Slow Cooker Taco Soup

 

  I saw this soup recipe on a site called Marty's Musings.   

 My husband and I really like it.  My husband doesn't like

  kidney beans so I used Pinto beans instead. 

 It's easy and makes a lot.  I made some homemade biscuits to go with 

it.  We enjoyed it for several nights.  

So much so, that the 2nd time I made it, I doubled the recipe!

 

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Printable Version Ingredients: 1  can chili beans 1  can kidney beans 1  can black beans 1  8oz. can tomato sauce 1  15 oz. can diced tomatoes and chilies 1  can whole corn 1  can creamed corn 1  pkg. taco seasoning 1  TBS chili powder 1  ground beef or turkey 1  onion, chopped Instructions: 1. Brown meat and chopped onions. 2. Don't drain any of the canned foods. 3. Add all ingredients to crock pot. 4. Simmer for at least a couple of hours. 5. Serve warm and garnish with optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips. Note: Can substitute a can of diced stewed tomatoes and a small can of green chilies for one can of diced tomatoes and chilies.

Whole30 and Spaghetti Squash

My husband and I are gearing up for Whole30.  I say gearing up because we wanted to get through the 4th of July and finish eating some things in our house that aren't permitted on Whole30.  As those "illegal" items have disappeared, we are using Whole30 items.  Sugar is going to be VERY hard to get rid of.  And bread.  I love both!  But I've started noticing some issues lately that may be related to food allergies.  Whole30 is an elimination diet, not a weight loss diet, although 96 % of people lose weight on it just be eliminating sugar and a lot of unhealthy food from their diet. 

If you read labels, it is VERY difficult to find foods that don't have some amount of sugar added!  All Jimmy Dean sausage has sugar but not all Bob Evans does.  Who knew?  I've never checked a sausage package for sugar before!

I LOVE my creamy sweetened coffee in the morning but have given up the sweetener and creamer.  I can use unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk in my coffee.  I'm sipping it right now.  I miss the sugar but it isn't bad.

We both like spaghetti squash and I made a version of  spaghetti without sugar and with spaghetti squash " noodles" this weekend.  It was yummy.  There is no diary on Whole30 but I didn't miss the parmesan.  The worst thing about spaghetti squash is getting the darn things open!!!  I decided to experiment and put it in the microwave for 5 minutes.  It really helped!!!  The skin was much easier to cut through.  I then proceeded to roast it in the oven with a little olive oil.

So that is my big tip of the day....microwave your spaghetti squash a bit before attempting to cut it!

Best-Ever Banana Bread

It's been forever since I've made a blog post entry.  Someday I may get a chance to sit down and write why.

As for right now, I just made some amazing banana nut bread.  I found the recipe on the back of a bag of Gold Medal flour.  I've been told before that you can't go wrong when you try the recipes on the package of something.  the company doesn't want to put a recipe on there that makes their product look bad.

It is super moist and totally yummy!  I didn't have a stick of butter that wasn't frozen so I used Coconut Oil  instead.  We frequently seem to have a banana that gets too ripe before we eat it so I just toss them in my freezer.  I had 4 bananas in the freezer so when I ate breakfast I took them out to thaw.  Later in the day I had a few minutes to get the bread made.

Andy and I really enjoyed it!  It had a slightly crunchy crust and was soft and moist on the inside.  Delicious!


 Printable Recipe

Sue's Yeast Rolls

My girlfriend, Sue Blum, has always made the best yeast rolls.  She uses her bread machine to make the dough .  Many years ago, I got the recipe from her and started making my own.  I added some whole wheat flour.  I played around with how much of the flour should be whole wheat .  Then I decided to add some flax seed and subtracted some of the whole wheat flour.  Then I decided to use cracked wheat also and played around with how much to add. 

If you want smaller rolls, you can make more than 13.  I flatten then out to make my own hamburger/sandwich buns.  I also roll them into logs to make hotdog buns.  They are delicious as white bread or with the whole wheat, flax seed and cracked wheat added.

Printable Version

             
                   Yeast Rolls- Nancy Anderson's version

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 13    Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories    :


  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      cup           warm water
   1                       egg ( Egglands Best)
   1/4  cup            sugar
   3      Tbsp.        butter, melted
   1      tsp            salt ( Morton's Lite Salt)
   1      cups          Whole Wheat or Whole Wheat Graham Flour
   2      cups          bread flour
   2      tsp             bread machine yeast
   3      tsp             Vital Wheat Gluten (optional)
     1/4  cup           milled Flax Seed
     1/4  cup           cracked wheat

1. Put all ingredients into bread machine in the order listed.

2. Put bread machine on dough setting.

3. When dough is finished, shape into 13  rolls, cover and let rise for
30-45 min.

4. Bake at 350° for 13- 15 min. or til tops are turning golden brown.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
 Calories: 160
 Calories From Fat: 35
 Total Fat: 4.1g
 Cholesterol: 13.8mg
 Sodium: 111.3mg
 Potassium: 130mg
 Carbohydrates: 27.1g
 Fiber: 2.1g
 Sugar: 3.9g
 Protein: 4.7g

Comments: Sue Blum's Recipe but I've altered it some by adding Flax Seed and
some whole wheat flour.This can be made without a bread machine also.  You
just have to do all of the mixing and kneading by hand.  The nutrition is
calculated using  Eggland's Best Eggs and Morton's Lite Salt but of course
any egg  and salt will do.


