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LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by in beauty, Christianity, faith, flower gardens, Friendship International, Hearts Filled With Joy, joy, love, recipes, wildflowers, wisdom and understanding

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“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs…Love never fails.”             I Corinthians 13:4,5,8 “Friendship International is an outreach of Christian love from American ladies to Internationals living in the Lexington area.  We love and appreciate each other as we help internationals adjust to our community from other countries.  The purpose of Friendship International is to help make the adjustment to the American way of life easier, to provide activities of interest and to facilitate building cross-cultural friendships.” Friendship International meets in Immanuel Baptist Church each Thursday during the school year, unless Fayette Co. Public Schools are not in session.  Childcare is provided for preschool children. Here is a list of some of the classes that are offered:  Bible Study, Cooking, Crafts, Crochet, Cross-Cultural Parenting, Cross-Stitch, Exercise, Jewelry Making, Knitting, Line Dancing, Needlepoint, Painting, Praise Dancing, Quilting, Scrap booking, English (levels 1,2and 3), and Spanish. A couple of years ago I attended the parade of Nations at Friendship and took several pictures of the ladies. Friendship was celebrating the countries of the International ladies and the traditional dress of each country worn by many of the International women and their children was breathtaking.  I am sorry I was unable to take pictures of all the lovely ladies and children. Being a part of Friendship International is one of the most rewarding and fun things I have ever done. Many years ago Ruth White and I decided to take on the challenge of teaching a Ceramics class for the Internationals.  Neither of us knew anything about ceramics, but we figured that if God wanted us to do it, He would provide the way.  Well He must have wanted it because we had a wonderful time with the sweetest group of ladies and they each made several lovely ceramic pieces for their homes.  We learned how to do it together.  So never underestimate the power of God to help you do what seems to be impossible! “For nothing is impossible with God.”    Luke 1:37 Friendship International Smiles Are Contagious If you are looking for joy, you’ll find plenty of it at Friendship International. The year that I taught the art of paper-mache clown making was filled with laughter and fun. All of the Friendship classes have so much fun, you really should come to one of the meetings.  It is something you won’t soon forget. Our theme at the clown clinic was “smiles are contagious.”  Several years ago it was my privilege to teach another wonderful class at Friendship International. I decided to teach the girls “How to be a clown.”  I was actually 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 a great time together. 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 please 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.  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! Friendship 2013-2014 This year God has blessed me once again to be able to take part in Friendship.  I am teaching a painting class with Mary DeMarttina.  We have a group of such sweet and talented girls from Japan, China, Korea, Iraq, Mexico, India and Canada and they truly amaze me with their beautiful paintings.  We are studying the exquisite beauty of flowers up close and learning to paint what we see.  We will also be learning about the harmony of color in a wildflower meadow and how color delights the soul. painting class 2014 bI love painting flowers because in a garden I feel the very presence of God. wildflower beautyIn the words of the well-known and much loved artist, Thomas Kinkade,  “When we keep ourselves tuned to the beauty of our world, life itself become a joyous celebration of the senses and a song of praise.” painting class 2014 gfriendship painting 2014 hpainting class 2014 c painting class 2014 d painting class 2014 e painting class 2014 fIt is my prayer that this class will enrich the lives of the lovely ladies who participate in it and fill them with the joy of the amazing beauty that is all around us. “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”         Psalm 37:4 painting class 2013 dpainting class 2013 apainting class 2013 bpainting class 2013 cpainting class 2013 epainting class 2013I have learned that it is not the ability that counts so much in teaching, it is the willingness to laugh at our mistakes and pour love out in everything we do and say that really counts.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is  God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”   I Thessalonians 5:16-18
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Mother’s Day Tribute

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Best Friend Dogs, crafts, Fun stuff for kids, homeschool, Mother's Day Love, recipes, wisdom and understanding

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“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”  Proverbs:31:30

