Making a House a Home

This is my refrigerator door. You see that plastic strip across the top of the door? It's the brown strip.... see it???? Look closer...


No... look even CLOSER!!!!



OH MY STARS!!!! Do y'all see all that icky stuff in there? I discovered it the other day and just had to take a picture to share with you. I mean, when was the last time you looked inside that little crevice? I never thought to look in there to clean, but boy am I glad I did!! All it took was a quick brush with an old toothbrush (that I use to clean with) and the nasty crumbs were all gone.

How they got there in the first place will always be a mystery, but I can promise y'all they will never return!!!

Can you guess what these are??? They are homemade crackers!! Yes, can you believe it? I, Mrs. U, made CRACKERS!!! And the best part? They are GOOD!!!!!

I was visiting a wonderful blog on Friday called The Nourishing Gourmet. She has some really good information on there! Anyway, she shared a recipe for easy and YUMMY rich, whole grain crackers. I knew I just had to try them, so Saturday I mixed up a batch to let it start "soaking". I rolled them out, cut them and baked them Sunday and SUCCESS- a very good cracker to share with my family!!

I have to be honest. I tried one time before to make crackers and they were a FLOP!! Not only did I not roll them out thin enough, but the taste wasn't very good, either. These, however, are QUITE tasty and I made sure to roll them out thinly. They are now sitting all snug on my counter in a container just waiting to be nibbled on.

If any of y'all try theses, too, let me know. Kimi even shares how you can change the taste for different flavor crackers. YUM!!

So, today is Friday and the weekend is soon underway. What kind of things do you and your family have planned this weekend? We will do the usual on Saturday- sleep in a bit later, we'll probably have biscuits for breakfast and head out to run errands and maybe stop for in our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch.

Sunday, of course, will be spent fellowshipping with the saints at church. We have monthly fellowship groups and this Sunday night is the time for the next group to meet. It's a fun time to meet in a smaller group to talk and get to know each other better.

Today I need to vacuum the house, wash all the bath mats and wash all trashcans, too. It is AMAZING how nasty trash cans can get and it is equally amazing how much nicer they look when they have a good cleaning. :)

Above all, I need to spend time with the Lord. I have been blessed lately by watching sermons online by John MacArthur. The internet can be SUCH a blessing sometimes!!

I pray that everyone has a wonderful weekend with their family!! Spending time with your family and loving them is the best part of making a house a home!!!!

I know that most of you reading this blog aren't Chinese nor do most of you celebrate Chinese New Year. We didn't either, until Elizabeth came home. Now that has changed for us.

While we do not follow the zodiac signs, we do want to teach Elizabeth about the history and culture of China. Part of that culture is learning about Chinese New Year and today, February 7, 2008, is the beginning of the New Year on the Chinese calendar... at least for this year, anyway.

We will make lanterns, go to our favorite Chinese restaurant to visit with the owners (who are also from the same province Elizabeth is from, Guangdong), and, most importantly, we will pray for China. Yes, I do pray for China almost daily, but on this special day (and the Moon Festival), I want to make sure that we pray even more for China, for her people, for the government, for the light of Jesus Christ to shine brightly in a dark, dark, land.

So today, if you think about it, please pray for China. Two websites that can help you pray more specifically are Pray for China and The Voice of the Martyrs.

We fell in love with China while we were there. It will always hold a most special place in our hearts and we would love to be able to go back there one day. And if we are never able to return, I know that the Lord is watching over His children there. I know that His purposes will be fulfilled. And I know that He created China for His glory.

So, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

Okay... so April has tagged me to post 7 things about myself. The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here goes...

1) I do not like seafood. Of any kind. No, not fishsticks. No tuna either, thank you very much. If it swims in water, I am NOT eating it!!

2) I must have all the dishes facing the same direction in the dishwasher.

3) I do NOT like to eat one thing at a time. I have to eat a few bites of one thing, move on to another, etc. Always saving the best bite for last. :)

4) Every night, no matter how late it is, I MUST wash my face, brush my teeth, and put Carmex on my lips (sure does keep my lips from chapping!!!). I simply cannot fathom going to bed with a dirty face, dirty teeth and dry lips!! OH MY STARS!!!!!

5) I visited Albuquerque, NM, for 2 1/2 hours last March 10. And I NEVER touched my foot on the ground!! HAHA!!! Seriously, a lady on our plane coming home from China (well, we were flying out of LA back to Atlanta) got sick. Our plane made an emergency landing in Albuquerque and we sat there for 2 1/2 LOOOOOOOOOOONG hours before our plan was allowed to take off again. It was NOT fun.

6) I like vacuuming.

7) The longer Mr. U and I are married, the more of a "night owl" I am turning into. I used to go to bed about 9:30, but since we were married over 9 years ago, the evenings get later and later!!!

And here's an extra, just because...

8) I LOVE LOVE LOVE taking photographs of Elizabeth!!!!!!(In this photo, she's "modeling" a new winter hat. HAHA! For some reason, she thought it was neat to pull it way down over her eyes. Silly girl!!)




So if you are reading this and there is a "7" anywhere in your phone number, consider yourself tagged!!!

