Bible Challenge Week Eight

Monday:Isa 14:1 thru Isa 28:29

Tuesday: Isa 29:1 thru Isa 41:18

Wednesday: Isa 41:19 thru Isa 52:12

Thursday: Isa 52:13 thru Isa 66:18

Friday: Isa 66:19 thru Jer 10:13

Saturday: Jer 10:14 thru Jer 23:8

Sunday: Jer 23:9 thru Jer 33:22

Luke and Sarah B. can cook too!

They can help spread caramel sauce over the ice cream

Luke takes a break to check the basketball game

They both can sprinkle oreos on top

Joe makes sure they don't eat any

Strawberry Shortcake

Not this one:

This one:


now that we have that clear....


I'm sick of winter. Really. So, I have an idea!!! let's pretend it's summer! who's with me?

ok! great!! get out your fork, 'cause I'm making Strawberry Shortcake.



1/3 cup butter flavored Crisco
2 C. Flour
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
3/4 C. Milk

Strawberries
1 Tbsp. sugar

Whipped cream

Wash your strawberries

Chop up strawberries, sprinkle sugar over them and put them in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the crisco until the mixture is crumbly. Add milk and stir. Roll dough out on floured surface. Cut into biscuit rounds. I use a jar ring or the top of a glass. NOTE: if you place your shortcakes close together on the baking sheet they will rise better.

Bake @ 450 for 20 minutes. Cool, cut in half and serve with strawberries and whipped cream! YUM!!!

Sarah Beth's birthday!!

I can hardly believe our little baby is 2!!! Luke (and Grandpa, mostly Grandpa) built her a step stool. For brushing her teeth.

I bought her this adorable dress. If they made it in my size, we could have had matching sister dresses.

Before they call...

I've been sick now for a couple of months, and I'm starting to get to the boiling point... you know the place? I think to myself: "I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired... I think I'll scream" but, then, I try to scream and I just give myself a coughing fit and regret it.

So, at this point, it becomes an attitude issue. I've got to have a healthy attitude even if I don't have a healthy body. You know the scripture... "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine?" well, it's true.
I'm not talking about having heaps of fun and laughing a lot. (because laughing at all gives me coughing fits also, so, I really can't do that too much :-) It's more that my heart needs to be in a merry state. Cheerful, not moping around feeling sorry for myself, because I don't have the energy to work , so therefore I don't get paid.

Anyway, I read this verse the other day, and it just encouraged me so much. I had started to wonder if God even cared that I was sick. I wondered if He had forgotten about me, or was just too busy to deal with a little thing like helping me get well again.

But, my God has NOT forgotten me. I will believe.

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

-Isaiah 65:24

Bible Challenge Week Seven

Friday: Psalm 89:14 thru Psalm 108:13

Monday: Psalm 89:14 thru Psalm 108:13

Tuesday: Psalm 109:1 thru Psalm 134:13

Wednesday: Psalm 135:1 thru Prov 6:35

Thursday: Prov 7:1 thru Prov 20:21

Friday: Prov 20:22 thru Ecc 2:26

Saturday: Ecc 3:1 thru Song of Solomon 8:14

Sunday: Isaiah 1:1 through Isaiah 13:22

We're halfway done! Keep up the good work!

you probly all want to know...

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?


HA!!! I must have answered some of the questions wrong....

Painting the Kitchen Red

"So, you're Renee's daughters?"
We sat at a table, stitching (and ripping) mermaid costumes and making small talk with homeschool moms and daughters.
"Yes!" we're happy enough to admit
"And you're the oldest 3?"
"Yes, we are"
"So, how do you girls like living on your own?"
"We like it a lot"
"Didn't you paint your kitchen red?"

so, the truth comes out... this is what my mom tells her friends. 'My daughters moved away from home. They painted their kitchen red'
"Ummm... yeah (a little sheepishly) we did..."
Homeschool mom laughs. "My daughters moved out on their own... they painted their kitchen red too!"

AH.... so it's a trend...

It's all quite funny, really. It's not as if we're doing anything truly crazy. Painting the kitchen red is not at all symbolic. There are no allusions toward painting the town red. It's just the kitchen. That's all.

We're just young, and we're trendy (sort of)....

Dinner

Hi, my name is Rebecca...I like to take pictures of my food...
all together: "Hi Rebecca"

I also like to sneak around in my sister's room looking for the camera while the girl's are sleeping...

I love color, everywhere, even in my food...

This is Tomatoes, Olives, Cilantro and cubed Mozzarella
(of course I chopped it all up on my lime green cutting board)

I put it all in some Pasta with Sausage and Shrimp, squeezed a Lime over it and dusted it with Parmesan...
because you can never have too much cheese on your pasta

Play Costumes

The homeschool support group here is ambitious enough to produce a play every year. This year it's Peter Pan! Katie volunteered to help with costumes and was put in charge of the mermaids. So, this past Saturday we got together and whipped out 5 mermaid costumes for these lovely ladies....We put together the basic costumes and sent them home with their respective actresses and instructions to decorate them however they liked. Can't wait to see what they come up with!

