason begs her not to do something she will regret the rest of her life.  He can’t change her mind and decides to kidnap her and hold her hostage until the baby comes.  He plans to deliver the baby himself and then disappear with the child.  The police know he is the culprit and make every effort to catch him.

The suspense mounts each time she nearly escapes and as the police come ever closer to catching him.  The baby is born healthy, but Kim begins to hemorrhage and Jason is faced with the moral decision of whether to escape with the child or save her life by taking her to the hospital.  He saves her life but is caught and put on trial for kidnapping with aggravating circumstances, for which he could receive the death penalty.  The result is a dramatic courtroom battle which puts abortion on trial.  His defense is “self-defense” of his child who was subjected to being killed by the abortion.  The audience will love the trial scene when the baby, now 3 years old is brought into the courtroom as an “exhibit” of what Kim wanted to destroy.  The surprise ending will stun the audience.

Please click on amatterofconvenience.com to find out more about the movie and Joy Productions.  We videoed three test scenes last spring using Andrew Hunter and Janelle Gore, two students from Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, along with some family members and friends.  If you agree with us about the need for making this movie, please share this post with your friends. family and church.  We are going to need your prayers and support in order to make this a movie that will make a difference.

Fun Stuff For Kids

When we took Shepherd to the “Old Kentucky Candy” store.  It was such fun to see his eyes light up and hear him exclaim “WOW!”  We let him walk along the aisles and told him that he could look but not touch.  We asked him to choose his favorite and what a difficult choice it turned out to be!  He finally decided on a brightly wrapped little chocolate car which he popped into his mouth as soon as we were out of the store.  He also wanted to pick out something for his mommy and you can see the love in his eyes and how delighted he was with his choice.  Our children are our most precious possessions and the hope of the world.

Mind illuminations

We had a lovely little snow early this morning.  There was only a powdered sugar dusting on the grass, but it stuck to the trees and made a winter wonderland out of the woods.  How I love to see a bright red cardinal on a snowy day and this morning I felt like it was a valentine of love and hope from God.

More Fun Stuff For Kids

Loving Heart Bird Treats

  • 2 hamburger buns
  • 2egg whites
  • birdseed
  • small heart shaped cookie cutter
  • red yarn

Slice the hamburger buns in half and cut a heart shape in the center of each.  Beat the egg whites until foamy and brush it on the inside of each bun.  Sprinkle birdseed over the egg white and press down slightly to hold in place.

Bake the buns on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Let cool and hang with the red yarn outside on a tree that you can watch from your window  The birds and squirrels will love eating this treat and later a bird may use the yarn to decorate her nest.

Beauty illuminations

After going to the bakery we decided to visit the “Michler Florist” shop on Maxwell street.  With snow falling outside, we walked through the warm, flower scented greenhouse and it was a little bit like finding the hidden key and entering a beautiful secret garden.  One of my favorite books growing up was “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  The movie is a must see and remains one of my favorites! 

We felt this morning like we had walked into an enchanted springtime with baby daffodils and tulips, orchids and roses and even a large Gardenia bush in bloom.  I would love to have a greenhouse in my backyard and be able to have tea parties and luncheons among the flowers.  Ah!  Isn’t it fun to dream!!

While we wandered from one greenhouse to another, Shepherd enjoyed pointing out all the pretty flowers that he wanted to buy for me.  Another treat for him was getting to feed parsley to the rabbit that lives in the greenhouse.Valentine Party

For our valentine party with the grand kids this year, I baked a turkey breast, fixed red heart shaped Jello Jigglers, fruit salad, potato chips and Sister Schubert rolls.  This is an easy dinner to prepare and a favorite with all the grand kids.  Most of the turkey is eaten while my husband is still carving it, protesting loudly as he carves that they are eating up all his turkey which sends them into giggles of delight.

After dinner we made old fashion valentine cards for their parents with lace, hearts, ribbons, stickers and a great deal of imaginative creativity.  Then it was time for dessert.  We had ice cream sundaes with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, strawberry, chocolate and caramel sauce and gummy bears, gummy lifesavers and m&m candy toppers.  To go with the sundaes we had home baked chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes and Strawberry cake.  The recipe for this cake is an old favorite passed down from the great grandmother of Mary Ladd’s children on their father’s side of the family.

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 pkg. white cake mix
  • 1 3oz. pkg. strawberry jello
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup Crisco oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries not drained.

Beat together on low speed all the ingredients then beat 4 minutes on medium speed.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees Divide batter into three 8 inch round pans and bake for 30 minutes.  Cool  and frost.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 pkg cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/2 stick margarine at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup drained strawberries
  • about 5 or 6 cups powdered sugar

Beat together well and spread on cooled cake.  Refrigerate several hours before serving.  Enjoy!