Yesterday, Mr. U hung around home after lunch (he usually heads back to work after lunch). He told me he had ordered The Andy Griffith Show- the Complete First Season from Amazon and he knew that UPS was going to deliver it then. Sure enough, UPS came not too long after lunch. He brought the package in and I asked why the box was so big. "Oh, lots of bubble wrap I suppose" was his answer.

Well, look what was in the box!!!!



Yep!!! Now y'all all know... I have the sweetest hubby in the world!!! He knew I've been eyeing this Taste of Home cookbook and he bought it to surprise me!!!

Oh, he did order The Andy Griffith Show. It's just coming tomorrow. :)

Today's to-do list...

-wash sheets and towels

-steam broccoli to freeze for Elizabeth

-make chicken stock

-clean master bathroom (didn't do that yesterday!!!)

-prepare lunch (which is our main meal of the day) of Sweet and Sour Meatballs*, Buttered Egg Noodles, and Green Beans

-play with puzzles, blocks, a pretend kitchen, and read lots and lots of childrens books


So...what's on YOUR "to-do" list today?

*Sorry folks, but for those of y'all that emailed asking for the recipe for the Sweet and Sour Meatballs... well... I cannot share it. Why? THEY WERE HORRIBLE!!! I hate that when you spend all that time preparing a meal only to have it taste bad. Sigh. Oh well. I'll just take that recipe out of my recipe box!!! :)

Let me first start off by saying, I have NO plans of turning this blog into "Cooking with Mrs. U" or anything like that!! HAHA!! I've posted sooo many things about cooking recently... it's just what I've been doing lately! I DO still keep my home and will definitely be sharing more on that later. :)

Now.... onto "Breakfast for Dinner"!!!

Last week, we had, you guessed it, breakfast for dinner. I LOVE having breakfast for dinner! I love breakfast anyway, but eating a breakfast meal at another time of the day has always been fun to me.

Baked French Toast
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 loaf French bread
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
Maple Syrup

Cut bread into slices and then into cubes and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Mix eggs, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over bread, cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Before this goes into the oven, mix melted butter, brown sugar and corn syrup together and sprinkle over the French toast. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Be sure and have maple syrup on the table in case anyone would like to add a little extra sweetness.


Savory Eggs
1 1/2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese*
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup of half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
6 eggs, slightly beaten

Grease 8 inch square baking dish. Spread cheese over bottom and dot with butter. Combine half and half, salt, pepper and mustard. Pour half of this mixture over the cheese. Pour eggs into baking dish and then add the remainder of the half and half mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

*or use the same amount of the cheese your family prefers.

No, none of these recipes are "figure friendly" (as Rachael Ray says). But I can promise you that my family LOVED this meal!! I love preparing meals that my family really enjoys. I am sure that your family will enjoy this meal, too!

We don't drink any kind of alcohol in our home, nor do I cook with it. So what do I do when a recipe I am making calls for 2 tablespoons of sherry or a cup of white wine? Well, I just head over to the awesome page I found on the web entitled "Alcohol Substitutions in Cooking".

Now, it makes cooking much faster! Instead of only using chicken broth to substitute in savory dishes or just completely leaving it out of sweet desserts, I use this most helpful substitution chart!! Yippee!!

I found this the other day and just had to smile when I read it. It's good to know that my "tweaking" of recipes is quite the norm, even with a real chef!!!! You can read more here.

Recipes: Recipes are not assembly manuals. You can’t use them the way you use instructions to put together your grill or the rec room ping pong table. Recipes are guides and suggestions for a process that is infinitely nuanced. Recipes are sheet music. A Bach Cello suite can be performed at a beginner’s level or given extraordinary interpretation by Yo Yo Ma—same notes/ingredients, vastly different outcomes.
How to use a good recipe. First read it and think about it. Cook it in your mind. Envision what it will look like when you serve it. Try to know the outcome before you begin. Read a recipe all the way through not only to understand it generally, but to make your work more efficient and to avoid making errors or taking unnecessary steps. Perhaps a dough needs to chill for an hour in the middle of a preparation, perhaps meat needs to be salted for 24 hours, or a liquid must be simmered then cooled. The recipe suggests adding the flour, baking powder and salt one at a time, but perhaps you can combine all the dry ingredients ahead of time while you’re waiting for the butter to get to room temperature so you can cream it with the eggs. Taking a few minutes to read a recipe, acting out each step in your mind as you do, will save you time and prevent errors.
Measure out or prep all your ingredients before you begin. Don’t mince your onion just before you need to put it in the pan, have it minced and in a container ready to go, have that cup of milk and half cup of sugar set out before you. Good mise en place makes the process easier and more pleasurable and the result tastier than preparing a recipe with no mise en place.
If you’re unsure about an instruction, use your common sense. You’ve already imagined in your head what the goal is. Work toward that goal using all your senses.
How to perfect a good recipe. Do it over again. And again. Pay attention. Do it again. That’s what chefs do. Often great cooking is simply the result of having done it over and over and over while paying attention. Great cooking is as much about sheer repetition as it is about natural skill or culinary knowledge.

So for all of us ladies that love to make a "little change here, a little change there" in our recipes, it is wonderful to know that we are in the company of great chefs!!!

I made a mistake. A big mistake. But, thankfully, I came up with a WONDERFULLY TASTY fix and a BETTER cookie!!!