                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chicken or Turkey Tetrazzini

Chicken or Turkey Tetrazzini

 

Printable Version 

 

This recipe comes from a book called Mother's In The Kitchen.   I purchased it almost 34 years ago when I was attending LaLeche League meetings with my firstborn.  It is a collection of recipes from different LaLeche League members around the country.  This one was submitted by Marilyn Braun from Huntsville, Alabama.  I hadn't made this in a long time and had forgotten how much I like it. 8 oz. Spaghetti broken in 2" pieces 3/4 c. canned sliced mushrooms, drained but save liquid 4 T butter 3 T. chopped onion 1/2 tsp.  celery salt or 1/2 cup chopped celery dash of cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp. marjoram ( optional) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 tall can evaporated milk ( 1  2/3 cups) 2 T. chopped pimento ( 1 small jar) 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken ( We like a lot of meat so I use an entire rotisserie chicken) 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup sherry ( optional) Cook spaghetti according to directions on box.  Melt butter and saute onion.  Add seasoning and mushroom liquid.  Blend in soup and stir until smooth.  Gradually add the evaporated milk stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. In large bowl mix spaghetti, mushrooms, pimento, and turkey or chicken.  Pour in sauce and mix.  Pour into loaf pan or 13" x 9" pan.  Top with cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven until it bubbles- about 30 min. You can make this up a day or so ahead of time and keep in refrigerator.  It can also be doubled and frozen or divided into smaller casseroles.

Babies Don't Keep

http://www.wifeysinger.com/2013/05/love-mama-series-andrea-jenkins.html?

 I love the article in the link above.  It is SO very true!  I didn't work at all for the first year of my children's lives.  Then I worked two days a week.  The time flew by and now I have four grandchildren.  As Cher's famous song says " If I Could Turn Back Time".  It is a balancing act though.  We have to cook , clean, do laundry , bookkeeping etc. but we should savor so many moments more and not rush to the next trivial job.  Which is more important, playing a Facebook game, or reading to your child?  I've done better as a grandmother.  I lay down with them sometimes, read books, snuggle, etc.  but I have the luxury of getting my " work" done when they aren't around. I think that's why I've turned into such a shutterbug.  I try to capture those moments and treasure them.  I started a journal right before Adam was born, almost 34 years ago.  I LOVE looking back on little things I would have forgotten such as when he discovered his heart beat.  I'm not as good at keeping a journal about the grandkids.  I have two blogs and a nice new blank journal Adam gave me for Mother's Day last year.  I better get with it!

Hidden Valley Original Ranch Cheddar Chicken

I've been very busy since my 92 year old mom fell and broke her pelvis last September.  That's why you haven't seen many blog posts.  I hope I get to return to blogging more often.  For right now, I'll give you this quick and easy recipe.  I made it a couple of weeks ago.  My neighbor walked in the house and wanted to know what we were having that smelled SO good!  It tastes as good as it smells!

Original Ranch Cheddar Chicken 


Click here for a printable version.

1 1/2 cups Hidden Valley Original Rance Dressing ( I use the light)

1 Tbsp flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese ( I use Cabot's Seriously Sharp Cheddar)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together dressing and four.  Coat each chicken breast with mixture.  Arrange on a baking sheet.  I line my sheet with heavy duty foil and spray with PAM.  Combine both cheeses and sprinkle over chicken breasts.  Bake 25 min. or til juices run clear, and serve.

