PROJECT 365...kinda

Week 52, kinda

SUNDAY, 12/20...no pics :(

but on Monday...I got two pics

MONDAY, 12/21 Babygirl and I enjoyed mani and pedi treatments ... even though they're from Vietnam, they decorate for the Christmas and wish everyone Christmas wishes...I loved their tree

Babygirl kinda likes having her fingers and toes 'done', can you tell?

LATER THAT SAME AFTERNOON, she had to get busy finishing a present for a friend...I'll have to show it to you later, she hasn't presented it yet..it will be after her best friend returns from her Christmas trip.

WEDNESDAY, 12/22

I was gathering the gifts I had bought for my accountability/prayer group so I could cook the next day and fill their 'plates'

 I was able to go ahead and get a one of the munchies finished...just LOVE these shortbread cookies with Ghirardeli chocolates squished into each center...oh, so buttery!

12/23, THURSDAY

We enjoyed our lunch together at Red Robin's, I had a guacamole bacon burger...then we exchanged gifts (but we didn't get any pics)...we so love getting together to eat, pray, share...made my week.

12/24, FRIDAY

Last-minute shopping for Dad, helping babygirl choose some last minute things and then home to wrap.  While Dad and babygirl were readying for church, I prepared stuffed shells and pasta sauce for dinner...I was able to get ready while it baked in the oven.  I was finally able to setup the camera to get a family shot...these are hard to come by, believe me.  Somehow I don't believe it will make my Christmas card next year, I may do a collage of Christmas morning shots for next year's card.  Babygirl was so pretty in her new Christmas dress and pearls...I really do have a grown daughter...I have to keep pinching myself through all my hot flashes...you'll notice I had to dress with sleevelessness...I did wear a red and black jacket over this tank to go outside...it was around 53*

SATURDAY, 12/25

We certainly enjoyed our time together under the Christmas tree and then opening stockings...lots of sweet surprises...Mama has a tomtom, finally...although, I'll name him something else once I decide his voice...of course, he'll have to have an appropriate name, hahah...either going to choose an 'aussie' accent or maybe a little Irish!

Since we ate such a late brunch of french toast and sausage, I ended up doing a later Christmas dinner (around 7pm).  I prepared Sourdough rolls in my breadmaker, glazed a  Smithfield mini ham with my drysack sherry/greypoupon/honey/brown sugar glaze, left-over-frozen Thanksgiving turkey breast, BS&K's wonderful cranberry sauce, ultra cherry mixed fruit, lima beans w/ vidalia onions, glazed slow-roasted sweet potatoes, and it was all followed by a fresh-from-a-pumpkin gingersnap pie (thank you, Alton)

We watched a couple of Christmas movies before and after dinner while running back and forth to the window watching the snow grow as the minutes went by...this is the first white Christmas we've had here in Georgia ..since 1993 when a trace amount was reported...the last Christmas with any significant accumulation was in 1882.  This REALLY made this year's Christmas special...wonder if we'll have church tomorrow?

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

THANKS FOR HOSTING ALL YEAR, SARA...YOU'RE A SPORT.

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Blessings,

ANOTHER 'NO-BAKE' in case you need a quick recipe

No-Bake Fudgy Snow Balls

Servings: 21 • Serving Size: 1 cookie • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 2 pts

Calories: 69.5 • Fat: 3.8 g • Carb: 9.2 g • Fiber: 2.2 g • Protein: 2.1 g

15 pitted dates

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup whole roasted unsalted almonds

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp water (or more if needed)

3 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Add almonds to your food processor and pulse until ground. Add dates, cocoa powder, honey, and water. Mix until it forms a sticky mass. If it seems too dry, add a little water, 1 tsp at a time. Wash hands and using damp hands (keep sink running) measure 1 tbsp and roll into a ball with the dough. Set balls on parchment paper.

Put confectioner's sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in your hand and then roll in sugar.

Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Thanks, Gina...

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Blessings,

CONES 'n CRAFTS

I like making things around Christmas...little things to use or give away.  These are going to be next on my list...thanks, 'natural kids' for the idea!

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Blessings,

PROJECT 365...KINDA...

JOINING SARA AND GROUP FOR PROJECT 365...IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I PARTICIPATED.

WITH COLD TEMPERATURES AND SNOW FLURRIES, IT'S BEEN A GREAT WEEK FOR SNUGGLING IN AND GETTING SOME KNITTING PROJECTS COMPLETED...