Have y'all seen the website The Pioneer Woman Cooks? She's got some great recipes on her site with step-by-step photos of how to cook the recipe. YUM!! Anyway, I found a recipe on her site for Oatmeal Crispies that looked super good. My sister made them last week and told me how yummy they were, so I just had to make them.

The recipe for these cookies is not written out like a typical recipe. The Pioneer Woman has it written throughout her post so I couldn't just copy and paste the recipe. I read the post and wrote out the ingredients and directions as I came to them, carefully making sure that I did not leave out any ingredients.

I mixed everything together and decided that I didn't want to make them into a log and freeze them like she suggests. I just made drop cookies* and baked them all. I tasted the dough (of course!!!) and thought they didn't taste quite as sweet as regular cookie recipes. But, I kept going, thinking that was the way Pioneer Woman meant for them to be. When the cookies came out of the oven, I tasted one and thought that I must have left something out- they still weren't very sweet. I looked back at the website and, sure enough, I left out 1 cup of sugar!!!!! ACK!!!! The cookies didn't taste bad, they just tasted like they needed "something", you know?

So... I put peanut butter between two cookies and they were GOOD!! However, Joshua thought that the peanut butter was a bit too strong, so I added a bit of powdered sugar to the peanut butter and S-U-C-C-E-S-S!!!! We have a new cookie that our family LOVES!!! Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies have been born in the "U" household and are here to stay!!

Here's my recipe...

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats (I used old fashioned oats)
1/2 cup very, very finely chopped pecans (I used my mini food chopper)

Mix shortening and brown sugar well and then mix in eggs and vanilla. Carefully stir in flour, salt and baking soda until all combined. Stir in pecans and oats. Drop onto prepared cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Completely cool before making into sandwiches. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Filling
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine both ingredients and mix well. Spread onto cookies and make yummy sandwich cookies!!!

You can see Pioneer Woman's original recipe here.


*Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten. Chocolate chip cookies (Tollhouse cookies), peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal cookies are popular examples of drop cookies. (from Wikipedia)

While visiting Mr. U's family over Christmas, I took this photograph. It is so very quiet up where they live and I think the picture of this old barn captured the stillness of the area perfectly.

They own some land in the mountains and it is nice to visit them and enjoy the scenery.

Hooray! It's time for Kelli's "Show and Tell Friday"!! Instead of me just looking at all the participants blogs, I am participating, too.

Today I would love to share with y'all my very first cookbook- Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Cookbook. I cannot remember what age I was when my mom bought it for me, but I do have lots of fond memories of this book! I was very excited when I saw it at my parents' house a few years ago- I had forgotten all about it! I look forward to giving it to Elizabeth one day.

Here it is- Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Cookbook!!!



There are very clear instructions in this cookbook to learn to measure properly.



Wonderful "Kitchen Rules" are included for safety while cooking. Things like "If you have long hair, tie it back" and "Wash your hands!!" Definitely all things that children need to learn about before learning to cook.



I remember making "Mickey Mouse's Sugar Cookies" with my mom. Yum!!!



By far, my favorite recipe from this cookbook was always "King Louie's Fruit Salad"!! We didn't serve it on lettuce leaves like the recipe says (Goodness gracious!! I was changing around recipes even as a child!!!!), but I remember making this for our Sunday dinners quite often when I was younger. Hmmm. I think I need to put this on our menu soon!!



There are lots more wonderful instructions as well as fabulous (and easy!!!) recipes in this fun cookbook. I am so glad that I found it after all these years.

EDIT: In case anyone is interested, I just found the cookbook for sale online!! Go here to see it.

About 5 years ago, Joshua requested Chicken and Dumplings for his birthday meal. He LOVES Chicken and Dumplings. Well, I found a recipe and made it and it was pretty good. Still, though, it wasn't "Southern" Chicken and Dumplings with gooey dumplings and broth thickened with flour.

I've been looking for years for "the" recipe. The one that reminds me of eating in the homes of real Southern cooks. Happily, I FOUND IT!!! Where? Southern Living Magazine!! Now why didn't I check with them in the first place!!!

We had these last night and I truly meant to take a picture, but, well, they are all gone now and there is no photo to share!! You're just gonna have to trust me when I say "YOU MUST MAKE THESE FOR YOUR FAMILY!!!!!". And, yes, you will all fight over the dumplings. That's part of what makes Chicken and Dumplings SO tasty!! :)

Chicken and Dumplings
1 (2 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut up
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/3 cup shortening
2 teaspoons bacon drippings
1 cup milk

Cover chicken with water, and bring to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and next 3 ingredients; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven; cool chicken. Skim fat from broth; bring to a simmer.
Skin, bone, and coarsely chop chicken. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining salt and pepper to broth. Return to simmer.

Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add milk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.

Bring broth mixture to a boil. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into boiling broth, stirring gently. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes.


Yield
8 servings

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2001

(Ahem.... excuse me a moment here... You know how I ALWAYS change recipes around? Well, I did it for this one, too. I did not use a whole chicken. I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Then I poured water in my stock pot and covered the chicken with about 3 inches of water. Oh, and I did use a smidge more (maybe 1/2) of each of the seasonings because I used more water. I still chopped the chicken and made the dumplings like the recipe says.)