Bible Challenge Week Six

Monday: Nehemiah 13:15 thru Job 7:21

Tuesday: Job 8:1 thru Job 24:25

Wednesday: Job 25:1 thru Job 41:34

Thursday: Job 42:1 through Psalm 24:10

Friday: Psalm 25:1 thru Psalm 45:14

Saturday: Psalm 45:15 thru Psalm 69:21

Sunday: Psalm 69:22 through Psalm 89:13

What to post???

hmmm...

Well... for some reason I've been feeling pretty stressed out lately. Not sure why unless is has something to do with my job uncertainties, life uncertainties, busy schedules, piles of unfinished work, irritating dog, WINTER!!!, mud everywhere...

I guess it might have something to do with one of those things... or all :-)

Anyway, it's Friday, which is a always a very nice thing. Even when my Saturday is already jam packed crazy, it's still nice to think that this week is almost over.

And tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.

Yet.

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Saturday Morning means pancakes.... as you can see the recipe has been quadrupled for the times when we fed 11 people with this recipe.

Perfect Morning Light


Perfect Pancakes

Creamy Coffee

In His Steps

I remember when my Grandma first mailed me this book. I was probably in 5th or 6th grade and literally devouring every book I could get my hands on. But, my taste ran more towards light fiction... as Molly Gibson said: "I don't much care for steady reading as Papa calls it" Well, I read a lot of Nancy Drew, anyway...

So, Grandma thought I ought to read something with a little more value, and so she sent me one of her favorites In His Steps. Being a teacher she also required a book report. I dragged my feet... I had a pile of Nancy Drew to read... but, once I picked it up, I never regretted it. I loved it.

"What I am going to propose now is something which ought
not to appear unusual or at all impossible of execution....
I want volunteers from the First Church
who will pledge themselves, earnestly and honestly for an entire year,
not to do anything without first asking the question,
"What would Jesus do?"
And after asking that question, each one will follow Jesus
as exactly as he knows how,
no matter what the result may be..."

Bible Challenge Week Five

Monday: 1 Chron 1:1 thru 1Chron 9:44

Tuesday: 1 Chron 10:1 thru 1 Chron 23:32

Wednesday: 1 Chron 24:1 thru 2 Ch 7:10

Thursday: 2 Ch 7:11 thru 2 Ch 23:15

Friday: 2 Ch 23:16 thru 2 Ch 35:15

Saturday: 2 Ch 35:16 thru Ezra 10:44

Sunday: Nehemiah 1:1 thru Neh 13:14


How is everyone doing?

California Homeschooling Ban

GO HERE to read this terrible development.

Cranberry Chicken Roll-ups

3 chicken breasts, thawed
1/4 cup cranberries
1/2 onion
dab of butter
2 tbsp walnuts chopped
1 slice bacon, crumbled
3 slices Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp. fruit jelly





Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. Saute onion in butter, add cranberries, cinnamon, mustard and jelly. Spoon cranberry mixture into center of the chicken breasts, sprinkle 1/2 of the walnuts and bacon on top of cranberries. Roll up chicken and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with a slice of mozzerella cheese and sprinkle with remaining walnut and bacon mixture.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Good with Rice Pilaf.

Brett Favre

If you don't live in Wisconsin you probably won't understand....

Let's just say he's the most popular guy in the state. He's been threatening retirement for 3 or 4 years now. Every year,
we all hold our breath, we say things to each other like:
"He'll never do it, he loves the game too much."
or
"He can't leave after a season like the one we just had."
and then some pessimistic person always says:
"He's getting old you know."

At the end of the last season, we all thought it was over. We watched the last few minutes of the last game and knew it would be his last. Lukey cried.

But! He came back!! Yahoo!!

I delivered Packers balloons to high school boys that missed the announcement because they were in class.

Then the team had a good year. They almost made it to the super bowl. But, they didn't. When they lost that last game, Lukey cried again.

Then, the big day came. Favre made his decision. He decided he really was getting old. He retired.

So, Dad took Lukey on his lap, and said gently: "Luke, Brett Favre decided that he's done playing football, he's going to retire. He won't be back next year."

Luke's response? "Who's going to replace him?"

Dad: "Well, Favre is done. This is it." (trying to drive home the point)

Luke: "That's ok. I reacted too much last time."

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips


Beat shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to shortening mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets, flatten slightly. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until puffed. Let stand 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Bible Challenge Week Four

Monday: 1 Sam 28:20 thru 2 Sam 12:10

Tuesday: 2 Sam 12:11 thru 2 Sam 22:18

Wednesday: 2 Sam 22:19 thru 1 Kings 7:37

Thursday: 1 Kings 7:38 thru 1 Kings 16:20

Friday: 1 Kings 16:21 thru 2 Kings 4:37

Saturday: 2 Kings 4:38 through 2 Kings 15:26

Sunday: 2 Kings 15:27 thru 2 Kings 25:30