Then and Now - Christie

Today I celebrate the recent addition of a brand-new daughter-in-law to our family, Christie. She's a thoughtful, intelligent woman who loves God and Michael. We couldn't be happier. Oh, yea, and if you've been reading this blog for a while, Christie got her own duck in the family lineup -- a Hawaiian one since that's where they went on their honeymoon.............. That reminds me of when my sister Kim was 5 and asked our dad, "Daddy, is a honeymoon up in the sky???"

Deep Thought of the Day

I was really struck with something my pastor said on Sunday, and I want to share it with you. It's powerful.

"When you were born, you were crying and everyone else in the room was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone else around you is crying." Author Unknown

That's plenty enough to think about for today.

Maple Flavored Whipped Cream

This is a recipe I've used for a couple of years now, and it's delicious. I found it online at about.com.

What you need:

• Metal Bowl
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Real Maple Syrup
• A Hand Beater (or, I use my antique stand mixer)

Here's how:

• Chill a metal bowl in the freezer.
• Remove bowl from freezer and add one cup of heavy whipping cream to the bowl.
• Beat cream with mixer.
• As cream begins to thicken, gradually drizzle in 1/4 cup real maple syrup.
• Continue beating until whipped cream is stiff.
• Serve atop your favorite dessert!

Tips:

• Pumpkin pie goes GREAT with maple-flavored whipped cream. I use it on my Crockpot Pumpkin Pie Pudding (recipe to come later).
• If you need more maple whipped cream, make two batches, rather than trying to double the recipe.
• If you have extra, freeze in serving-sized mounds on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Then cut or tear the wax paper between each mound, and store in a plastic zipper bag in the freezer. When you want to serve it, thaw on the kitchen counter for a few minutes before topping your dessert.

I'm reminded of this because I just cleaned out the freezer and found some of these. If it looks a little frostbitten, that's why. Can't wait to see if it still tastes good.

Defeat the Cling

Here's a hint I read about somewhere, but didn't really believe it would work. I tried it, though, and it does work! Whenever you have pants or a blouse or a skirt (especially silk) that builds up static cling, all you need to do is put a small safety pin on the underside of the hem. I guess the metal interrupts the flow of static. Whatever the reason, it does work, and doesn't cost anything! Give it a try.

Don't Burn the Tea

I love iced green tea, but until recently, I didn't know the right way to brew it. According to Real Simple magazine, you burn the delicate tea leaves whenever you brew them in boiling water, and it makes the tea bitter. Here's the proper way:

• Instead of a tea kettle, heat water in an open pan.
• As soon as little bubbles start to form on the side of the pan, pour it over the tea bag(s).
• Only steep for 2 or 3 minutes (1 or 2 if it's white tea).
• Drink hot or add water and ice to make iced tea. I use two regular sized tea bags to make a quart of iced tea. I sweeten each glassful with liquid stevia.

Mmmm....I think I'll go pour some right now.

Looking Sharp

All of my married life, which is a long, long time....I've been looking for the perfect kitchen knives. I finally found a brand that I love, thanks to my friend Beth. Beth and her husband Mike have a catering business, so she knows her stuff. One day we were shopping together, and she helped me pick out the knives I've been using for several years now. The brand is Rada Cutlery. They are very sharp, and make cutting through things like frozen strawberries a breeze. I bought the sharpener that goes with them, but they never seem to need sharpening.

Since I use them several times a day but only wash dishes once a day, I bought more the next time I saw them. For me, the sizes pictured are the only ones I need. I have two each of the smaller ones and one of the large ones. That will get me through a day just fine.


You can get them at kitchen stores, but also online. The main website is www.radamfg.com, but it looks like you can buy them on other websites also. I haven't tried any of their other products, but I'll bet they are good also.

Bonus hint: Never put your sharp knives in the dishwasher. It will dull them. Hand-wash only.

Can't - Elope

Well, yes you can. But actually I'm talking about cantaloupe, the fruit. What's the best way to cut up a cantaloupe? My sister Susan showed me how.

First, always, wash the outside of the melon with soap and water so that when you cut into it you don't drag bacteria onto the fruit you're going to eat.