When I finally took time this past weekend to look around our yard, I was quite happy with what I found. January's flowers are blooming and, boy, do they look lovely against the gray skies that we've had lately!!!

Paperwhites... lovely, gentle, crisp, clean...



Camellia bush... bright, eye-catching, a happy "pop" of color against January's oftentimes gloomy skies...



What's blooming in YOUR yard right now?

It's SO good to be settling back into a routine around here. With all the holidays, dealing with our family getting sick and going out of town twice, it makes for hectic days. Thankfully, this week, we've finally been getting back into a routine.

One interesting thing I discovered was how much I enjoy cleaning my home. Over the past month, cleaning was more of a "do it quickly because we have to do this and this and this, too". I dislike being hurried and rushed, so I grumbled and complained while cleaning. Now that we are back to "normal", I'm enjoying getting back to our cleaning routine. Of course, that routine is always apt to change, but for now, the same schedule still works.

So today, Thursday, you will find me here, in our home, happily washing our clothes, making my FAVORITE soup and homemade tortillas for lunch and playing with little Miss Elizabeth. I love being in my home and caring for my family. I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my family.

Masterpiece Theatre has a treat coming up for all Jane Austen fans!!!



I can't wait!!

I normally don't blog on the weekends, but this news is too good to keep to myself!!

One year ago today, January 4, 2006, Mr. U and I got "the call" from our adoption agency. They were calling with our referral- all the information and a few pictures about our new, long awaited baby girl.

The wait to adopt was only supposed to be 6 months, but, for us, it turned into a 15 month wait (it is even LONGER now!!!!!!!), but when we were on the phone with our agency, hearing all about our new little one, the wait suddenly seemed short! We were finally to see our new daughter's face. And what a wonderful face it was...


Now, this is what our little Elizabeth has turned into...


A sweet, kind, loving, full-of-giggles-and-smiles girl. We cannot imagine how in the world we ever had a life without her. What a blessing!!!

The past two weeks have not only consisted of celebrating Christmas and New Year, but also nursing sickness. Apparently, Joshua caught a cold at work and brought it home and shared it with Mr. U. How kind. Mr. U's developed into a sinus infection. He decided to share some of his sickness with Elizabeth. Last week, she was very croupy, so we headed to the doctor. (She's MUCH better now, just has a tad bit of congestion in her chest.) Finally, germs got the best of mommy and I've been dealing with a cold for almost a week.

While dealing with sickness is NO FUN, it sure does make you appreciate your health AND your family much more. I also find myself praying way more than usual, too, because while I know that earthly medicine can do some good, I know that the Lord can fix things even better!!!

So I woke up feeling a bit "blah"today and this lovely face quickly filled me with cheer!!!! (Pardon the crumbs, we were in the middle of eating breakfast when I took this shot. CAUTION: Mommy bragging moment.)

I LOVE good smells. Whether it is something yummy baking in the oven, the scent of a baby first thing in the morning or fresh air on a sunny day, it doesn't matter. I LOVE fresh, clean smells!!

For the past 6 months, however, some things that I've been using to make our home smell nice have not been friendly toward me. Fabric softener has left my skin dry and itchy and those oil plug-ins for the wall have given me headaches.

After reading Mrs. Catherine's blog one day, she pointed readers to this article- Hidden Hazzards of Home Air Freshers. No wonder I've gotten headaches from those plug-ins!! They are full of weird ingredients!!!! OH MY!!!!!

I did more investigating about found this out about fabric softeners. Good gracious!! No wonder my skin is having problems!!!

Why is it that we love good smelling things in our homes so much? Could it be that it's easier to open air freshner than to clean? Hmmm. After reading Elizabeth's post at A Merry Rose, she really got me thinking about the power of scents. I must admit, I've been very guilty of simply putting a plug-in in the wall rather than deep cleaning my home at times. Sigh.

So I've thrown away all our plug-ins and I'm using vinegar 100% of the time for fabric softener. Now... I just need to remind myself daily that I clean my home, not just to look nice, but to smell fresh and clean and to provide a healthy environment for my family in our home.

This is quite an interesting article to start off the New Year with, but I just had to share it.

Where does your family fall on this scale? Notice the American family. Does YOUR family eat like that? Is there anything fresh in your family's diet? And if you look at the food from the families that spend the least, it's amazing how healthfully they eat.

I've been looking for ways to cut back on our family's grocery bill (about $325 tp $350 a month for four of us- and yes, I count Elizabeth because the girl can EAT, I'm telling ya!!!), so I found this article quite interesting.

How much does YOUR family spend in a week (or a month) on groceries? If you have found a way to cut back, please share so that others can learn, too. Couponing doesn't work for me because I buy the store brand items of most things and there are no coupons for those. I also try to make the majority of our food from scratch, so I don't buy any or those boxed meals. Any other ideas?

I want to bless my family with good food, yes, but I think that using less money on groceries is a blessing, too, because that money could be used in other areas.

Mrs. Mordecai commented on my post about German Chocolate Cake...

"Once my family had a German exchange student and she said there was nothing
German about it. She thought there was sauerkraut on top!"

I watched a TV show one time about the history of the German Chocolate Cake and found it quite interesting because I had always thought it was a recipe from Germany. Lo and behold, it's NOT!!!