12/12...MY NEW BLOG HEADER IS A PICTURE FROM TODAY'S FLURRIES :)

12/6/10...THE ABOVE IS A BERNAT PATTERN FOR A NECK "TUNNEL"...YOU SLIP IT OVER YOUR HEAD AND USED THE ADJUSTABLE 'HEADBAND' CLASP TO SNUGGLE IT UP AROUND YOUR NECK ;)

REALLY ENJOYING THIS FINGERLESS PATTERN...ONE OF MY TEENAGE FRIENDS SHARED HER PATTERN WITH ME...THANKS, TORI!

A CANCER CAP THAT MY BABYGIRL SAID LOOKS MORE LIKE A 'DREADLOCKS' COVER...WHATEVER!  JUST HAD TO DO SOME FINISHING WORK ON THIS ONE.

MATCHING FINGERLESS GLOVES FOR THE CANCER CAP...HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
Blessings,

COOKIE ANYONE?...COOKIE EXCHANGE

JOINING the Bowyers FOR A GREAT COOKIE EXCHANGE...at such an opportune time...I can have some new cookies to keep out through the Holidays.  My selection is an EASY PEASY...I like easy peasy, don't you?!

Orange Bites
1 box of vanilla wafers - usually 12oz

1 6oz can of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 box of powdered sugar - 16oz

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 cup toasted, shredded coconut (optional)

Crush the vanilla wafers until fine.

Mix vanilla wafers, orange juice, powdered sugar, butter, and chopped pecans.

Shape the mixture into walnut-size balls.  Store the bites in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. (If you like toasted coconut, you can roll them in some coconut before storing.)

Makes approx. 5 dozen cookies.

So easy - yet so delicious!


Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Blessings,

THANKSGIVING: done!

Set the table and was ready for the food...then, forgot to get a pic with all the food.  Dangit! 

Turkey, dressing, giblet, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, steeped apples and cranberries all followed by black forest cake...yummm to the OH!

But, the best part was getting to share it with my mother  (Nana is her real name now, you know) and Pops...they drove in from Alabama and enjoyed talking, eating, and watching some football, of course. 

Soon they were off because they were going to the hospital to sit with my aunt until she has hip replacement surgery on Friday.  Aunt Jackie, I'm sending up many prayers for your doctors, nurses, you, and your healing.  God bless you during this valley that I pray becomes a mountain top.  Amen

Jer. 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Blessings,



WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

JOINING JOYCE @ FROM THIS SIDE OF THE POND...

1. The most amazing weather you've ever seen: Being from Atlanta, snow is a BIG deal to us.  In 1993, when my daughter was a year old, we had a blizzard...I had 3-foot drifts in our yard.  Things closed for days while we learned how to maneuver through it...I know there are many who get multiple feet a year but for us, this was scary and fun all at the same time.

2. A sound or noise you love:  Babies giggling always tickle me

3. Your favorite seafood dish:  Fried soft-shell crab...and escargot cooked in wine and rosemary

4. The part of your day requiring the most patience:  I don't have a lot of issues with this...I get impatient waiting for my flash drive to start back up on my computer sometimes...I'm in need of an overhaul.

5. Your favorite shade of blue:  teal blue, reminds me of the Caribbean (and it looks the best on me ;)

6. People underestimate you when: I talk about how BAD my hot flashes really are...I grow soooo tired of them.  I surely wish the medical community had a better handle on this for women who suffer daily, hourly, minute-by-minute, second-by-second.

7. The last butterflies in your stomach:  Leaving baby girl at college the first day...knowing she'd be all on her own and not under my roof...moths, butterflies, buzzards, I had 'em all!

8. Insert your own random thought here:  Eight is a much more reasonable number for Hodge Podge...even four would be fine.  Sometimes when memes are soooo large, they are too cumbersome to ponder over with your answers...(guess that could have been my answer to the patience question, hahaha)


JOIN US FOR HODGE PODGE, IT'S FUN!

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
Blessings,

MAMA LLAMA? No, BETTY MAMA ! ;)

One of my daughter’s favorite books at night for bed for me to read to her was “IS YOUR MAMA A LLAMA?”.  It points to all the different little animals and the differences in their mommies.

Differences are many when you talk about what and how mothers raise their children.  Mothers always wear so many hats while they’re learning to be a “Mom.” 

My mother loved to wear hats…figuratively and literally.  Pill boxes were the first type hat I remember seeing my Mother wear…it was black and had a small black netting that draped across the front of her forehead.  She wore it to church with her pretty, black Audrey-Hepburn-looking suit, along with her gloves, pumps and nylons (yea, the real kind with the garter belt). 