Scallops Pesto with Vermicelli

Click here to print recipe

Scallops Pesto with Vermicelli

This recipe came out of Cooking for 2 in the Fall 2007 edition.  It was submitted by Marilyn Lustgarten of Wentzville, Missouri. Andy and I loved it.  It was quick and easy.  Not too high in calories and made the house smell wonderful! 4 ounces uncooked vermicelli 2 Tbs. butter 1/2 tsp garlic powder ( I used the jarred minced garlic and used about a tsp.) 1/4 tsp. oregano 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/2 lb. bay scallops 2 Tbsp. white wine or chicken broth ( I found it to be a good excuse to open a bottle of wine to drink while cooking) 3 Tbsp. prepared pesto Cook vermicelli according to package directions and drain.  Meanwhile, in large skillet, melt butter.  Stir in the garlic, oregano and pepper.  Add scallops and wine or broth; cook an d stir over medium heat for 5-6 min. until scallops are firm and opaque. Reduce heat to low.  Stir in pesto; heat through.  Toss vermicelli into pan, toss and make sure it is heated through. A 1 1/4 cup serving equals 536 calories, 24 grams of fat, 76 mg. cholesterol, 481 mg. sodium, 47 carbs, 3 gms. fiber, 31 gm. protein. Now to get to sewing!  I have two orders to fill today plus a pile of things I need to mend or embroidery to give as gifts.  I also want to make one of the kitchen towels with scripture for myself!  I have loved making those and everyone that has used them has said they love them.  So it's about time I get to use one for myself!

Fall Designs & Pumpkin Bread

  Fall.  Bleh.  I love the colors and flavors.  I like the decreasing humidity and the slightly cooler temps and the end of yard work.  I do NOT like the feeling of impending doom.  I am not a fan of heavy clothes, coats, shoes, frost, snow, ice etc.  I like shorts and sandals, the beach, no coats, being able to walk outside without freezing and being encumbered by clothes.  

 

To add to that, fall means I have to return to work.  I used to work full time as a school nurse.  Now I've been blessed to do it only as a substitute which means I can make my own schedule.  Since we still need the income, that translates into me working as much as possible.  I'd rather be home cooking and sewing.  Even when I had a year round job and my children were young, I still didn't like fall.  Some parents like sending their children back to school but I liked having mine home and setting my own schedule.

 

I do love fall colors though.  They are so vibrant.  Nan's Nappies has some really cute fall designs that could look adorable on your child's shirt, onesie, burp cloth or blanket.  There are also beautiful designs for towels and adult shirts.  Click on the following links to check out the designs that are shown on Nan's Nappies Shutterfly share page:

School Daze

Back to School

Harvest Happenings

Back to School Critters 

Split Back to School ( names are not included, I can add your child's name in the font you choose)

 

Or what about these cute little designs on a shirt or bag?   You can choose the font or saying to be "written" on the "paper".

The one above is also applique' so the apple & leaves, heart and I will be filled with fabrics of your color choice.

Backpacks are another school necessity and I have added some names to some.  I have around 500 fonts from which to choose so your child's bag can be unique. I have over 100 colors of thread from which to choose also. 

  

   

Some don't want their child's name on the pack but a monogram or unique saying will set their pack apart from the rest.

 

 

 Now, for another thing I love about fall.  Pumpkin.  I love pretty much anything pumpkin.  One of our family favorites is Pumpkin Bread.  I make it all year round.  I teach 4 & 5 year old ( Pre-K & K) Sunday School and take pumpkin bread in as a snack fairly often.  Even the really picky ones will resist it at first, then they ask for seconds and even thirds!  I haven't had even one turn it down yet.  It is so moist and goes really well with some cream cheese or just plain.  Here's my recipe:

 

 Click here to print recipe

Pumpkin Bread

In large bowl mix together the following ingredients then set aside.

4 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tsp. salt

In  your large mixer bowl, mix together:

1 large ( 29 oz) can pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie mix but plain)

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

4 1/2 cups sugar

6 eggs

As mixer is going, gradually ass the flour mixture.  Mix till well blended.

Pour into three greased 9" loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min or until toothpick comes out clean.  After 10 min. dump the loaves onto a cooling rack.  When well cooled, wrap and refrigerate.  I often use heavy duty foil to wrap each loaf and then freeze.  Another way I wrap them is with Glad Press N Seal and then put several loaves inside a gallon size freezer bag.  Even after months in the freezer, you can thaw it and it won't taste like it's been frozen!

I often make mini loaves instead of the big loaves.  I have 6" mini pans and 4". I fill them around 2/3 full.  Both of those only take 40 - 45 min. to bake.

Was it God or Coincidence?

I've been reading Anne Graham Lotz's book Just Give Me Jesus.  In Chapter 13 she asks if there are things that God has done to let us know He is alive and present that I've said were coincidence.  I hope not.  I try to always acknowledge that God is in control.  I often hear people say " You were lucky!"  I don't think it's luck.  This past weekend I had plenty of reminders that God is alive and was definitely present.

