Month: December 2018

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Only God

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

This week has been such an up and down emotionally roller coaster. Loving all the things about Christmas, the carols, the Christmas Eve services with family, the dinners that gathers us around the tables, allowing for laughter, retelling of memories and partaking of God’s abundant provision. Christmas is a glorious time of reminding us of what God truly did for mankind. We have been given the most amazing gift that anyone could receive. The gift of eternal life and a most abundant life here on earth.
Sitting there Christmas Eve with our kids, we were so blessed to have our 9 year old grandson say that he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart. What a great memory to have as we leave this place in a few days. To know that Caleb has made the most important decision of his life, and we were blessed to be there when he did.
As we are moving on to our next adventure of traveling for a few months before settling back in Texas, this past month has been, like I said, had it’s ups and downs of emotions. Everything we have done with friends or family has been great, but then we stop to realize that each of those things we were doing for the last time for awhile. That always brought some tears and tore at our hearts. But to have witnessed some of the things God has done these last couple of months has been such an amazing gift to know that God, in all His glory, still cares about the things that are important to us,no matter how small they may seem in the scheme of things.
Randy and I made a prayer list of things in October that we have been praying and asking the Lord for. One by one, we have been able to check the requests off that lists. Out of the 9, there is only one that remains, but it isn’t time to worry about that one anyway.
About a month ago, we decided to try to sell our living room furniture. We began to think that if we didn’t have these 3 big chairs and couch, we would be able to fit everything into one pod and not have to pay to store a second pod. Each week, I kept revising the price and details of the furniture on several web sites that specialize in selling preowned furniture. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No one ever showed up to look at it, much less buy it. Randy kept asking me where we would sit, should it sell before we were ready to leave on the 27th, but I kept saying that I didn’t think he needed to worry about that as no one had even come to look at it. When Jodi, our daughter, and I started talking about the furniture last week, we both talked about that if it didn’t sell before Christmas and the movers were coming the 27th (tomorrow) it would just go to Texas with us.
Also, I had just shared with several friends that the Lord had not revealed my word for 2019 to me yet. I had told them that I felt that maybe my word was “trust” but it had not been confirmed to me yet. At Christmas Eve service the pastor ended his sermon using the word “trust” several times and I began to think even more that God was showing me that that was going to be my word.
Well, today about 11 a.m. I was on the phone with Jodi when I told her that someone had just written to me asking if our furniture was still available. So I quickly responded to the lady that yes it was. I didn’t get excited because several had written in the last month, but then I never heard back, so figured that this was going to be the same. But then the lady wrote back to ask if she could come look at it. She showed up, and ended up paying for it, BUT…..she cannot pick it up until tomorrow. God worked it out that we still have it to sit on until the movers get here tomorrow. Only God…..He always goes far and above anything we can ever imagine. It is always exciting to see how He reveals the word He has for us and this year was no exception. He not only confirmed my word to be “trust” but took care of our needs in the process.
Only God….can make a way when there seems to be no way.
Only God….can arrange our lives in such a way that not only brings Him glory, but allows us to have a story to tell others.

Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Only God! Thank you Lord for all the ways you have taken care of us and continue to show Your faithfulness. May we always trust in You, no matter the bends in the road, no matter the circumstances.

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Taco Soup Supreme

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Last night I was trying to use up as much of the things left in our fridge as possible since the movers come next week! Since it does get chilly here at night and i had a half pound of hamburger meat i wanted to use, i decided to make a quick taco soup.

After adding the can of diced tomatoes, onion, celery and 2 chicken bullion cubes, I diced up the potato and carrots i had! Actually had some fresh cabbage that to chop up and added also. Found a small can of whole kernel corn, drained it and dumped it in! It was at this point that i remembered what a friend of mine told me! Dianne always adds a can of refried beans to her taco soup! So opening the pantry to see if i had one, there it was just waiting to be used! So i added the can of refried beans. Two cups of water and an envelop of taco seasoning were then Poured in and wala the soup was ready for the oven

Preheated oven to 325 and then baked in a covered pot for about 2 hours. Our kids came over to pick up some furniture last night! They said “something sure smells good” the minute they walked in the door! I’m sure you know the rest of the story! We had an impromptu dinner with tamales that i had just bought and fritoes. We all LOVED the soup. Thanks Dianne for the idea! Best taco soup ever!