Here's what What's Cooking America says about the History of German Chocolate Cake...

German Chocolate Cake is an American creation that contains the key ingredients of sweet baking chocolate, coconut, and pecans. This cake was not brought to the American Midwest by German immigrants. The cake took its name from an American with the last name of "German."

1852 - Sam German created the mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker's Chocolate Company in 1852. The company name the chocolate in his honor - "Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate." In most recipes and products today, the apostrophe and the "s" have been dropped, thus giving the false hint as for the chocolate's origin.

1957 -The first published recipe for German's chocolate cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper in 1957 and came from a Texas homemaker. The cake quickly gained popularity and its recipe together with the mouth-watering photos were spread all over the country. America fell in love with German Chocolate cake.

German Chocolate Cake. Aaahhhh. My very favorite cake in all the world IF it is made by my grandmother. All the other recipes cannot compare to the heavenly sweetness of this cake when Grandmother used to make it!! OOOH BOY!!!!

My Uncle Burt and I always had a little unspoken competition going on for Grandmother's German Chocolate Cake. She made one every Thanksgiving and he used to always beat me in the race to have the first luscious bite. My grandmother actually hid the freshly made cake one year so that I would be sure and be the first one to taste the cake. She and I carefully tiptoed to her hiding place, she pulled the cake out and A PIECE WAS MISSING!!!! Grandmother gasped out loud and then we heard Uncle Burt laughing hysterically. He had found her secret hiding place!!!! Rats.

These days, however, even though my grandmother doesn't feel like making her yummy cake, I do my best to copy hers. She told me the "secret recipe" is actually inside the box of the Baker's German's Chocolate box!!!! I follow the recipe to the letter. It smells like Grandmother's and even LOOKS like Grandmother's, but I am 100% positive that she does something special to hers to make it extra delicious.

Grandmother isn't doing well these days. She's now 88 years old and in a nursing home. She doesn't always remember you when you walk in to visit and she doesn't pay attention for long, but she's still here and still cute as a button. She has created some wonderful memories simply through the love she has shown in her homemade food for her family. I am blessed to come from a long line of really good cooks.

What kind of recipe do you have that brings back wonderful memories of family? I would LOVE to hear about them!!

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.



Luke 2:1-20

3 weeks and 1 day... that's how long it's been since I've blogged. OH DEAR!!!!

I'm still here, just BUSY!! I know, I know, I'm not the only one that gets super duper busy this time of the year. It just seems like Christmas really got here quickly this year!

What have I been doing since I last posted? Well, I actually was at my parents' house when I last blogged. I don't know if y'all remember or not, but I asked for prayer for my mom in the beginnging of November. I stayed with them for a week after Thanksgiving to hopefully help them out a little bit. Elizabeth and I were blessed to be with them a week. I don't think we were much help at all, but it was wonderful being able to do anything at all for my parents. Even in their very difficult times, they still praise the Lord. What a testimony their lives are!! If y'all think about it, please keep praying for them. With my mom having to deal with the pain after shingles, this is a VERY long road to recovery.

After we returned home, things have been a whirlwind of activity. We bought our Christmas tree and decorated it. This is Elizabeth's first Christmas and it makes me sad to think that last Christmas she was sitting in a bed, all alone in the orphanage in China, never having heard about Jesus Christ. But this year we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday TOGETHER!!!!

She wasn't too sure what was up with the tree, but now she LOVES it and enjoys playing with all the low-hanging ornaments (child safe ornaments!!!).


Mr. U and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 12th of December. 9 years!!! WOW!!! When I think of our married life, it has FLOWN by!! He is such an AWESOME man of God and I cannot believe that I am the lucky girl that got to marry him!!! WOOOHOO!!!!

Joshua will turn 20 (yikes!!!) this coming Sunday. Twenty. Where has the time gone? When Mr. U and I met, dear Joshua was a small 10 year old boy. I immediately fell in love with him when he wanted to snuggle up next to me and tell me all about his life. He has become such a wonderful, godly man. Some girl is going to be INCREDIBLY blessed one day to become his wife. (Good gracious!!! I'm crying now just thinking about that!!!!).

This is Joshua. He's going to kill me for sharing his picture, but good grief!! He is one cute guy!!! How could I NOT share his photograph? :)


It's still going to be a whirlwind of activity around here for a while, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I LOVE being with my family and I love all the busyness that comes from making our house a home. I LOVE being Mrs. U.

The other day I mentioned that I had let Elizabeth be "entertained" by the TV while I prepared many things in the kitchen for a church event. I really needed to focus on what I was doing, so I let my little sweetheart watch Dora. Okay... so I let her watch it a few times. Ahem.

Anyway, Cyndi over at Modern Christian Homestead offers a GREAT way to keep your children occupied while you are in the kitchen!! I LOVE your idea, Cyndi! And it's frugal to boot!! Thank you SO much for sharing your creative and VERY FUN idea!!!!

Thankfully, I am VERY blessed so far that Elizabeth is NOT a picky eater. However, I know LOTS of mothers daily battle with their children and food. Recently, quilt2day left a comment on this blog post and said ...