Secondly, cut the melon in half and turn each half over onto a clean cutting board and cut slices. Cut the rind off, if desired, before serving. With your knife, clean out seeds from each slice.

Now, wasn't that easy? And extremely healthy.

Then and Now - Casey

It's Sunday again! Boy, those weeks roll around fast. Today I want to introduce you to another niece, Casey. She's 21 years old and a natural red-head like her mother (my sister Alicia) and her grandmother. Isn't she a lovely young lady?

Too precious for words







Age 17
















A Covey of Cousins:
Stormy, Collette, Casey, Kendall & Ashley

A Teenage Hawk

No, I'm not talking politics today. I'm talking wildlife. Everyday, I've been listening to the sound of what I call a teenage hawk in a tree across the street, and it reminded me of what happened last summer.

First of all we noticed a hawk in a nearby tree every single morning, without fail. We figured there must be a nest nearby, but never confirmed that. At first I thought it was someone's pet bird, because it wasn't acting like a wild bird, and I didn't have my glasses on. I was calling it down to land on my finger! Our son Austin, who was visiting at the time, got out the binoculars, and said, "Mom, you've been calling a predator to land on your finger! It's a hawk." Whoops. Glad he didn't take me up on it.

One evening, Austin was dozing on the couch when he heard a big crash at one of the back windows. He jumped up just in time to see the big hawk stumbling and then flying off. He or she had left a big greasy print on our window -- the bird had tried to fly through the window and had banked sideways so that his wingspan would fit in what he thought was an open space. The imprint on the window was so detailed -- feathers and beak and everything -- I couldn't bear to wash it off for several weeks. Depending on the time of day, it looked kind of like a ghost bird coming through the window. I've posted two pictures here for you to see.

A few weeks later, I heard this constant bird call outside, one I had never heard before. Listen:
tonyhawk.mp3
It went all day long. I found a young hawk sitting in a tree in our back yard. I believe he was a teenage hawk, because he could fly, and could probably hunt, but he sat there most of the day, crying "feed me! feed me!". Every so often, a large hawk would land on the branch beside him and feed him, and he would make strange noises while he was eating. Two large hawks patrolled overhead at different times during the day.

Now we are watching two teenage hawks across the street, testing their wings now and then, but mostly crying for food all day. I can recognize a hawk from a mile away now. They are fascinating. I hope they like it here and come back to have their babies every season.

A Non-rant about Smoothies

I don't rant on this blog, but today I'm surely tempted. However, I will calmly state my case and you can make your own decision. Ahem.

Maybe you've seen the Jack-In-The-Box commercial about their new fruit smoothies, saying that they are made from real fruit and non-fat yogurt. I got a little excited hearing that. You mean I could drive through for a real smoothie? Being cautious, though, I went straight to the Jack-in-the-Box website and found the ingredients. Bummer...the main ingredient in all 3 flavors is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Trust me, you don't want that. I study natural health, and everyone with a little knowledge agrees this stuff is BAD for you. Now, I'm sure it's better than french fries. But I feel the ads are pitching this as a perfectly healthy food and it's not. I am grateful that they post the nutrition facts on their website, so we don't have to be in the dark.

On the bright side, I made myself a wonderful smoothie this morning with a big ol' fresh peach (plus rice milk, stevia, vitamin powder, protein powder and crushed ice). It was yummy, and nothing in there was bad for me.

The moral of the story is, watch out! You have to be on constant guard of your health, and be careful not to fall for marketing tricks.

Daddy Basket

Here's an idea from one of my quilting buddies, Carolyn.

Whenever you're having a baby shower, or going to one, why not give the expectant dad a special gift? Carolyn likes to make a basket for dad to have sitting by his favorite chair. She lines it with fabric, and then fills it with things like this:

Disposable diapers
Baby wipes
Changing Pad
Monogrammed burp rag
Chocolate kisses
Whatever else you can think of

All so that dad won't have to get up and go to the nursery during that televised football game. Dads are much more involved than they used to be, so why not make it fun and easy for them? She says the dads she's given this to have really appreciated it. Great idea!