When I was thinking about doing a Mother’s Day Post, I could only think how  blessed I am to have grown up with such a wonderful mother and now to have two loving daughters who are both such great mothers. My mother taught me to love Jesus from the time I was tiny and she also told me that I must always remember that my name stood for J – Jesus first, O – others second, Y –  yourself last.  When I left for college she gave me the book, “Leaves of Gold” an  anthology of prayers, memorable phrases and inspirational verse and prose.  In it she wrote:

Darling,
Let’s always try to remember that the golden key to happiness is found not by seeking happiness for ourselves, but by seeking ways to give it to others, for Jesus sake.
May all your New Years be filled with true happiness and joy, my precious little girl.                                                                           I love you!                                                                                                               Mother

“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.    Proverbs 3:6

I would give anything now if I could just hear her speak, hold her hand and tell her how much I love her and appreciate the things she taught me.

I am so thankful to have two wonderful daughters who love the LORD with all their heart and are teaching their children to love and talk to Jesus who is the best Friend any child can have.

The talents and abilities of my daughters are my inspiration but their friendship now that they are grown with children of their own is one of my greatest joys.  Being a mother means giving of yourself, no matter how tired you feel; your time even when it is inconvenient and most important of all, your love.

Mary Ladd gave up a great job teaching 8th grade English when her first child was born.  She fixed up a fantastic one room schoolhouse in her basement and now home-schools all four of her children, teaching 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grade.  She is also a wonderful cook, baking yummy sweet rolls and bread and delighting her kids with homemade ice cream and cookies.  She has a lovely  flower garden and does beautiful stained glass creations in her spare time (I don’t  see how she has any spare time).

Mary Ladd’s Cinnamon rolls:  she also uses this dough to make pan rolls

In small bowl, combine:

  • 2/3 cup warm water
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 and 1/2 t. active dry yeast (let the yeast proof – 5 min.)

Mix together in food processor:

  • 1 and 1/2 sticks butter or margarine
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk

Mix in a separate bowl:

  • 4 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt

Next, add the yeast mixture and flour mixture to food processor bowl.  Mix ingredients for around 30 seconds until small ball forms (you may need to add a little more flour).  Remove ball and with a little more flour, knead it until it forms a smooth ball that doesn’t stick to your fingers.  Cover and let sit until doubles in size (2 hours).  Roll dough into a rectangle and spread butter on top.  Then, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll into a log.  Cut 1/2 pieces with a  dough blade and place pieces in a greased round cake pan.  Let rolls rise until doubled in size.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. 

For the cream cheese icing:  Combine at room temperature and spread over tops of rolls:

  • 8 oz.  cream cheese
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 t vanilla
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp. milk

Our entire family loves these!

Christy finished up her last two years at Asbury University attending the night program because she was married with three children.  She managed to miss only one week when Shepherd, her fourth child was born and still graduated with honors.  She now teaches 1st grade in the public school system as well as Sunday School classes in her church.  She is a basketball mom and soccer mom who tries very hard never to miss her kid’s games, (even when it means being at the soccer field all  day, like this past Saturday.)  She hosts most of our Thursday night cousin’s nights at her home and is a super cook. She is also very creative and makes fantastic cakes for her kid’s birthdays.  This was Shepherd’s firetruck birthday cake with gum drop lights and chocolate Oreo cookie tires.  May 1st was Shepherd’s 3rd birthday and since he is still crazy about firetrucks and firemen, Christy decided to make him a fire station for his cake.

I pray for each of my children and grandchildren by name daily and this prayer found in Ephesians is a part of what I pray for them.

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”                  Ephesians 1:16,17

In the blog, simplystriving.wordpress.com, Nikki wrote a beautiful prayer in her post, “Prayer for our Children – Praying with Purpose.”  I intend to use parts of it in my own prayers and I’m sure that if you check out her post, it will bless your heart as you read it.