Now, any tips on getting a 4 year old boy with a picky-eating streak to eat such dinner, ahhhh! We keep praying the Lord will deliver him from his dislike of all foods that are mixed together (ie, casseroles, soups, stews, etc).

For those of y'all that have dealt with and WON the battle with a picky eater, what kind of advice can you offer her? Any great tips that you can share to encourage her AND to get her son to venture out with food?

I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy the day with your family!!

You know, yesterday when I mentioned that I had taken Pumpkin Bars to church, I linked to some recipes I found on All Recipes (LOVE that site, by the way). However, I only used those recipes as a guide. Teehee! You know I just HAD to alter the recipe, right? Here's the actual ingredients and amounts that I used to make the Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing (which were a HIT, by the way!!!).

Pumpkin Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
4 eggs
1 (14.5 ounce) can Pure Pumpkin (I use Libby's Brand)
2 teaspoons baking soda

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12 x 16 cookie sheet (with sides) OR 2 9 x 13 pans.
-Mix all ingredients until well blended.
-Bake for 25 minutes. Cool and frost bars with Cream Cheese Icing.



Cream Cheese Icing
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Cream together butter with the cream cheese. Then stir in vanilla.
Next, add the powdered sugar, slowly, keep beating until mixture is smooth.


*To make your own pumpkin pie spice, click here.
Oh, and there's no photograph of these because they were ALL gone!!!

Today has been one of "those" days. BUSY!!!!!

Our church is having a Thanksgiving service tonight. Afterwards, we'll have refreshments. I am taking sausage balls and Pumpkin Bars (which are more like cake) with Cream Cheese Icing. YUM!

It seems like it took me FOREVER to get these prepared this morning. I was doing laundry in the middle of it all, too, so that's probably what made it feel like it was taking so long.

And poor Elizabeth, I was so busy this morning that all I could do was turn on the TV and hope she would play by herself. I HATE turning the TV on and letting it "babysit" her, but I, in fact, did that very thing this morning. We rarely turn TV on for her, wanting her to read, color, RUN, PLAY, IMAGINE!!! Perhaps she viewed this morning as a special treat???

Tomorrow brings more baking as my mother-in-law has requested sugar cookies (with icing) and pound cake to go with her Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. I love any excuse to bake, so thank you dear mother-in-law!!

Any suggestions for a better way to occupy Elizabeth while I am busy in the kitchen? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Also, I would LOVE to know any special treats that you are making for family and friends for Thanksgiving!!

On the menu for today is Pasta e Fagioli and Savory Cheese Rolls. Both are simple to make and both please my family.

Pasta e fagioli
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots, about 2 large
2 cups dried shell pasta
2 14.5-ounce cans beef broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
28 ounces spaghetti sauce
1 16-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained well
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, optional
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Saute beef in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned.
Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in same pot and add celery, onion and carrots. Saute 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Return beef to pot. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in pasta and serve.

Makes 12 servings.


Savory Cheese Rolls
1 cup plus 2 T luke warm water
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T dry milk
2 T sugar
2 t Italian seasoning
1 1/4 t salt
2 t yeast

For bread machine- Measure all ingredients out and place in your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set on "dough" cycle. When finished, divide dough into even pieces, roll into desired shape and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the tops of the rolls are golden brown.

Is anyone else having trouble posting on Blogger today? I cannot get any photos to post.

Help!

I LOVE to cook!! I remember being in the kitchen with my mom when I was little and "helping" as much as any 5 year old can. Then the teenage years set it and, boy, was I selfish!! I remember my mother asking me "How in the world are you ever going to cook for your family if you never help me cook now?" My answer? "Mom, I'll just read the directions."

Okay, so I was Miss Smarty Pants and not very honoring to my mother. I've repented, believe me. When Mr. U and I married, I had to call my mom SEVERAL times a week to ask her (what are now) simple cooking questions- "How long do you boil chicken?", "How long do you boil eggs?", "How in the WORLD do you cook fresh green beans???" and on and on and on. Things I would have learned had I been less selfish and continued under the tutelage of my mother.

Mr. U and I married in 1998 and around that time Food Network was just starting to become popular in my area. I remember watching The Iron Chef and thinking "NO WAY am I cooking that for my family!!!" Then I discovered Rachael Ray and I was in heaven!! Between what I remembered from my mom when I was young, calling her on the phone almost daily for cooking help, and watching Rachael Ray, I have learned to cook- and I LOVE it!!

But, sadly, all the cooking shows these days seem to cook pretty much the same things. I'm not saying I'm an expert cook, but I LOVE to learn new methods instead of the "same old same old". I used to tape my favorite cooking shows and watch them in any spare (and rare) moments. But nothing really excites me anymore about the cooking shows.

Thankfully, Food Network has a new show on called The Gourmet Next Door with Amy Finley and I LOVE this show!!!!! Amy seems to really want her viewers to learn more about cooking. I can't wait to see more of her shows.


Also, I just discovered that PBS has Julia Child videos ONLINE!!! You can view her cooking with guest chefs for free!!! I remember my mom watching her show a few times and I remember her voice, but I've never watched an episode of her cooking shows. I love that I can watch her online. Wow! Modern technology!!!!


What about you? Do you enjoy cooking or is it something you do because you have to feed your family? How did you learn to cook? I would love to hear from y'all!!