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Precious Christmas Memories

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This Christmas season has been very different for us. Instead of spending time hanging outdoor Christmas lights or sitting down with Christmas cards in my lap to address, we have spent the majority of our time packing to move. If I EVER decide to do this at Christmas season, will one of you slap me back into reality? At the beginning of December, we kept thinking, “we have got this. Most of the glass dishes and antique cabinets had already been packed for several weeks. Thinking that if we did that, it would give us plenty of time to watch all the Hallmark movies and make multiple pans of fudge. We were wrong. We did not figure in the fact that we are a couple years older than we were 3 years ago. We also didn’t figure in the fact that apparently we have acquired, should I say, “some real keepsakes” living out west. We unloaded 3 pods when we moved here and it looks like it might take 4 when the movers get here next week? That brings me to another fact. Our clothes are a bigger size than when we moved here. IT’s amazing how much more room a size larger pair of pants takes up.
Because we are trying to make the most of the time we have left here, Jodi and I came up with a great family night plan. Two nights ago, we went to their house to have pizza, watch Christmas Vacation and then head out to a Christmas light spectacular called Illumination. IT was worth every dollar, especially since there was a coupon on Groupon. The coupon is for the entire car, so load it up we did. We had Randy driving, with Eric and Noah in the front seat. Jodi and I had Caleb in the back. After an hour wait to actually get the car inside to begin driving through the light show, we were excited. Of course, the sign gave instructions to turn our radio onto a certain radio station so that the lights blinked in sync with the music playing. Of course, it took until we were almost through the park before we figured out how to restart our computer in the car to where we could find the particular station. But, because we have a SUV the boys decided to climb over both seats and watch the show from the back of the car. Apparently, when little boys are not strapped in with seatbelt, they feel the mood to roll around, kicking the backs of our heads, of course, all the while keeping with the beat of the music. While we were waiting in line we began to laugh about different Christmas memories. Doesn’t it seem that memories sometimes get funnier as time passes?
One of our favorite Christmas memories was from about 2010 when we had about 15 people at our house. Because there were going to be so many people having dinner, I rearranged the furniture. We put the dining room table in the den and put the den furniture in the dining room. That way we could seat more folks AND, it put us closer to the food. That is so important. Well the night progressed and we had a lovely dinner. Everyone left and Randy said, “if you want, I’ll start putting back all the chairs while you do the dishes.” That is always how we work, he starts putting everything up while I am in the kitchen, cleaning up. Thats why Frosty and Noel make a great team.
In about 10 minutes, Randy walks in the kitchen and tells me that we need to call Eric and Jodi. When I ask him why, they had just left, why did he need to call them, he responded with, “they need to come back, they forgot Craig, he is sound asleep in my chair in the dining room.” Craig is Eric’s brother and in the hustle and bustle of everyone leaving that evening, no one noticed that Craig was asleep in the dining room. Now we had to decide who was going to wake him up and tell him that they left him behind. We decided to let him sleep until Eric got there and could explain to him why he was still there. We now post a sign at the front door to be sure people get ALL their belongings before they leave.

Another great memory involved us renting a 15 passenger van to take friends around looking at Christmas lights. What a special memory. We made chile for everyone before we went out and then each person had their own little box of Christmas cookies to snack on while we looked at lights. It truly was a magical evening. As Frosty played Christmas Carols over the radio, everyone begin to sing and laugh. Well, almost everyone, our adult kids were sitting in the back of the van and kept making faces like, “you have got to be kidding me, we are in a van, driving around with all these oldies singing with their Christmas sweaters on”. That made us sing that much louder. They couldn’t get out of that van quick enough when we got back. We loved it. Felt like they were teenagers again with their parents still embarrassing them.

Today running into Walmart to buy butter (yes, I was almost out of butter, only have 2 sticks left) I remembered years ago when being so excited seeing the new Christmas tapes/CD’s in and loved going through them to see which new ones I was going to buy that year. I miss that. It was so much more fun than just going onto Amazon to download songs for my phone. It was so great to get back in the car, open the tape/cd and insert it into the player and driving around listening to the new music we had just bought.

Christmas…brings back so many different memories and emotions. Some of them wonderful, and some bringing tears to our eyes. But regardless of the emotions which it conjures up, we can be sure of one thing. Memories hold a very special place in our hearts.

As you celebrate Christmas this year, may you make memories of joy, hope and laughter with those you love.