As my sister and I grew her hats shifted daily as she wore a chauffeur’s cap, a maid’s crown, a chef’s hat, a seamstress bandana, a teacher’s ruler in her pocket, a gardener’s apron, a room mother’s tag, many cheerleader’s pompoms, many band-aid sun visors and her healing nurse’s cap.  All these services she provided to us, my Daddy, my classmates, our neighbors, a volume of church family, our grandparents and anyone else she came in contact with in our community.  She has always been a server, never complaining about how much to help…she just jumped right in where ever she saw a need.

Her hat rack remains full even to this day even at the age of  79…after we’ve grown up, my father passed along with all the grandparents…she’s still giving where she sees need in her church and community.  She cooks more throughout the week than I do, plays piano for their choir and church services, hand sews quilts for family members, feeds anyone helping on their farm, decorates the house with a Christmas tree in every room and still cuts the grass while tending the flowers.

I hope my hat rack is still full when I get to be her    age…TODAY’s her birthday and I just wanted to share her with you, too.  Happy Birthday, Mother

THEY BEAR OUR COLORS...

ENCHANTED LEARNING THUMBNAILS FOR COLORING

THANK YOU, USA VETERANS!

Jer. 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Blessings,

MissMolly and Me

Jewelry sometimes brings me peace...the ability of someone to pull together colors and materials with their God-given talent and melding it all into a wearable piece of art.  Yes, Miss Molly captured my eye with her piece of peace...Imagining late summer in Europe overlooking the countryside:  seeing lavender...sunflowers...vines.   mmmmmmm, sounds wonderful, doesn't it?   God's beauty captured in a new way in this beautiful necklace, bracelet and earring set by MissMollyDesigns.

Antiqued copper,, three olivine glass briolettes, hand-enameled cone-shaped bead caps, and lavender, topaz and olive Czech crystal beads...they all sound majestic yet comforting to me.  Luckily I captured it before anyone else and will be waiting for it to arrive so it can be wrapped and placed under the soon-to-be Christmas tree.  

aaaaaahhhhhh, this is helping me get in the Spirit, for sure.  If you'd like to do some early shopping, I highly recommend you go take in Miss Molly's talent.

2010 GIVING THANKS CHALLENGE...

FOLLOWING A SIMPLE MEME (SOUTH BREEZE FARM) FOR NOVEMBER...

we'll be using a running sidebar list, all through the month...going a little deeper OR explaining more on certain things, sometimes writing a post  to accompany my subject. 

For sure, this will be a good method lessening pressure yet leaving the door ajar for dispensation when wanting to share more.

November 1:  Visiting family

Our nephew enhanced our weekend for a couple of days, while DD was home from college, and we all enjoyed dinner at Oyster Bay Seafood one night.  (Their blackened grouper with mango salsa was luscious yet punchy!)  
He shared insight about his past year of deployment and she touched on the first semester of college...each had funny remembrances involving their close friends...yet his was peppered with heart-wrenching realities endured by all his comrades serving their country.
  

We enjoyed lots of conversation over an egg breakfast casserole the next morning with our coffee and juice.  I personally was in a very happy place...words cannot express the emotions while talking to a grown man now in uniform that years ago completed his Eagle Scout mission, played bass drum in the high school band...he and his twin brother were only 6 years old in matching blue blazers at our wedding.  My, how time flies!  


Flashes of her bright, pink-striped hair from underneath the nape of her neck caught my attention while reminding me that she had helped CATCH SOME AWARENESS for breast cancer's cure by going with friends to the salon to 'contribute' together.  Their youthful enthusiasm is contagious and I love their wanting to participate in such a fun way.
How thankful was this mother's heart for the two young people of hope sitting across the table from me that night?    EXTREMELY, there ARE many moral, loving, courageous young men and women building their own legacies.  Thank you, Lord, for giving us that precious time together.

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." 

Blessings,

COOL-WEATHER YUMMIES

We've been enduring many large thunderstorms the last few days...along with high humidity and warmer weather.

It just doesn't FEEL like Fall right now, at all.  

While reading thru my favorite 'foody' blogs, I noticed these three would be a good meal if all put together.  

These ladies are truly talented and I've never been disappointed in their recipes...please go visit them and see what they have in their archives...some GREAT ideas I must say.  