Something Deep for the Day

Though I don't know the originator of the thought, I have heard this said many different ways, and I've taught it on many occasions. It is very profound. Are you ready?

WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THEY BECOME WORDS, WATCH YOUR WORDS FOR THEY BECOME ACTIONS, WATCH YOUR ACTIONS FOR THEY BECOME HABITS, WATCH YOUR HABITS FOR THEY BECOME YOUR CHARACTER, SEE YOUR CHARACTER BECOME YOUR DESTINY.

This is the truth. Every action, emotion, or word begins with a thought. If your thinking is wrong, or based on a lie, the rest will be skewed also. So, if you want to change your destiny, you must start with your thought life. Ponder on this for awhile, and start paying attention to what you are thinking. Filter your thoughts to determine whether or not they are based on truth. You are free to discard the lies or faulty thoughts and dwell on the truth. It will change you. It will change your life.

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.....
2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Pictures on Fabric

In yesterday's post, I told you about printing 3-D pictures on fabric. You can, of course, print any photo onto fabric. Here's a picture of a wallhanging I made for our annual family reunion auction a couple of years ago. I printed a photo of Grandma and Grandpa, and made it the centerpiece of my wallhanging. I wish I had a better picture of this.

There is no end to the creativity with this nifty product. See yesterday's post for details.

3-D

This is a great idea if you are a quilter or a crafter.

First of all, you can scan 3-D items, like the picture shown. Just arrange the items on your scanner glass, then cover with something (because you obviously can't close the lid). I used a piece of muslin fabric, doubled. Scan...and...magic!

Secondly, once you get the scan the way you like it, you can print it on fabric! In the past, I have used a product called Printed Treasures by Milliken to do this. For about $18, you can get a packet of 5 8-1/2" by 11" sheets. It is actually fabric lightly glued to paper, and you can run it through your printer. You can buy this in some fabric or quilt stores, or online. There are also other brands. This one says "Not for Use with Laser Printers".

Another option is to have your photo(s) printed on the fabric by someone else. This is one of the options at www.SoftFabricPhotos.com, and I'm sure it's available from other websites also. More expensive, but probably worth it for some people. They also offer instructions for a do-it-yourself method of treating fabric so that you can print on it. I'll just stick with the prepared kind -- it's always worked well for me. And you can wash the fabric.

Thirdly, use your custom printed fabric in a quilt, a pillow, a wall-hanging, or whatever you can dream up. I have also used Printed Treasures to print quilt labels to sew on the back of my quilts. Or, don't print it on fabric -- just use the picture for scrapbooking.

I'd love to hear the ideas you come up with.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Austin!! We are so proud of you.

Then and Now - Kelli

It's Sunday again! Today I feature my niece Kelli. What a cutie. She works and goes to college. And the older she gets, the more she resembles her mom, my sister Kim. And, she reads this blog. That makes her really cool :).

Same smile, more teeth!

GFCI what?

You may or may not know what a GFCI is. Many years ago, I worked for my brother-in-law's electrical contracting company, and I usually ended up explaining this to people several times a day.

If you ever lose power to some of the electrical plugs inside or outside of your house, this is usually the solution. GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. If any moisture gets into a plug, or it is overloaded, it should automatically disable that plug and all the ones that are wired in the same circuit for safety reasons. We especially got a lot of calls on rainy days, from people who didn't close the lid on their outside plugs. If there is water involved, let it dry. Then you can reset it by pushing the red button on the GFCI plug -- there will usually be at least one inside and one outside, and/or possibly one in the garage. Each GFCI will control many outlets. Knowing this may save you a service call from an electrician. For prevention, keep the lid closed on those outdoor plugs -- that's why they call them weatherproof!