#Jesusisthereasonfortheseason

Breads · Breakfast · Casseroles · Daily Thoughts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Monte Cristo Casserole & Raspberry Sauce

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Years ago we use to have a restaurant in Texas that had the best Monte Cristo sandwiches. It is no surprise that this breakfast casserole caught my eye in the December Taste of Home. After reading the recipe and realizing that I could make it the night before, it became the breakfast of choice for Christmas morning this year. Cannot wait to serve it with a side dish of hash browns and a fruit compote.

1 loaf French bread, cut into 20 slices
2 tables Dijon mustard
1/2 lb sliced deli ham
1/2 lb sliced Swiss cheese
1/2 lb sliced deli turkey
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teas sugar
2 teas vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teas ground cinnamon

Raspberry Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tables cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Line a greased 13×9″ baking dish with half of the bread. Spread the mustard over bread. Layer with ham, cheese, then turkey and remaining bread. Dish will be full.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour over top. Place in fridge, covered overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Remove casserole from fridge while oven heats. IN a small bowl, mix topping ingredients, sprinkle topping her the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.

While casserole is baking, using a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water, lemon juice and maple syrup until smooth.
Add raspberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly.

Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm with sauce.

Serves about 10

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Frosty’s Follies

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Today Frosty suggested that we go out shopping like we use to while we lived in Dallas. To just go out all day to get among the Christmas crowds and hit the local Starbucks for a gingerbread latte and see what Santa has out this year on display. It was then that I suggested that we go looking for a new suitcase for us to take to Mexico and Italy. So off we go to look for the perfect traveling companion which would hold all our clothes that hopefully make us look like we “belong” and not like a tourist.

Getting out in this most beautiful day made me hungry. When he ask me if I was ready for the Starbucks stop, I informed him that maybe we should start off with something a little more filling, so off to Chick Fila we go, all the while me listening to him talk under his breath about “we have just left the house where there was plenty to eat but now she wants to go to Chick Fila” Maybe Frosty isn’t quite in his Christmas spirit yet. When I ask him to repeat what he had just said, he told me that he was glad we were having lunch out because then we could save the food at home for dinner. When I told him that was not what it sounded like when he was muttering, but I let this one go. After all, I didn’t want to start off our fun Christmas shopping day not speaking. So after we downed some chicken nuggets and a peppermint chocolate chip shake, we headed off to look at luggage. We stopped at a store that has a little bit of everything, (no it wasn’t Walmart) ok, it was almost Walmart, it was Ross. So after looking over the luggage and deciding that we needed to go other places before deciding, I informed Frosty that after much discussion with several friends who have traveled extensively, I wanted to go look at the backpacks. Thinking that would be a great way to carry all my necessities, leaving my arms free to hold the gelato or pizza in Italy or hail cabs in Mexico, my mind was made up to buy a backpack. I found the perfect size, beautiful, quilted olive green backpack which had some outside pockets. Asking him to hold my purse so I could try it on for size, I proudly, turn around showing him what I look like with a back pack. No I didn’t ask him if it made my rear end look big, but I did ask him what he thought. This was his reply, “well, if you really must know, you look like a Ninja Turtle”
The backpack went back on the shelf and we left the store in not so much of a holly jolly mood.

We had already decided that today we would visit the Apple Store to look at the Smart Watches. I had told our kids that instead of buying me those cute little signs that sometimes read, “what happens at Nana’s stays at Nanas or a shirt that might read, TGIF This Granny is Fantastic, I would rather them just donate to my Smart Watch Fund. So in anticipation to being gifted with one, we decided to just go look at the watches. We walked out with the cutest little Smart watch EVER. It is now synced with my phone and everything is out there in the cloud. So any money that comes in now from the kids can just go to cover a cute new color band for the watch or a new phone cover that matches the cute little watch. The first 3 hours it was the smartest watch I could imagine. But after coming home and sitting down to watch a Christmas Hallmark movie, I glance over to look at my new watch and there is an alert that is telling me to “get up and move around, you have been sitting too long.” WHAT? I now have a watch that makes me feel guilty for sitting and watching a movie? What have I done? After a little longer I get another alert telling me to breathe deeply for a minute as it is good for my brain. Are you kidding me? It knows what shape my brain is in?
If I cannot train this so called “Smart watch” a little better than it is now, it is going back to Apple. If I designed a smart watch it would go something like this:
You Go Girl….it has been over an hour since you ate a cookie, why don’t you have another one.