Friday night was quiet and relaxing.  My husband, Andy, and I were on X-Box Live playing BF3 with our friend, Kevin.  Kevin, happens to work with our son, Adam, and son-in-law, Ryan.  My cell phone needed charging earlier so I had it plugged in over by my TV.  At 9:20 PM it started ringing.  I could see that it was Cheryl, my son-in-laws mom.  The game we were playing was about 2 minutes from being over.  I knew that by the time I got my head set off and got over to the phone, it would be done ringing.  That was exactly what happened.  Then Andy's phone started ringing.  He thought I was calling Cheryl back so he didn't answer.  Cheryl immediately called me back before I could even start dialing her number.  She told me that Adam had been in a terrible dirt bike accident and was being airlifted.

  Adam, our 32 year old son, was riding his dirt bike on a farm owned by his friend, John's, parents.  John also lives on the farm and tills the land.  John's mother, Renee', used to work with Clark, Cheryl's husband.  As most people, Adam didn't have ICE ( in case of emergency) by any numbers in his phone, and had everyone listed by name, not title such as Mom, Dad, sister, etc.  Since I'm remarried, and Adam's sister is married, we don't share the same last name with Adam.  Renee, knew that Cheryl and Clark were connected and called them.  Cheryl gave us Renee's number and Andy called.  I was too upset.  Renee put an EMT on the phone with Andy.  Andy heard Adam in the background asking him if he was talking to Andy.  They told us they were airlifting him and the other victim to PRMC.

 Andy and I changed clothes and headed to the hospital immediately.  I called our pastor and left a message on his answering machine. Andy alerted our associate pastor and the elders of our church. 

As we drove up to the hospital, we saw the helicopters circling.  Andy dropped me off at the ER door and went to park the car.  I turned, and there was our pastor, Jason.  When we all finally got back to see Adam, this is what we found.

  That is dried blood all over his face and his hair was matted with blood.  I kissed him anyway.

The blood was coming from this 2+ inch gash on the crown of his head.  Heads bleed like crazy.

His left radius had a compound fracture.

A loose left front tooth and a number of chipped teeth on the upper left side of his mouth as well as very bruised lips.  He also has a small fracture of his left transverse process of his C6.  His neck muscles hurt so much.  The soft neck collar helps relieve some of that pain.

We don't really know all of the details.  Both of the injured people have no memory.  Here is what we do know.  Adam worked 1/2 day Friday.  When he came home, he was working on his lawn mower that evening when he received a call from his friend, John, inviting him to come to the farm and ride dirt bikes.  John and Adam have a mutual friend, Chad, who was there also.  Chad's wife , Jamie, and their children were there as well.  Adam has his own dirt bike.  Chad got on John's dirt bike.  John rode a Four Wheeler and had Chad's 8 year old son with him.  The dirt bikes were going faster than the 4 Wheeler .  Somehow, we think that Adam and Chad hit head on.  The damage to the bikes indicates a head on collision.  Maybe Adam went ahead and turned around to come back and they didn't see each other?  No one knows.  Since John and the 8 year old were following, they came up on a terrible sight.  Adam and Chad were laying on the ground unconscious and covered in blood.  It scared John to death.  He , or someone, called 911.  The accident happened around 8:20PM.

Chad has broken ribs, a broken right humorous, broken right clavicle, and a cut on his right jaw line.

Adam was hyped up on adrenaline and morphine when we first saw him.  Occasionally he let down his guard and showed how scared he was.  He was around 3 weeks away from getting health insurance through his new job.  I assured him he has many who love him and will stand by him.

How do I see God's hand in this?  Well, lets start back in March.  He left his old job which treated him very poorly.  He couldn't find a job anywhere.  Our son-in-law,  told him that his place of employment had an opening and would love to have Adam especially since he has his CDL's.  Ryan's cousin, Ritchie, is the manager and his mom is my oldest and dearest friend so we've all known each other for a long time. The owner and his wife attend my parents church and Andy has done IT work for the company. Adam LOVES the job.  If Adam had still been at his old job, he would have just been a number and no one would have cared that he was missing work and pay.  Here, everyone knows and cares about him.  Instead of being out of work for six weeks, they are allowing him to ride with Ryan and help him.   Thank you Lord, for the job change. Just coincidence that he changed jobs over two months before this happened and had time to form a bond with his co-workers?

The air mattress.  Almost three months ago, we purchased a really nice air mattress. I kept telling Andy that we needed to inflate it to make sure it was okay and that we didn't need to send it back. It's been sitting unopened in it's storage bag in our living room so long that I didn't even notice it any longer.  Thursday evening I walked by it and it stood out to me.  I was impressed with the need to stop everything and inflate it right then to see how it works and if it worked properly. It did.  Lauren, our daughter, had said she had twin sheets we could have for the mattress but she had forgotten to give them to us.  When I blew up the mattress,  I remembered that we hadn't gotten the sheets and texted Lauren.  Friday morning she had to come to town and says she couldn't get the sheets off her mind and made a point of dropping them by our house.  Just coincidence right?  