I found this recipe years ago in a magazine. It's been so long that I don't remember what magazine it came from!! But I DO know that this is easy, delicious and something my whole family just loves!!!

Chicken Enchiladas in Cream
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 (7 ounces) can salsa verde
1 (4 ounces) can chopped green chilies
10 flour tortillas (8 inch diameter)
2 1/2 cups of cream *
2 cups shredded cheese **

Mix chicken, salsa verde and green chilies in a bowl and spoon mixture evenly into the 10 tortillas. Roll up and place them in a prepared 9x13 pan. Pour cream on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees until golden and most of cream is absorbed.

* I have used half and half instead of cream and had equally delicious results.
** In this photo, I used 1 cup of cheddar and 1 cup of mozzarella. Yum!

I stumbled across a WONDERFUL website recently. The website is called Miss Laurie's Smart Guide and Miss Laurie has a DVD on, get this, a common sense approach to cleaning your home!! How great is that??? How many ladies do you know that could benefit from a DVD actually teaching them HOW to clean and WHY things should be done certain ways?

Here's what the website says about the DVD...

Whether you're clueless about cleaning or just want to learn more, here's a common sense approach to cleaning for your own home or a home you care for.

-Organize your cleaning time and tasks.
-Learn the specifics needed to attack the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and laundry.
-Don't fire your help (the kids, your mate or your maid)...buy them the video!

Remember, it's a great gift for high school grads, new brides and grooms or a messy mensch.

Okay, so I am not just telling y'all this because it sounds like a neat DVD or anything. I'm telling y'all this because I HAVE the DVD and LOVE it!! Miss Laurie offers soo many practical tips and cleaning tidbits. The only thing I didn't like about the DVD was that it was too short! LOL!! I love learning about taking care of my home and Miss Laurie had such wonderful ideas and helps, I could have sat and watched about a lot longer!!!

I've already started using some of Miss Laurie's tips. Y'all just head on over and visit with Miss Laurie. A DVD on how to clean your home- I LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you, Miss Laurie, for sharing this with us!!!

The weather here in my area has gotten rather chilly lately. While I am quite happy to be leaving the hot, humid days of summer behind us (finally!!!), I often find myself unprepared in my wardrobe for the winter months.

Two posts I've come across lately have greatly encouraged me and given me goals in my wintertime shopping. Tammy has shared about Wearing Dresses in Winter and Mrs. Wilt has shared Fall and Winter Wardrobe Basics.

I wear dresses and skirts only and I really appreciate these two ladies taking time to share with us about their wardrobes- keeping warm and the "basics" of a warm wardrobe. So, no more aimless shopping for me! I am using them as my shopping guides this year!! Thank you ladies!!

Oh y'all!!! I made a delicious recipe!!! I found it at the Kraft Foods website. It's called Made Over Chicken Tetrazzini and it is yummmmmy!!! So yummy, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture of it!! It's all gone now and there's not a noodle in sight.

Made Over Chicken Tetrazzini

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, peppers and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.

PLACE Neufchatel cheese, flour and broth in skillet. Cook and stir with wire whisk until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel cheese mixture, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. round casserole dish; cover with foil. Bake 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; continue baking, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

I do plan on making this dish again for my family but I will make just a few changes. Why oh why I must change every recipe is beyond me. Sigh. But, change it up, I will.

Here's my future changes...
-I will season the chicken with salt and pepper when I put it in the skillet with the peppers and mushrooms. The chicken had no taste and needed seasoning.
-I will put 2 cloves of garlic in the skillet when I am cooking the chicken, peppers and mushrooms. Again, it needed "something" and, for my family, garlic is it.
-I will use 16 ounces of chicken broth instead of 14 ounces. It needed, in my opinion, just a little more liquid in it. It came out a tad too dry for us.

If any of y'all happen to make or already have made it, please let me know if y'all made any substitutions.

And frequent commenter, Bob's Wife, let me know if you try it, too!! :)

Please pray for my mom. She has had severe rheumatoid arthritis for several years and had several surgeries for joint replacements. She is pretty much always in pain. Through it all, she is the godliest lady I know.

Last week, her hip started hurting very badly. My mom NEVER says she is in pain. Well, she said her pain was 10 on a scale of 1 to 10!! So that meant she was in BIG pain!! Turns out, she has shingles.

Last night (Wednesday night), she was getting up at 1:30 to go to the bathroom and fell. She has broken her hip and hit her head pretty badly and has stitches. She broke her hip in 3 places and they need to do surgery. They can’t do the surgery right away because she is on coumadin to thin her blood (she has blood pressure issues, too). She is in MUCH pain.

My dad has very bad health, too, and is at the hospital, worried and exhausted. Please pray for him, too.

My sweet parents are only 65 (dad) and 62 (mom).

Ahhhhh.... home... I LOVE being home! The older I get, the more of a "homebody" I am. Anyone else that way?

We went to Callaway Gardens in Georgia last Thursday and got home Sunday. It was beautiful there!! I hadn't been there since I was in middle school so it was sort of a trip down memory lane for me (goodness, that makes me sound old!! HA!!!).