Ding Dong, Ding Dong, it’s time for your favorite Christmas movie, grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa and sit down and relax.

Oh Bless Your Heart, you have worked hard enough today, drive up to Donut Worry and buy that apple strudel donut you love.

Dolly Parton singing Working 9 to 5 and “just warm up the leftovers, you don’t need to cook a meal tonight.

Now that’s truly a Smart Watch that I would make. But until then, I guess I had better close and start walking around before it alerts me that I have been on this computer long enough or reminds me that I have only burned 23 calories today. And to think I paid money for all this guilt. Merry Christmas to me!

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Home & Hope

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

We are in the middle of packing to leave Arizona. I must say it is harder than I expected. When we first began thinking about moving, we truly had thoughts of possibly coming back here as we have some of our kids here and have met some wonderful friends. But as the time grows closer, we feel drawn to possibly close this chapter of our lives and be open for what God has for us and where He leads. As I have looked back over my life, my security has been placed so much in my home and where I lived. This morning, in reading in Cheque Book of the Book of Faith, the scripture was “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psa 91:4”
As I read on, this sentence really stuck out, “How can we distrust when Jehovah himself, becomes house and home, refuge and rest to us?”
It made me stop and think about where my security and trust lie. Yes, I have felt very secure in some of the places where we have lived. Several of our homes have been in a guarded and gated community, which allowed me to feel very safe. Other homes, we were blessed to be in places of quiet and “safe” communities, where we still lived in an Ozzie & Harriot” neighborhood. But as we leave this place, not really knowing where we are ending up after a few months of playing gypsies, it is easy to begin to feel a little apprehensive. Where will we live? What kind of home will we have? As we begin a new season of trying to “trust and obeying” where God leads, may my hope be in Him. Not in a different house, but truly in Him. The God who promises to be my shield and buckler.
Because our plans to stay for a 3 month period in Italy,is just around the corner, of course, stirrings of doubt and worry can lead me to take my eyes off Jesus. It is easy to place them on things that can arise. Did we book places that are safe? Can we (at our age) manipulate the trains or buses? Can we read the maps and get to where we are suppose to be?
A friend yesterday suggested on Face Book that there are 24 chapters in the gospel of Luke, which if we read one chapter a day in December, by Christmas Day we would have read about the life of Jesus. That by Dec 25th, we might see Him in a whole new way. So that is what I am doing. My prayer for December is that in reading the Book of Luke, may my heart see Him in a whole new light. That gained knowledge of Him, would be more than just head knowledge. May He become the Christ Child who covers me when I trust. ”
“That I would see Him as the Lord who cannot lie; he must be faithful to his people; his promise must stand. This sure truth is all the shield we need….Come my soul, hide under those great wings, lose thyself among those arms of hope and strength.”*

Lord,May this Christmas season, rekindle my trust and strength in You, who came to save that which was lost. For You are my hope and shield. No matter the place, no matter the house. May my home and hope forever be in You.

*Cheque Book of the Book of Faith

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Lemon Cello Cake

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Last evening we were invited to a dinner social where i had agreed to bring dessert. After seeing the menu the hostess was serving, this cake came into my mind as a great ending to nmmm

the lovely meal! Everyone said it was just delicious and since there was only 2 slices left, i think it was a hit. One man even ask for a piece to take home!

1 box of Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix

8 oz sour cream

1 1/3 cup water

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3 whole eggs plus 1 egg white

1/2 teas salt

2 tables oil

Preheat oven to 325!

Mix all ingredients together and beat 4 min! Pour into 3 greased and floured 9″ round pans and bake until cake tests done. About 23-25 min! Be careful not to overbake!

Cool layers and then turn them out onto waxed paper! Using pastry brush, brush lemon cello over tops of each layer!

Filling:

1 (8 oz) container mascarpone cheese

1 jar of lemon curd ( i used a 10.5 oz jar of lemon curd from Trader Joes)

4 oz of Cool whip

Beat mascarpone cheese and lemon curd until smooth. Add Cool Whip and mix in just until blended!

Place one layer of cake in cake plate. Top with 1/3 of the filling onto cake. Top with second layer. Using another 1/3 of filling on second cake layer. Place last cake layer on top of filling!

Frosting

Whip 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Stir in remaining filling with whipped cream. Frost sides and top with the mixture

Garnish with yellow sugar crystals and chocolate Christmas tress