My downstairs bath.  I honestly hadn't cleaned the downstairs bathtub in several months.  No one uses it except once a month we bathe the dogs in it.  Friday I just HAD to clean the downstairs bathroom thoroughly, right down the washing the rugs.  After three or more months, why did I just have to get it done that day?  Just coincidence. Or was it God saying that He knew what was going to happen and He was going to take care of the smallest details?

Adam had a clean bed to sleep on when he was discharged and a clean bathroom to take a shower.

As for his injuries, they had to put the bone back into place in his arm.  Fortunately, I saw the before and after x-rays.  Before, the bone was overlapping itself by 1"-2".  Thankfully , the doctor was able to do a closed reduction and applied a splint.  We'll go back to the orthopedic doctor tomorrow( Thursday) and see if he needs a cast.  They stapled the cut on his head.

With his loose front teeth, he couldn't bite anything so I made him a protein shake when we got back to our house at 4:30 AM.  It put him out like a bottle for a baby.

Andy got his prescription for pain medicine filled on Saturday.  Adam slept a lot at our house on Saturday.  Lauren and Ryan traveled to his house on Friday evening and again on Saturday morning to care for his dog, Maya. 

Our dog, Tommy stayed close by his side all day long as he dozed.  I made him spaghetti sauce to take home since that won't require biting.  

My biggest sign that God was present in all of this?  Adam is here, he's alive, and his injuries are ones from which he can heal.  He realizes that it could have all "been over" as he said.  I reminded him that it isn't really over when we die.  It's just the beginning of eternity.  So important to know where you are going to spend it.

Fresh Strawberry Dessert

My mom found this recipe years ago and I make it every year when strawberry season rolls around.  This year, I made up two packages of Dream Whip and spread it all over the top instead of adding the whipped cream each time we served it.  I shared some with our neighbors and they loved it.  I had a big piece for breakfast today!  I think it's okay to depart from a traditional healthy breakfast once in awhile, especially during strawberry season!

Click here to print recipe

Fresh Strawberry Dessert

Crust: 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup butter ( not margarine) melted 3/4 cup chopped pecans In a mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients and press evenly in bottom of greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool. Filling: 1 cup butter ( not margarine) softened 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened 2 cups confectioners sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Cream butter, cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla together til fluffy.  Spread over cooled crust.  Cover and chill. Glaze: 1 cup sugar 3 Tbsp. corn starch 1 cup water 3 Tbsp. strawberry jello ( regular, not sugar free) 2 tsp. lemon juice Two to three hours before serving, combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan.  Stir in water.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Cook two minutes longer, Remove from heat and stir in jello and lemon juice,  Cool to lukewarm stirring occasionally. While this is cooling, slice two quarts of strawberries and arrange on top of filling.  Pour glaze over top trying to cover all berries,  Chill til firm, about two hours.  Serve with whipped cream. ******Alternate fruit filling- use a canned or homemade fruit pie filling such as blueberry or peach. If homemade, cook it as directed and cool to lukewarm before spreading over filling.  If this is used, you will not use the layer of fresh fruit or the glaze.

Grilled Salmon 1

 We LOVE Grilled Salmon Filets.  When my daughter was in college, she would request them for dinner when she came home.  I used to use Lawry's 30 Minute Mesquite Marinade.  A year or so ago, I couldn't find the Mesquite flavor of Lawry's.  In addition, I discovered that Lawry's contains high fructose corn syrup.  So I started searching my favorite recipe site and found the recipe below.  I like recipes that use ingredients that I keep on hand.  I usually make this up after lunch and let it marinate until dinner but even an hour or so of marinating will be okay.  I don't always fire up the grill.  I usually cook it on my indoor grill which is like a George Foreman grill.  It only takes 5 - 7 minutes to cook it that way.  It is delicious!

Click here to print recipe

Grilled Salmon 1

Allrecipes.  submitted by tina menina

1 1/2 lbs. salmon filets ( 6 filets)
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

1. Season filets with lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt.

2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water and oil until sugar is dissolved.  Place fish in resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture and turn to coat.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat grill for medium heat or use indoor grill.

4. Lightly oil grill grate or use Pam on indoor grill.  Place salmon on grill and discard marinade.  Cook for 6-8 minutes per side or until the fish flakes easily.

318 cal per serving.

Sunday School and Mother's Day

I love my little Sunday School Class.  I co-teach Pre-K 4 and K5 with Kate Howard.  Last week, Kate was out of town.  She was attending her daughter's graduation from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA .  When Kate is out of town, my son-in-law Ryan comes in the class to help me.  When all are present, we have 6 little boys and two girls.  Three of our students were celebrating birthday's last week.  Becky Lankford  and Isaac Clarke turned 6.  Asher McGuire turned 5, and my son-in-law turned 31.  We always have a snack time but with all of those birthday's it had to be something special so I baked a cake.
Just look at those sweet faces!  Asher wasn't able to be there because his father, our associate pastor, needed to be taken to the airport where he left for a three week missions trip to Uganda!  We had two more missing for other reasons. 