After our desserts we all snuggled up under blankets to watch the new “Treasure Buddies” movie release by Disney.  The grand kids loved the movie which was on the order of Indiana Jones with golden retriever puppies.

Loving illuminations

One Sunday morning several years ago the ladies from Friendship sang “Love in any Language” an inspirational song from the artist Sandi Patti.  It describes how love from the heart pulls us all together. 

Can you say, “I Love You” in all these different languages?

  • French:   Je t’aime
  • Dutch:   Ik hou van jou
  • Chinese (Cantonese):   Moi oiy neya
  • Chinese (Mandarin):   Wo ai ni
  • Egyptian:   Aria bahebek
  • German:   Ich liebe dich
  • Hawaiian:   Aloha l’a au oe
  • Greek:    s’agapo
  • Italian:   Ti voglio bene
  • Japanese:   Aishiteru
  • Polish:   Ja cie kocham
  • Russian:  Ya vas liubliu
  • Spanish:    Te amo
  • Swedish:    Jag alskar dig

Rainbow illuminations

Betty will be leaving for China this week on Valentine’s Day and she told us at bible study last week about her room filled with rainbows.  Somehow the sunlight reflected through the window created lots of tiny rainbows across the floor.  Walking into this room and standing on the rainbows reminded her that she was Standing On God’s Promises secure in His Unfailing Love! 

This year I shall be looking for rainbows knowing that God’s Love Never Fails.

Friendship International & Rocket Ship Toy

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in crafts, Friendship International, recipes and wisdom for parents

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  And I said ‘Here I am.  Send me!'”

Several years ago it was my privilege to be a part of Friendship International and after teaching ceramics for a year, I decided to teach a class about “how to be a clown.”  I was actually a part of a clown group in my church at that time and we enjoyed visiting nursing homes and even went to the children’s special Olympic games held over in Richmond one year.  The Friendship ladies and I had so much fun that year. We spent most of our time laughing. Can you tell that we designed our costumes ourselves from pajamas and our husband’s old shirts?  At the end of the semester, we decided to put on a skit in which we taught the other ladies at Friendship how to make “Friendship Soup.”  Of course clowns don’t talk so each of the ladies put in an ingredient in our soup pot.  One put in a rubber chicken, another a whole bunch of unpeeled carrots with the green tops still on and another salt that was still in the salt shaker just to list a few.  But the clowns were all sad because we couldn’t figure out why when we tested the soup it didn’t taste right.  Then someone figured out that we had left out the LOVE ingredient.  So we all started hugging each other and after that the soup tasted great!  I shall never forget the wonderful friends and memories of that group of ladies.  If any of you are still around make a comment and let me know.

I have often made my own original version of “Friendship Soup” at home and it is a favorite of my family and friends.  I usually serve it with homemade bread or corn bread.  I will include those recipes in a later post.  Just remember when you make it  that the most important ingredient is love and always make enough to share with a friend.  That is me with the green hair and chef hat.

Friendship Soup Recipe

  • 2 Tablespoons margarine or butter
  • 3 lbs. lean stew beef stew meat cut in chunks (cut off all fat around the beef)
  • 9 cups of water
  • 1 cup Swanson all natural beef stock
  • 1 can of stewed tomatoes
  • 4 fresh carrots peeled and cut in pieces
  • 2 packages frozen white corn (off the cob)
  • 1 package frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, beans, carrots)
  • 8 stalks fresh celery chopped into small pieces
  • 1 heaping teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder,
  • 1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves,  1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves, 1/2 white onion chopped fine or 1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
  • 3 tablespoons flour

Early in the morning in a large pot, brown the beef in the butter on medium high heat.  Add the water, beef stock and salt and pepper.  Let simmer all morning.  Take off burner and add a cup of ice cubes to cool and place pot in refrigerator in order to let grease rise to top.  A couple of hours before supper cook the carrots and celery about 20 minutes until tender and drain.  Cook frozen corn and vegetables and drain.  Take soup pot out of refrigerator and skim off the fat and throw away.  Chop up the stewed tomatoes and add them along with tomato juice to pot.  Add all of the drained cooked vegetables and the rest of the seasonings.  Bring to boil and then let simmer until dinner time.  Just before serving mix the flour into a cup of water and add to soup stirring to thicken the broth.  We love it the first night but I think it tastes even better the following day after all the flavors have mixed together.  Enjoy!