Crafts for kids:  Mother’s Day Presents: 

  Forget-me-not flower pots with sticky note coasters

  • 2 1/2″ white painted clay flower pots
  • Pencil or pen (I got a package of 10 pencils for $1.00 at Michaels) 
  • Flower with bendable wire attached (Package of five for $2.99 at Michaels)
  • Pad of sticky notes
  • assorted stick-on jewels
  • Best Mom or #1 Mom and “I love you” stickers. (In scrapbook dept. at Michaels.)
  • glue sticks for jewels that do not have sticky backing
  • bag of coffee beans (I used chocolate mint coffee to add a delicious fragrance to the flower pots. 
  • Hot glue gun
  • cellophane wrapping paper
  • Pretty ribbon to tie a bow on package

Decorate the clay pots by gluing or sticking on some jewels and stickers.  Add about 1/3 cup of coffee beans to pot when finished decorating.  With hot glue gun run a bead of glue around top of the pencil just below eraser and bend the flower around pencil above it.  Stick a few jewels on top sheet of sticky note pad and write a Happy Mother’s day message on it.  Place the sticky note pad under the clay pot and pull up cellophane wrap around it with just the flower showing at top.  Tie ribbon around it in a pretty bow.

Recipe:  Mother’s Day Super Easy Ice Cream Sunday Pie

  • Graham cracker pie crust 
  • vanilla ice cream, or your favorite flavor or combination of flavors
  • chocolate, strawberry and caramel ice cream toppings
  • fresh strawberries
  • M&Ms

This is great for Mom’s special day because there is practically no work and everybody loves it, especially the kids.

Golden illuminations: 

This is Sunny and when she had puppies, I had fun celebrating Mother’s Day with her.  She was a wonderful mother and had beautiful puppies.

Racing Horses and Kentucky Derby illuminations

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in beauty, Christianity, crafts, Fun stuff for kids, horses, Keeneland, Kentucky Derby, recipes, wisdom and understanding

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“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”  Psalm 147:10,11

Springtime in Kentucky brings thoughts of beauty, Red-buds and Dogwoods in bloom, tulips and daffodils, and the woods filled with wildflowers.  Basketball and ‘March Madness,’ take priority over all other sports and events at this time of year.  And just in case you haven’t heard, our fantastic Lexington team the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Division 1 basketball championship this year, YEA WILDCATS!

When April arrives and the new foals are put out to pasture many a Kentucky heart turns to racing horses.  Lexington, Kentucky has been named the Horse Capital of the World.  Kentucky is the leader in the United States in the dollar value of its horses.  They have $1.75 billion worth of horses and other equines that are bought and sold each year.  The Kentucky Horse Park has visitors from around the globe come to the many international events that are held there every year.  In 2010 the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games were hosted by the Kentucky Horse Park.  This was the first time the games had ever been held outside of Europe.

This year, for the first time I went to Keeneland.  The Keeneland Racetrack is a  National Historic Landmark and is considered one of America’s most beautiful race tracks.  The annual horse sales at Keeneland are also world-renowned and literally attract the “crowned heads of Europe.”  I had heard for years what a beautiful place it was and I was not disappointed.  The day that we went was one of those perfect spring days with blue sky and white puffy clouds and temperature in the 70s.  If we had arrived early in the morning we could have attended the popular breakfast with the Works, a Southern style breakfast buffet that is held during the jockeys early morning workouts.

The first thing we decided to do when we arrived was to head over to the  Equestrian  Restaurant at the clubhouse and enjoy a cup of their delicious Kentucky Burgoo  out on the patio.  I was surprised that everyone at the other tables hardly seemed to taste their meal or notice what a beautiful day it was because they all had their noses buried in their racing forms.  I for one, loved every moment of the day and I especially enjoyed watching the parade of fashions that hurried past us on their way to the betting windows.