My son-in-law helped me pass out the cake.  My daughter and the baby and 2 1/2 year old grandson joined in on the party as did my husband.  After Sunday School, my 4 1.2 year old granddaughter joined us also.

My parents church, Grace Baptist,   has an annual Mother/Daughter banquet.  My daughter was 3 weeks old when I attended the first time.  In fact, it may have been the first one.  Now she's 30 with three children of her own.  Where does the time go?

Taylor and Morgan looked beautiful in their gorgeously girly dresses.  My nephews wife, April joined us also. 

 Isn't she a beautiful little angel?  She's 7 weeks old.

 I love the look of love in Taylor's eyes.

I love watching my mom hold Morgan.  What a joy to have these pictures!  Mom is 91.  She will probably not get to see Taylor or Morgan as grown women but they will always have these pictures to know how much she loved them!

I have never really had a Mother's Day given to me.  I've always cooked for others and had a few times when we went out to dinner.  I was treated to a really nice Mother's Day yesterday.  My son-in-law cooked an entire dinner for us.  Lauren and I didn't have to life a finger!  Now that is a real treat!!  After dinner, we went to Mom and Dad's house.  We gave her a beautiful red Knock-Out Rose.  My son has never been the best for remembering Mother's Day.  What a wonderful surprise when he showed up at Mom & Dad's with a gift for me!  He lives across the field from them.  He not only gave me a gift and great card, but he gave one to Mom and to Lauren.  Lauren's was such a wonderful card, she cried! Seeing love between siblings does a mother's heart good! After a short visit with Adam we drove Mom & Dad to Salisbury to Cold Stone Creamery and bought them an ice cream treat.  They each got the Germanchokolatekake in the Love It Size.  I knew they were going to be amazed at how filling it would be and they were.  Those cups don't look nearly so big when they are empty!  I got the Mud Pie Mojo in the Like It size and had plenty!  Andy made his own creation with Sweet Cream, brownies, M&M's, and Reese's cups.  I definitely had to make sure I got in all of my walking when I got home, but even though I reached my goal, I had still gone over by almost 200 calories today.  Oh well, it was worth it! 

Neglected Blog

 My blog often gets put aside :-(   For almost 25 years I was so faithful with filling a daily journal with the most mundane things.  Doing laundry,  my babies doing cute things, baking, etc.  I wrote in it almost every night before I went to sleep. I  have several volumes of  diaries filled.  It is such a blessing to go back and read those entries that I made almost 33 years ago.  Sometimes I get misty eyed or laugh when I read little stories about my babies.  My daughter just turned 30 and her brother will soon be 33.  I'm so glad I recorded so much of their childhood. 

A few years ago I switched to online blogging. That required me to actually be sitting at a computer.  In some ways it is nicer because I can share my journal and add pictures. I can also access it from many locations, and I don't have to worry about losing it or having it destroyed.  On the downside. there are some things that I don't want to share with the public.  I now have a folder in my documents for those private journal entries.  Actually having to sit at a computer is also a downside since I don't have a laptop or tablet so I can't take that to bed with me and blog right before I go to sleep as I did in the past.  Maybe I should go back to a handwritten one for those private entries so I can write them before I go to sleep at night just as I used to.

And then there's life.  Do I just go about living it, or do I take time to document it?  Ha!  Can anyone identify with that?  Wife, grandmother, mother, daughter,R.N., small business owner, choir member, Sunday School teacher.  Something has to give and it's usually the blog.  I have many things that I want to share with you so I hope to write another post very soon.  One of the things I really want to share is my new granddaughter!  Yay!  I promise to tell you all about her very soon.  As it is, I wrote this on my break and in between seeing students this afternoon!  I'm all about multi-tasking!

How Was Your Christmas?

Christmas was a VERY busy time for me this year.  In November I was invited to return to a Holiday Shopping Open House the weekend before Thanksgiving.  One of my daughter's friends, Lani Harmon, sells Mary Kay Cosmetics and opens her home to around 10 vendors over a weekend.  We display our goods, sell and take orders.  It's a fun, relaxed atmosphere with food and music.  I always make new friends and meet up with old friends.  I got quite a few orders that weekend.  I also had orders from my Etsy shop and orders from local customers.  I was sewing everyday right up to two days before Christmas.

I made a lot of lace Christmas ornaments.  Everyone seemed to love those.