Favorite Toys:   The Rocket Ship

I had been hearing about the rocket ship from my grand kids for about five years before I went to see it.  The “rocket ship” is in a bedroom at Rick (Pop) and Andrea’s {Mimi) house.  Pop has visited numerous garage sales and flea markets to fill the rocket ship with many           treasures.  Actually, according to Spencer, the Commander of the ship, they had so  much stuff that they had to make a storage box for the extra stuff.  The rocket ship consists of a bunk bed and two refrigerator boxes stacked on top of each other along with over 200 assorted collected treasures.

  • The rocket ship team is made up of:
  • Spencer the Commander
  • Grant the General
  • Simon the Sergeant
  • Scout the Medic
  • Shepherd, member in training

Spencer told me that they don’t just eat, sleep and ride in space all the time.  They get off and fight battles with the enemy. More fun stuff for Kids

Rice Krispie Treat Snowmen

Last Thursday night the kids had a ball making snowmen.  When you do this project be sure to have large bowls of water on the table for the kids to dip their hands.  It is SUPER STICKY!

Ingredients:  6 cups Rice Krispies cereal, 1 10 oz. bag of large marshmallows,           3 Tablespoons of butter or margarine, red licorice whips, chocolate covered raisins, carrot sticks cut in the shape of a nose, wax paper and paper plates.

Melt the butter and add the marshmallow stirring until melted.  Add the Rice Krispies and stir until well mixed.  Spoon out some of the mixture on a paper plate for each child.  Place the paper plate on a sheet of wax paper to further protect your table.  Tell the children to wet their hands and mold three snow balls placing one on top of the other.  Use some frosting to hold them together if necessary.  Add the chocolate raisin eyes, red licorice mouth and a scarf and a carrot stick nose using a little frosting to hold in place.  This was a really fun project and I can’t remember when I’ve heard the grand kids laugh so much!  They also loved eating their finished snowmen!

Mind illuminations

After our usual Wednesday trip to the bakery, we decided to go to the Thrifty Book Worm bookstore off Harrodsburg road. on Allendale. I’ve always loved books, libraries and bookstores ever since I worked at a library during my summers when I was in Junior High and High School.  I earned a $1.50 an hour and felt well paid to be doing something I enjoyed so much.  The Thrifty Book Worm is loaded with half price books and I thoroughly loved looking at the children’s section which is not big but filled with some excellent books.  I bought “Frog and Toad Together,” a book by Arnold Lobel for Shepherd.  My daughter and I loved reading it together when she was little.  I also bought “Wiggle” a funny book about a dog by Doreen Cronin.  It said that it was written for energetic toddlers.  For myself I bought “Puppies For Sale and Other Inspirational Tales” by Dan Clark.  He is one of the best-loved storytellers who wrote the #1 New York Times Bestseller “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”  I plan to return to the bookstore by myself when I can browse longer without keeping an eye on Shepherd.

The Great Commission Celebration

On January 22, Porter Memorial Baptist Church had a service that blessed my soul and heart.  The singing of “How Great Is Our God” with solos sung by many Internationals in their own language was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.  It was sung in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Haitian and Ukranean.  It sounded like a little foretaste of what Heaven must be like.  That afternoon we were treated to an International Food Tasting and Mission Celebration and it was a glorious day indeed!

Mind Illuminations

Judy Metcalf, the director of Friendship International is hosting the new Beth Moore Bible study on James beginning Feb. 13 at 10:00 A.M. in Wilmore, KY, at her home.  Any one interested is welcome to come.

Golden Illuminations

We took Ladd to the vet last weekend for a Rabies shot and DA2PLCPVCV ADULT shot and Leptospira 5 way Annual shot.  He is good to go for a year now and I think he looks great with his red heart Rabies tag.  It is very important to keep your dogs up to date on their shots and flea medicine.  We have found that Advantage is the flea medicine that works best for our dogs.

In training Ladd who is now almost 6 months old, I use hand signs as well as voice.  I found this to work very well in teaching him to sit, lie down and roll over.  It is very important that your dog has his complete attention focused on you when you are training him.  In the same way if a service dog is distracted, he may not recognize an important need or wish indicated by his master.  This could be both dangerous and regrettable. Check out my article in my Jan. 28 post about therapy-service dogs if you would like to know more.

In the same way when we lose focus on our Master, we have no guide for living.  If we do not quickly regain our focus, we may wander down dangerous paths and dead ends that lead nowhere.  I have discovered that my SELF is my greatest enemy because it tries to get my focus off my LORD.  Every time I get too busy thinking about what I want to do instead of asking God what He wants me to do, I get into trouble. So this Year I will try to remember to FOCUS on what is truly important!

Please watch for a very important post coming February 14.  I will be talking about something that is very dear to my heart.  Also will be included pictures from our annual Valentine party for the grand kids, (parents night out) plus recipes, crafts and fun stuff.