Recipe: Kentucky Burgoo                                                                                                                              I found this recipe for Kentucky Burgoo in my Bluegrass Winners Cookbook and I have made it several times with some adjustments depending on what I have on hand.  This cookbook not only has great recipes but also contains pictures and a little history about many of the famous horse farms around the Bluegrass.

  • 2 pounds beef, cubed    
  • soup bone
  • 1/2pound lamb
  • 1 frying chicken, cut up
  • 4 quarts water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Red pepper to taste
  • 2 cups diced potatoes
  • 3 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups lima beans
  • 4 carrots diced
  • 2 green peppers, diced
  • 3 cups corn (fresh, if possible)
  • 2 cups okra, diced
  • 6 cups tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 cup minced parsley

Put the beef, soup bone, lamb, chicken, water, salt, pepper, and red pepper in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for two hours.  Remove the chicken skin and bones and cut meat into bite-size pieces.  Return meat to pot.  Add potatoes, onions, lima beans, carrots, green peppers and corn.  Simmer two hours.  Mixture will be thick but should not stick.  Add water sparingly, if necessary.  Add okra, tomatoes, and garlic and simmer 1 1/2 hours longer.  Add parsley and remove from stove.  This soup will keep in refrigerator for a long time.  The flavor improves with standing.  Makes 10 servings.

After we finished our early lunch we wandered over to the paddock and were treated to a parade of horses that would be running in the first race.  I was amazed by the size and beauty of each horse up close.  A couple of them were so anxious to run that it took two handlers to hold them.  This was followed by getting to watch the jockeys mount their horses and head for the gate.  Following that we got caught up in the crowd hurrying to watch the first race.  We found a place at the rail and I  loved feeling the excitement and hearing the crowd roar as the horses came pounding down the final stretch nearing the finish line.  I am afraid if I were to pick a winner it would be for all the wrong reasons so it is a very good thing I don’t place my hope in a horse and gamble.

One of the fun things I did that day was to find the perfect Derby hat at one of the  beautiful shops.  However when I discovered that the cost was $70 dollars, I decided I could do just as well without it especially since I had no plans to go to the Derby this year.  Instead I decided to do a girly project with my granddaughters at the next cousin’s night and make Derby hats.

Fun Stuff for Kids 

Craft illuminations:  Kentucky Derby Hats

This was one of the most fun projects we’ve ever done and the large brim straw hats cost only $3.99 at Michael’s Crafts store.

I gathered up a bunch of assorted ribbons and lace along with a couple of bunches of artificial flowers and even some curly ribbon bows to  decorate the hats.  We hot glued and stapled the flowers, ribbons and lace on each hat and then took pictures of each winner wearing her hat and holding a bouquet of red roses. 

Recipe:  Kentucky Chocolate Pie (often called Derby Pie, or Chocolate Pecan  Pie.)  This is definitely a man pleaser, but I think you gals will love it too.  This recipe also came from my Bluegrass Winners cookbook.

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup margarine, melted 
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 11/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 unbaked 9″ pastry shell
  • 1 cup cream whipped

Combine sugar and flour; add remaining ingredients, except cream, and pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla Ice cream.

If you go to Keeneland you may want to try the buffet in the Kentucky Room.  It sounds wonderful and if I go back next year, I am going to try it.  If I had only known sooner it would have been near the top of my list for must dos at Keeneland.  On the buffet is Carved Roast Top Round of Beef, Au Jus, Roasted Turkey, Baked Ham, Pasta Marinara, Fresh Vegetable Du Jour, Potatoes, a variety of Fresh Homemade Salads, Bakery Rolls, New York Cheesecake and Pecan Pie.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Kentucky Derby illuminations:                                                                            I have only been to the Kentucky Derby once many years ago but I love to watch it on T.V.  It is fun to pick a winner and I always choose the horse that has the name I like best.  My favorite thing about the Kentucky Derby race is the fact that the winner receives an armful of red roses and the horse gets a blanket of red roses.  My what a prize! 