What a Crock

I have found the most delightful blog, and I'd like to share it with you. This lady, Stephanie, made a New Year's resolution to make something in her crockpot everyday in 2008, and to blog about it. As an extra bonus for me, almost all of her recipes have a gluten-free option, because her kids have to eat gluten-free. Each day she photographs and reports on what she made that day, and there are a LOT of good recipes. And I love the way she writes. I have subscribed so that each day I get an e-mail, and can decide whether to print out that day's recipe. Check out the website at http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
It must be pretty successful -- because of this blog, she's appeared on the Rachael Ray Show. How cool is that? Be careful, you could spend HOURS exploring this website. :) Here's the link to the video for her appearance on that show: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/year-crockpot-cooking/
Enjoy! I have!

Hair Do

Here's a little trick, especially helpful if you have short hair, but it might work on longer hair also. I learned it from my friend Gayle's hairdresser when I was in in Colorado. After your hair is all "fixed", spray with hairspray, then blow with a hot blow dryer for just a few seconds. It will freeze the hairspray and make it last longer in humid weather.

Me and Gayle showing off our "do's"

Safe Searching

Today I learned something new from Mr. Modem (www.mrmodem.com). He has a newspaper column that is most helpful in computer matters. I found out that you can set a filter in your Google searches to filter out explicit text and images. It's not guaranteed to work perfectly all the time, but hey, I'm all for trying. It's called SafeSearch, and you can enable it on your computer to give yourself another level of protection.

Open up www.google.com on your computer. Then, to the right of the search window, click "Preferences". Then, under "SafeSearch filtering", you can choose:

• Use strict filtering
• Use moderate filtering
• Do not filter my search results

Then, your preferences will be honored each time you do a google search on that computer, until you change it.

Cool! Google rocks.

Collide-ascope

I was in a toy store in Colorado, and saw some kaleidoscopes. Since my sister Susan has a collection, I stopped to look at them. Wow, it really took me back to my carefree younger days. So, I bought one for her and one for me. I'm keeping mine next to the chair in which I read, study and meditate (on God's Word), and I'm finding that looking through that kaleidoscope is very relaxing and contemplative.

I took my digital camera, and put it up to the lens, and wanted to share some of these pictures with you. It's amazing how it makes ordinary things look like a beautiful work of art.

This time it was pointed at my jeans and tennis shoes:





This one was pointed at my blue plastic tea tumbler:











This one is a vase of flowers left over from last week's rehearsal dinner:












This one is pointed at a dwarf crepe myrtle bush:





This one is a larger crepe myrtle bush with purple blooms:





This one is a grapevine intermingled with another vine that has pink/purple blooms. I'm posting it bigger so you can see more detail. Of course, the real thing is much more detailed and beautiful than the picture.






Wouldn't a kaleidoscope make a wonderful gift for anyone, young or old? I've decided to start my own collection. You can find them at toy stores, or online. You might just want to create your own art.

Photo Shop

I love photos. And I love technology. But I don't like to print my own photos. The ink and the paper are expensive, and they don't come out as well as when they're printed professionally. So, the place I recommend is photo.walgreens.com. I upload my photos from my computer onto their website, and I can pick them up in an hour, or whenever it's convenient for me. It's cheaper, easier, and better quality than doing it yourself.

When you register with them, they also send you e-mails with very nice specials. I've ordered photo gifts when they are on sale, had them shipped from the store, and they were well received. You can also order photos for someone else, have them printed at the store closest to them, pay for them online, or have the person picking them up pay for them.

Too easy!

Two thumbs up!

Wedding Fun

Today, being Sunday, is the day you get a little peek at the wedding we had this week. Our oldest son, Michael, married Christie and we couldn't be happier about that. Christie planned and executed all the decorations at the wedding and reception (with help, of course), and it was beautiful!



Christie's parents, Mayme and Don, are shown at the rehearsal dinner.














The bride and groom with my stepdad, Jack, and his wife, Sherrie.














Christie enjoying a chocolate-covered strawberry at the reception. Love the dress!!









The happy couple are now off to Hawaii!

Travel Tips - Again!

You may have noticed that I haven't posted for a few days. I regret that, since I previously only missed one day this year...but...things got hectic. Even when I travel, I like to have posts scheduled, but I didn't make it this time.

Between taking my mom to Kansas to see her sister, our oldest son's wedding, and a surprise birthday party for my brother, plus making photo/video presentations for the wedding and the party, AND having company from out of town, it just didn't get done. On the plus side, we've had a wonderful time.

