Youth Group Project

Our Youth Group is having a cookie decorating event to donate to a fundraiser in April. How fun this is going to be! Drop in & Decorate is a group of gals who want to support community one cookie at a time! They have given us permission to be a part by decorating our cookies and donating them for a fundraiser... I am already planning another event to donate cookies to help with maybe the pregnancy center, or the nursing home, or gosh... there are so many people who could benefit from this fun activity! How fun!

Be Courageous

Be Strong and Courageous for the Lord your God will be with you Wherever you Go.

Joshua 1:9

I love this man. I feel safe when I am with him. He continually gives me grace. And I know he loves Our Lord.

We are One.

I thank my father that he has taken me out of my comfort zone and lead me to places that I would have never imagined I would live. I am thankful he gave me this man to be part of me, and to Love Christ together on this adventure. When I am in His Word I am strong and courageous... and when we are in His Word together it is a beautiful thing. I am thankful that my dh is a pastor and in God's Holy Word constantly.

I am blessed.

Tea Stain Tag Tutorial... tongue twister?

What an easy and classic way to "up" your gift giving! THIS TUTORIAL is easy and quick! You have to check it out! Thanks kellishouse for sharing!

Ultimate Blog Party

Okay, new to the blog party idea... but these prizes would be grand! Really, any prize would tickle me! I am excited to get over a look at all of the blogs... check it out with the link to the right, and this is not an advertisement, just a way to connect. Bless your day!

109 — $30 Stampin’ Up Prize pack

58- Moms Who Think- Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

50 – 2 $50 gift certificates to Paperlicious 5 — Core Fitness for Mom DVD from Moms into Fitness

Weekly Menu...

Snickerdoodles. Period. Thanks to the BlogWorld.

I think it is funny, when we get down to the bare essentials in the cabinets and my sweet hubby asks every-so-often, "Do we have enough food for the next ten days?" LOL... So I will post here my menu plan for the week, just to assure him.

Monday

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Quiche with sliced apples and baby carrots

Spaghetti and Italian Herb Bread

Snack: Snickerdoodles

Tuesday

Oat Muffins

Bean Burritos with Salad

Creamy Chicken and Rice with mixed Vegetables

Snack: Popped Corn

Wednesday

French Toast

Macaroni and Cheese with Tuna Sandwiches

Lenten Soup Suppers

Snack: Crackers and Cheese

Thursday

Whole Wheat Waffles

Peanut Butter Bread with Jelly and Baby Carrots

Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with Italian Green Beans

Snack: Shakes or Homemade Ice Cream

Friday

Simple Muffins

Chicken Rice Soup with Fresh Wheat Bread

Pizza Night!

Snack: Popped Corn

Saturday

Scones

"Plan" Overs

Whole Wheat Pasta with Grilled Chicken Veggies

Snack: Peanut Butter Cookies

Sunday

Cereal

Fellowship (we eat with our congregation)

Individual Meat Loaves, Spiced Rice and Fresh Salad

Snack: Brownies

Monday

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Stromboli

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Snack: Cinnamon pull apart

So, dear, if you read this, be assured, we are fine! I love it when we have such a great abundance of foods and fulfilling mealtimes! God is so good and provides in such wonderful ways!

How can it be doubled?!!!

As you see we lost a car... we dropped it from insurance, and now our monthly payment is doubled! I can't believe we almost could buy another car for cheaper insurance! WEIRD, could somebody bail me out?!

Oh to Twitter...

Learning a new techi-task...

My Home... what a mess...

This is the day that I pray trustees don't stop by for a visit. I live in a parsonage, and "spring" cleaning has hit... hard.

It is a mess... dust... cobwebs in corners... trash bags full of future yard sale stuff... errrr not good, so not good.

Thinking Spring

Mostly because I can only "think" Spring. Snow fell again, BUT today it is going to be 40 degrees! Time to Spring Clean!

Kitchen Aid First Aid Day

First, our cat, Shadow. Can't you just see the sarcasm in his eyes. Oh, the life of a cat.

My sweet man searched the www and found my gear that is stripped (again) in my Kitchen Aid Professional 6 Mixer. He sent for it as a thoughtful gift four my 19th wedding anniversary! YIPPEE!

Then, when it arrived, he spent the evening replacing the gear. I love this man. And as you can see he wore an appropriate shirt for the task! Thank you my man!

This evening we will enjoy fresh ground wheat again. (BTW, this gear is stripped mostly due to mixing large amounts of sugar based items, like icings and cookies... as per the Kitchen Aid customer service.) And the part can be found here... it is pretty easy to replace yourself.

Sweet unexpected Vintage Gifts

I was blessed at our Lenten Service last night with this gift from the friend who made pasta with me this Christmas...

A Rosette Iron

I immediately came home and found this tutorial. So very helpful! So this morning the children are enjoying these wonderful treats, and our house smells like a sweet doughnut factory... so worth it, dontcha think?!

Every pastor's wife will agree...

We don't mind repurposing funeral flowers. Really. It's okay to give the overflow of flowers to us. Our parsonages (especially when we have spring fever) love the lift of color. Thank you for thinking of us!

In a Rut... or Spring Fever??? Which one?

Okay, so it is snowing... Beautiful... White.... Fresh.... okay....

EVERYONE knows I LOVE SNOW!!!

But enough already!

GO AWAY!!!!

PUhhhhh-LEAse!

I am in such a rut. I want to spring clean, but it is freezing. I want to purge... I love purging, really, but well, I want to have a yard sale, and so I wait.

I am really mad at my blogging friends, here, and here and here, who keep posting about their great "blooming" season and how Spring is wonderful. Give me a break! (wink)

Now back to regular living... thanks for the rant!

Farina=Semolina

Okay, all bread bakers. Farina, Cream of Wheat or what ever you are calling it in your household is really a coarse version of Semolina. So, for some reason (which I am truly thankful of course) the ladies from church "bless" me with bags of "farina". My family doesn't really appreciate hot mushy cereal in the morning. They do love

Crusty Breads

So, when baking my fresh breads I substitute 1 cup "farina" or "semolina" (which btw, I usually spend a fortune on in specialty flour bins) in with the flours. I also use it for dusting the stones or pans when baking... especially good for pizza!

Tonight is Friday Night Pizza and Movie night. I am using this recipe for my pizza dough, doubled and two cups of "semolina" in the mix.

To be young!

My boys enjoy our visits to a hotel with our family friends (other pastor's families)... one of the things they do every winter is swim for hours in the pool, run outside and roll around in the snow... and then jump into the hot tub... their entire being steaming with the hot/cold surge... I have wanted to share this photo for a while, and just "misplaced" it until now.

Oh, to be so brave!