Another popular item was kitchen towels.  One of the most popular was one with the Fruits of the Spirit on it.  These towels are a wonderfully soft, absorbent,100% cotton waffle weave.  This design, as well as other scripture verses that I have, are so colorful they will match any kitchen. This particular design came from a collection by Designs by JuJu. I have several scriptures that are wonderful for towels. 

  

 My Mom's favorite verse is Isaiah 40:10.  I didn't have a towel with that so I made one for her.  I didn't arrange them in an artistic arrangement.  She is 90 and would rather have it just plain.  Below  is the towel I did for her.

 Some of these verses are great on burp cloths and blankets also. Bright, colorful and just plain Happy!

Once I finished all of my sewing, I turned my efforts to baking and cleaning.  Three days before Christmas.  Christmas Day arrived and I was so looking forward to all of the family being at my house.  My son brought my elderly parents who live 30 miles away.  My mother is 90 and my dad is 94.  Mom is almost always cold, so when she started complaining of being cold, we put a blanket over her.  We were waiting for my daughter and her family to arrive.  Mom started having severe chills.  I knew she was starting to run a fever.  I took it but it was normal but I suspected it was going to go up.  I was running back and forth from the living room where mom was to my kitchen, trying to get dinner ready.  

Just as my daughter and her family were walking in the door, Mom started vomiting.  She didn't bring up large amounts but it kept happening.  We hurriedly opened presents and got our dinner.  Mom was continuing to go down hill.  We had a heating pad on her and a wool blanket.  Her temp went up to 102.  At this point, I didn't want her to go back home without being seen by a doctor.  I knew she was dehydrated and she was getting a little confused.  I knew that I couldn't get her in the hospital by myself so I told my daughter to call an ambulance.  Mom and I arrived at the ER around 6 PM.  Blood work and a CAT scan of her belly showed nothing.  They wanted a urine sample and kept waiting for her to go but I kept telling them she was dehydrated.  They finally listened to me and hung a liter bag ( 1000cc) of NSS.  She still didn't have to go so they catheterized her and only got 400cc back.  I thought they should have given her more fluid but they didn't.  They discharged her at 2AM.  At least the fluids lowered her fever and she was more alert.  We drove to my house to pick up my husband. He did not want me on the road by myself at that time in the morning.  My son had already taken my father back home.   I got in bed at 4AM.

The next morning I awoke early :-( with a terrible sinus headache.  I called mom at 10 AM and found that she had still not urinated since they had catheterized her.  She does not like to drink a lot.  I threatened her with a return visit to the hospital to get more fluids.  By noon, she finally started urinating on her own.  She was weak but doing okay.  I don't think it was a stomach virus because she didn't vomit large amounts or have diarrhea.  In addition, no one else in the family got sick and her blood work did not indicate a virus.

Not the Christmas I had planned but it could have been worse.  I am thankful for all of God's protection through all of that.  In addition, I have terrible back pain almost everyday.  For the first time in a long time, I had no pain while I baked and cleaned.  And no pain for the 8 hours I had to sit in the terrible chair in the ER.  That was definitely a gift from God.

On a VERY happy note, two years ago today our little Pixel came to live with us. He is a 4.9lb pure bred Yorkie. He was rescued from a puppy mill and had never been out of a cage in his 5 years of life.  His fur was long and matted.  Every touch from a human was terrifying for him.  He didn't know how to run or jump off of anything.  Now he hops up and down off the sofa and gallops everywhere.  He's still a little nervous in new situations but is SO much better than when we got him.  He absolutely adores my husband.  Here are some Christmas pictures of him and of our pug/terrier mix, Tommy, and two of our precious grandchildren opening presents.

 The picture below was taken a couple of weeks before Christmas when we were decorating the tree.  I put Pixel in the hat and he didn't mind so I laid him on the sofa.  He stayed in that hat for over an hour.

                         

 These pictures were taken Christmas Day.

                                          

 Our grandson is 2.  He would very gently rip the paper off a present with encouragement.  The minute he saw something in the package , he'd say " WOOK!"   Our granddaughter, opened one present and disappeared.  We wondered where she had gone.  How many 4 year olds walk away from opening presents????  We called to her and discovered that she had gone back into the kitchen to snag another  Sweet Roll.  They are a delicious yeast roll I've been making for many years.  They are loaded with butter and sugar so I only make them for special occasions.  We have no idea how many she ate that day.  She absolutely loved them.  It made me so happy to see another grandchild enjoying a family tradition.  Don't you think you'd love these rolls?

I hope your Christmas was filled with many blessings and was a little more calm than mine was!