My mom got to see her sister Nita for the first time in a long while, and another sister, Tinkle, met us there. Sister time is good! My mom is the one in the middle. I haven't seen her that happy in a long time. All worth it.

So, while I was traveling, I remembered a few things I do that may help you. 'Tis the season!

• I keep my travel bag packed with as many duplicate or travel size items as possible, so I only have to add a few things to my toiletries before I go.
• I keep a printed checklist in my closet of things I need to remember to take! I usually just glance over it to jog my memory, but it's a really good reminder for important things like the cell phone charger, meds, etc.
• I keep a small flashlight in my travel bag, and put it by the bedside at night. Then, when I need to adjust the heat/air or go to the bathroom, I don't have to turn on any bright lights.
• I keep earplugs in my travel bag, and these are invaluable! Walgreens now has a brand that are sized smaller for women, and these work well for me. Filter out all those unfamiliar noises, and I sleep like a baby.
• If you have one, remember to take a portable GPS with you when you're renting a car. It's good to keep the GPS and its power cord in a small bag in your carry-on, so you can start finding your way right from the airport. This really saved the day on our Kansas trip.
• Take a couple of music CDs if you're renting a car. The rent cars usually have CD players, and there's nothing greater than driving through the mountains, or any other scenic spot, with beautiful music playing. (Put these last two items on your travel list.)

I love to travel!! Exploring new places is so fun. I hope we get to do a lot more of it as life goes on.

Take an Aerial Peek

www.zillow.com

Today's tip is about a really cool website, www.zillow.com. I first heard about it from friends Mike and Debbie (see picture). You can type in your address (or anyone else's) and see an aerial view of your property. Plus, it will give you a "zestimate" of the value and other pertinent info like the tax value, etc. If the property is for sale, it can have photos of the interior posted. Besides looking just for curiosity sake, it would be a good way to look for houses if you're in the market, or a way to get yours more exposure if it's for sale. I like it! Check it out!

Foiled Again!

Today's tip comes from a long-distance friend who enjoys this blog -- Jenise. This is something I think I knew in the back of my head, but never remembered to put it into practice! Go pull out your box of foil or plastic wrap, and notice that on each end, it has little tabs to push in. When you do this, your foil or wrap won't jump out of the box when you're trying to unroll it. I looked, and I had about 6 boxes, and none of them had the tabs pushed in. They do now! Good tip, Jenise!

I really admire Jenise and her family. Both she and her husband are ex-military who have served our country well. We were praying for Major Jenise when she was deployed, and her wonderful family rallied to help Rodney take care of their beautiful daughter, Lauren. And Rodney is still involved in protecting our country from another angle. From a military mom, thanks to you both for all you've done!

Then and Now - Susan

I only have one sibling left to honor - my sister Susan. As teenagers, Susan and I had great adventures together. As adults, she is my dear friend and sister in Christ. Does she look like a Grandma? No way. But they have three and two more on the way!

Kim, Me & Susan in matching dresses (you can see that Mom wasn't great at cutting bangs...)
















Susan and husband Tom

Sweeeet!

This was a big surprise to me. You can bake sweet potatoes in the crockpot! All you do is:

• wash them
• leave them wet
• stack them in the crockpot
• turn it on low for 4 to 6 hours

These were the best sweet potatoes I've ever eaten, no butter or sugar needed. You could also cook them on high if you're in a hurry. It left no mess in the crockpot, another bonus! And I didn't have to heat up the whole kitchen with the oven. I can't wait to do this again.

I haven't tried this with regular potatoes -- everything I've looked at makes it seem like you need to wrap them in foil, which I don't like to do (aluminum...meh!) But please post a comment if you have experience with this.

Musicality

Here's a tip from my friend Michele that my Christian readers will appreciate. Anytime you're sitting at your computer, you can have commercial-free worship music playing in the background. Just go to allworship.com, and choose from Contemporary Worship, Praise and Worship, or Spanish Worship. They also have a higher-quality stream that you can get with a donation. Thanks, Michele for the great link!

Michele and John