And the prize we will receive at the end of life will be even far greater than an arm full of roses!

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14

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

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“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.

illuminations on love and laughter

04 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in adoreable puppies, Best Friend Dogs, crafts and recipes, Friendship International

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“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.'”  Psalms 126:2

Golden Illumination

Did you know that our dogs sense our emotional moods?  I have seen this time and time again.  If I am sad or not feeling well my dog will come over to me and lay his head on my knee, looking up at me with the saddest most understanding eyes you could ever imagine.  But if I am laughing and happy my dog gets a twinkle in his eye and even laughs with me (not out loud, thank goodness.)  My husband thinks that God made a slight mistake when he made women so that’s why he made dogs who don’t talk.  Well we all know that God doesn’t make mistakes.  I do believe that dogs talk with their eyes and of course wagging tails.  If you think that dogs don’t laugh with us, just take a good look at this picture!  This is Christy laughing with Bailey who was the only puppy in Happy and Sidney’s first litter.  Naturally she was very spoiled!  I remember one of her favorite things to do was climb up in my favorite chair the moment I left the room.  She would be sitting there like a queen when I returned.

Fun Stuff For Kids

Monkey Puppets

  • Open the end of an individual box of cereal and remove the cereal.
  • Cut the box in half leaving one long side uncut.  Bend the box back to make finger holds for your puppet head.
  • Cut a strip of brown paper sack about 1 1/2″ wide and 10″ long.  Staple the strip around the bottom three sides of box for the monkey’s chin.
  • Glue a pink or orange 5″ by 3″ piece of paper on the inside of the monkey’s mouth.
  • Add a red tongue.
  • Cut a peanut shaped head  out of a brown paper sack about 2 1/2″ wide for top part of head and 3 1/2″ wide for cheeks and 4 1/2″ long.
  • Add 2 black eyes with glue (I used small black pom poms and a tiny pom for the monkey’s nose) but buttons would also work.
  • Cut a heart shape out of the brown paper sack about 2″wide 2″ long.  Cut the heart in half and you will have two ears to glue on your monkey’s head.
  • Add some brown crinkle cut strings of hair with glue.
  • Glue the monkey’s head to the box.
  • Using the long side of the brown sack cut two long legs and two arms and fold accordion style.  Staple to sides of box.
  • Holding box with your thumb and three fingers you can make your monkey talk and dance.  Have fun!

Sometimes on cousin’s night it sounds like a gang of monkeys escaped from the zoo and entered the house.  This week we will be making Monkey Bread for our dessert which is a favorite with everybody.  It is easy and fun to pull apart and best when just baked and eaten while still warm and sticky delicious!

Monkey Bread Recipe (Found on Pillsbury Flaky Layer Biscuits can)

Preparation time 25 minutes.  Start to Finish: 1 hour 30 minutes

  •  3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 cans (7.5 oz. each) Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  1. Grease or spray 12-cup Bundt cake pan
  2. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in 1-gallon bag.  Cut each biscuit into quarters.  Shake quarters in bag to coat;  place in pan.  Mix melted butter and brown sugar; pour over biscuits pieces.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 49 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes.  Turn upside down.  Serve warm.  12 servings

Love and Laughter illuminations

Monkey bread reminds me of the rhyme my kids loved when they were little.       Five little monkeys jumping on the bed; one fell off and bumped his head;  Momma called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”   It goes all the way down to one little monkey and the kids loved saying it over and over.  One of the best memories I have of Mommaw, my children’s much loved grandmother on their father’s side was coming into my son’s bedroom one Saturday evening to find her jumping on his water bed with all four of our children with the music blasting on his stereo playing “Saturday Night” sung by the Bay City Rollers.  Those were fun times!  Now the trampoline takes the place of the water bed and kids seem to love bouncing and tumbling on it. Sorry the pictures are out of focus but the kids were jumping like monkeys none stop!