Learning About Christmas

My sweet 4 year old granddaughter, Taylor, and 2 year old grandson, Logan, took their usual naps on Monday. My daughter took advantage of the time to start decorating for Christmas.  Logan was the first one to wake up.  He's a sweet sensitive little guy.  When my daughter brought him downstairs, he just kept looking around and saying " Oh No, Mama!  What happened?"  He was not content until Taylor woke up and assured him everything was okay.  She, being 4, was very excited to see the decorations so Logan followed her lead.:-)

The weekend before Thanksgiving I participated in a holiday shopping open house.  I , along with several other vendors set up displays of our goods and services.  I got over twice as many orders as last year.  Last  year was my first year and I thought I'd give it another try this year.  It's difficult for me to have goods ready for purchase since almost all of my work is custom and personalized.  I didn't get to sew much the days before Thanksgiving but got to sit down to my machine the day after.  My machine was due for it's annual maintenance check up in October or November.  I was hoping to get through until January.  For a few weeks I've had an occasional time when the thread would knot up on the back of the design and then the machine would stop.  If I re-threaded, it seemed to fix the problem and I could continue sewing.  Monday, that changed.  It would sew a few stitches and then start sounding like it was grinding and knot up  again.  I think the timing is off.  I have no idea how it got off.  The last time my timing was off, it happened when I sewed my finger but I  haven't sewed my finger since then!  I was so frustrated at the end of Monday.  Yesterday morning I called to make an appointment to have my machine serviced.  I take my machine to the closest repair shop, which is an hour away. Lilies of the Field in Easton, MD.  I pay extra for same day service.  My son, has recently started working in Easton, so hopefully , we'll be able to meet for lunch tomorrow.  Thankfully, I started sewing early and have plenty of time to complete my Christmas orders!

Many of my regular readers know that I am a registered nurse.  My last full time job was as a school nurse.  I am still a school nurse, but I do it as a substitute now.  One of our CNA's, Fayetta, has had a rough week.  The home where she grew up and where her parents ( aged 70 +) still live, caught fire Sunday.  Her father wasn't home and her mother is in a wheelchair.  Thankfully, someone pulled her mother out through a window but her mom suffered severe smoke inhalation and is in ICU on a ventilator.  Her dad has many health problems also so Fayetta has not been able to work this week.  Her parents did not have any insurance so this has really hit the family hard. Here is a link to the news video about the fire. http://www.wboc.com/category/174346/main-wboc-video-player?clipId=7997985&topVideoCatNo=109353&autoStart=true If you would like to contribute some financial help, please let me know and I can give you Fayetta's address.  You may e-mail me at nancy@nansnappies.com.

Molasses Gingersnaps and Ornaments

 

Oh my goodness!  Has it really been six weeks since I last wrote a post???  Since blogging isn't my first priority time can slip by me quickly.  My family, job as a substitute school nurse and embroidery usually take precedence over blogging.  When I do finally take the chance to blog, I get so into it, I find myself wondering why I don't make it a point to do this more often!  But then I look and six weeks have flown by.  Oh well, I'll just enjoy it when I can.  I hope you enjoy reading my blogs as much as I enjoy writing them.


Today I have a couple of new treats to share.  One is edible, and the other isn't.  The first is Molasses Gingersnaps.  My father's sister, Audrey, used to make this and I LOVED them.  I've been eating them all of my life and making them for at least 40 years.  I have used various combinations of the shortening.  Sometimes I use 3/4 cups each of Butter flavored Crisco and butter.  You do not want to use 100% butter, and you do not want to use plain Crisco.  You want butter flavored.  When I was a teenager, my dad would provide black strap molasses for me to make the cookies.  I've found molasses that calls itself black strap but it isn't like the nasty stuff my dad was able to get.  I saw nasty because it was REALLY bitter.  But it made the BEST cookies.  The more bitter the molasses, the better the flavor in the cookies. My daughter has been known to eat almost an entire cookie jar in a fairly short period of time!

Printable Version

Aunt Audrey's Molasses Ginger Snaps 1/2 cup  Butter Flavored Crisco 1 cup  butter 2 cups sugar ½ cup  BlackStrap or less sweet molasses such as Grandma's Robust 2 eggs 4 cup  flour ½ tsp  salt 4 tsp  baking soda 2 tsp  cinnamon 2 tsp  ginger 1 Cream shortening, butter, sugar and molasses. Add eggs. Beat well. 2 Add dry ingredients and mix well. 3 Roll into small balls, 3/4" to 1" in diameter. Dip top of ball into sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet - I use parchment paper- about 2" apart. 4 Bake at 350° for approximately 8 minutes. Servings: 108 The second thing I want to share is Christmas ornaments.   I have been stitching lace Christmas ornaments.  I can make them in any color. They measure approximately 3" to 3.5".  They are extremely affordable at $3.50. An added bonus is they are non-breakable! Take a look at the ones I can stitch and see if you'd like one as a gift for a special person.