All of these helped put me in a FALL mood...I've turned the air conditioner up so it is cooler in the house and I'm going to PRETEND it feels cool outside while I plan next week's menu...it is supposed to get cooler this weekend.

One Perfect Bite (Warm Bean Dip)

Mennonite Girls Can Cook (Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup)


SkinnyTaste.com (Arugula w/ pomegranates, bleu cheese and pistachios)

Jer. 33:3  "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." 

Blessings,

SIMPLE PLEASURES - making prayer cloths

Joining DAYLE for SIMPLE PLEASURES THURSDAY

IT'S A SIMPLE PLEASURE for me to be able to 'crochet' or 'knit' prayer shawls and prayer cloths for people we encounter needing some prayers, reaching out, or a little gift of comfort.  We love making them, praying over them and especially giving them as the Spirit moves our hearts.

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." 

Blessings,

MIRACLES CONTINUING...

BACK IN 2006, a miracle was born, she fought courageously through many challenges, infections and surgeries...


I'm excited to give a  BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY wish for my great-niece, Katie, who turned FOUR 

and WE are sooo proud of her accomplishments in those four years...

Many of you have prayed her along her life path and we THANK you so much


...she also was the Heart Hero for last month's heart walk...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Blessings,

MY LITERAL BOHUNKUS PAIN...

EVER since Saturday, I've been 'shuffling' like Tyrone Horneigh from Laugh In, remember back in the 70's when he was pursuing Gladys?


Gotta laff cause I'm tired of hurting.  Actually, Tyrone is moving FASTER in this video than I am...it took me 20 mins to get into the car this morning for my first chiro trip.
All this mess ensued after I reached high up into a kitchen cabinet for a glass and heard something pop in my lower back..my legs started shaking and I had to catch myself on the kitchen counter after my legs quickly collapsed
. 
(The chiro said I had a badly twisted sacrum...the sacroiliac bone just above your 'tush' and the nerves are now irritated and swollen.)  


Sunday brought a morning of moving with great tenderness and NOT GETTING to sit by my home-visiting freshman in church...but I could sit pretty well in my recliner, but today NOTHING is comfortable.


Please send up a few prayers to remove this debilitating pinching in my hips while I ice and heat throughout the afternoon.


In case you don't remember Tyrone and Gladys, here are Arte Johnson and Ruth Buzzi at their best... 

MY 'HORRING -MONES NEED A RENFROE FIX... ANYONE W/ ME?

\
THERE'S SOMETHING THERAPEUTIC IN KNOWING OTHERS RELATE TO MY DAYS, NIGHTS, THIS OBLIVION CALLED MENOPAUSE...

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Blessings,

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

joining "the Lid" today ;)
come join us...


Did you like to read when you were a child? 
some
What were your favorite genres, books or series? 
Pippy Longstockings
 and Nancy Drew in my child/teen years

Adult reading:  THE THORNBIRDS by Collen McCullough


anything by Ann Rivers Siddons and Francine Rivers 


Did you read books because of the author or because of the title/plot?
title/plot 


Did you own many books?
not when I was young, but lots now as an adult 


Did your school distribute the Scholastic book orders (or some other type)? 
definitely...i LOVED getting to order books


Did you visit the library often? 
about once a month from what I remember


Was there a summer reading program when you were young, and did you participate? 
Yes...I received a few participant certificates and bookmarks


Do you have any particular memories of your school libraries? 
It was a happy, peaceful place...and they always decorated for any particular holidays, highlighting the books in the same time frame.  
Sorry to say I don't remember my grammar school librarian though...loved learning about the Dewey decimal system as I got older...
loved working as a library volunteer while dd was in school.
While working @ Emory University, I used to LOVE hanging out in their HUGE library on my lunch hours...the smells and beauty of ALL THOSE BOOKS amazed me.


What were your favorites and least favorites among the classics (the ones high school English teachers assign!)? 
The two I remember liking the most: 
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (the first novel I ever read TWICE)
Romeo and Juliet (original version) by William Shakespeare *(the danger of hasty action/power of tragic fate)....I found it difficult to understand the Elizabethan language but beautifully deep in human emotion.


hated ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell dealing with corrupting revolution & SKIN OF OUR TEETH by Thornton Wilder  (comedy about history's repeating itself) ... 
I had to write term papers on both these novels...which probably DIDN'T help my liking them.


If you didn't like reading, do you like it more today than you did then?
I enjoy it MORE today than in my teens....
it was a HAVE TO then, now it is a WANT TO


 Blessings,