Friendship International

Smiles Are Contagious

If you are looking for joy, you’ll find plenty of it at Friendship International. I felt honored to be one of the teachers and the year that I taught the art of paper mache clown making was filled with laughter and fun.  If you have never been a part of this organization, you really should come to one of the meetings.  It is something you won’t soon forget.

Our theme at the clown clinic was “smiles are contagious.”

Mardi Gras Celebration

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in crafts and recipes, parental wisdom and Mardi Gras celebration

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“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”         Jeremiah 29:13

Celebration illumination:  Mardi Gras

Magi from the East with only a star provided by God as their G.P.S. (Global Positioning System) undertook a long journey to find the one who would be born a King, the one and only Son of God.  They followed the bright shining star to a stable in Bethlehem and found Jesus, the Holy baby lying in a manger.  When they saw the baby they were overjoyed and bowed down and worshiped him.  Then these three wise kings opened their treasures and presented Jesus with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  This celebration became known as Twelfth Night and the Feast of Epiphany.  It is also the beginning of Mardi Gras Season which lasts until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which begins the season of Lent.  Children in New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras with a King Cake.  It is an oval shaped cake that is decorated in the colors of green for Faith, yellow for Power and purple for Justice.  Inside the cake is hidden a small plastic baby to represent the Holy baby that the wise men found.  It is said that the child who finds the baby in their piece of cake will receive blessings all year long.  Simon found the baby in our cake and was declared a wise king.

Fun Stuff for Kids

Wise Men Crowns

Cut long strips of poster board (I used large gold gift bags that I found at the dollar store).  Cut crown points along one side of the strip.  Using glue sticks add sequins for jewels and sticker stars for wisdom to the crown.  Staple the crown together after measuring to fit the head of your child.

Mardi Gras masks

Cut a mask shape from a colorful red, green, blue or gold gift bag.  With a hot glue gun, glue a wooden dowel stick or a jumbo craft stick to the side of the mask for your child to hold it up to their face.  Cut out two eye shapes and with a glue stick glue glitter around the eyes.  Add shiny ribbons, sequins or stickers to decorate the mask.

Mind illuminations

I wondered about the many masked celebrations that take place in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.  It started me thinking about the many masks we each wear in life hoping that someone will see us as the person we want to be rather than who we really are.  Only God knows the heart and we will never discover the real person we were meant to be until we begin to seek Him and find Him.

King Cake Recipe

cake:  2 cans of refrigerator crescent rolls

Filling

  • 4 ounces of cream cheese (half of a brick)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Icing

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 or 4 Tablespoons cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • colored sugars, purple, yellow and green

Beat cream cheese, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Set filling aside.  Unroll crescent roll dough on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet and separate in triangles.  Place triangles side by side in an oval pattern.  Press seams together in the middle of each triangle so that you can fold them over filling.  Spread the filling around in a ring covering the center of the sealed seam of each triangle.  Fold the top and bottom of each triangle over the filling.  Tuck under the triangle points and lightly press the seams.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake cake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool and carefully insert a small plastic baby into the cake from the underside.

Beat the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla together until smooth.  Spread the room temperature cake with icing allowing it to drip down sides of cake.  Sprinkle colored sugars over cake in a swirl pattern.  Add some gold, purple and green beads that have been thoroughly washed in soapy water and dried.

I bought our King cake at the bakery but this one doesn’t sound too difficult to make if your bakery doesn’t sell them.  A small plastic baby may be found at the Dollar store.

Mind illuminations

Don’t you know that the devil must have harassed those wise kings shooting darts at them all along their journey.  I can just imagine the devil projecting thoughts into their minds like, “This is such a waste of time!  You’ll never find this baby.  Why don’t you just take your treasures and spend them on something you want?”

But the Magi never wavered in their quest.  Their focus was fixed.  Thus they were known as wise men.  To find the LORD is the greatest reward of all rewards.


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

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“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.