My parents decided a few months ago to take our family, my sister, and my brother and his family to Callway Gardens. They rented one of their villas. It was fun with all of us staying together and even more fun out sight-seeing all over the beautiful gardens. Oh, and my brother's daughter is only 1 1/2 months older than Elizabeth so the two of them had a big time playing together.

This week so far has been catching up on laundry (WHY do you wear more clothes when you are on vacation?????? I'll never figure that mystery out!!!) and doing regular housework. While I very much enjoyed being away, I missed the little daily things I do around our home to tidy it and keep it homey.

Ah, it is SO good to be home!!!

Whew!!! Life's been SO busy lately!! Last weekend, Mr. U's father and mother came to visit us. It was wonderful getting to spend time with them. Whenever we go visit them, other relatives are always around so we hardly ever get them to ourselves. :)

Tomorrow we are leaving on a little family vacation for a few days. We are going to be staying in a villa that has a kitchen, so I've been trying to get some food together so that we don't have to eat out all the time.

I do look forward to being gone a few days and r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g!!!! Church is starting to head into a busy season with the holidays coming up. It'll be nice to catch our breath for a few days.

So, I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit your blogs lately. I have checked Julieann's because I've been worried about the fire in California being near her family. If you or a blogger you know is near the fire or their home is IN the fire, please let me know. I want to PRAY!!! I cannot imagine what it must be like to see flames like I've seen on TV.

Have a blessed weekend, y'all!

Just in case anyone was wondering, I have had my "Fall vitamins". Today, as a matter of fact.

Have you had your "Fall vitamins" yet?

Surely these MUST hold some special nutrients for Fall, don't you think? Tee hee!!!

Ladies, when was the last time you received a hand written letter? When was the last time you sent a hand written letter?

Why not take some time this week to sit down and write a note to a dear friend or family member. There's nothing like opening the mailbox to find a letter from a friend!!!

Most of y'all have already heard by now that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. So, when was the last time that you thanked your pastor for following the Lord and leading the sheep in your church? Write him a note of encouragment, tell him how thankful you are for him and is faithfulness to the Lord and PRAY for him!! Pastoring a church is a hard job and pastors deal with so many issues that the majority of church members don't know about. He needs your encouragment and your prayers, so please tell him how much your family appreciates him.

I found a wonderful link at Revive Our Hearts entitled "31 days of praying for your Pastor". This would be a great tool to use to lift your pastor up in prayer!! Why not start today!!

Look what I found waiting for me in my mailbox yesterday!!!



Yes, Victoria Magazine is in full swing and I am one happy lady!! Oh and their website has wonderful treasures, too! I can't wait to spend time there, too!!

So, you all know what I am going to be doing today!!

Okay, so I do not normally wear cleaning gloves... but when I saw the super cute gloves that Kim and Aggie were wearing, I knew I needed to find some!!!

While I can't find their exact gloves, I did find a website with adorable cleaning gloves! It's called ComfyBath and the gloves are called Gloveables (how cute is that?). So in case anyone is interested in purchasing something besides the standard yellow gloves that we can find at any store, we now have a choice!!

Do any of you wear cleaning gloves on a regular basis? If so, how long have you been wearing them to clean?

(And yes, those are the cleaning gloves that I want!! TOOO CUTE!!!)

I LOVE to read!! I love to curl up with a good book and get lost in the pages. Be it homemaking, historical fiction, biography, cookbooks or Christian fiction, I LOVE to read!!

One of my favorite places to purchase books from is Vision Forum. They have wholesome, Christian literature that is encouraging, challenging and uplifting. They have wonderful sales, too!! When one of their catalogs arrives in the mail, you will find me all alone, s-l-o-w-l-y pouring over the pages to figure out what newest adventure I want to go on through the pages of a book.

I just LOVE to read!!!

What about you? Where do you like to purchase your books? Do you LOVE to read, too??

This is the recipe for the Taco Soup that we had yesterday. My sister-in-law gave me this recipe and we all love it. It's easy to make and pleases everyone who eats it. This freezes well, too, so doubling it would be a great idea!!


Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, diced
1 package taco seasoning*
1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 large (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 small (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour Cream

In a stock pot, brown ground beef. Drain if it is greasy. Add diced onions to the beef as well as the taco seasoning. Cook about 10 minutes over medium high heat until onions start turning translucent. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes until all the flavors are combined. When you serve it, top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

This is also very good on top of fritos!! YUM!!

*I did not use a taco seasoning package. I always make my own. Here's the recipe I use.

Taco Seasoning Mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

"Depending on how spicy you and your family like your dishes, use as little or as much as you want."

I just love walking outside in the mornings and being greeted by these happy morning glories!!! The Lord is SO sweet to give us such beautiful things to look at and be reminded of Him and His creation.

Today is going to be a rather quiet day around our home. Just normal household chores to be done- Elizabeth's laundry, vacuum the house, clean the master bathroom. For lunch today (lunch is our main meal of the day), I am making my sister-in-law's Taco Soup. YUM! And I just may make Kelli's Maple Cookies. They look SO delicious!!!

I look forward to days like this that aren't so busy. I get time to read more, make a few phone calls to friends I haven't spoken with in a while, and I will take time to read some of the deeper, more meatier blogs that I don't always get around to.

So, what are you up to today? Is it a busy day in your household?

Choose the biscuit that you would like to eat.


If you cannot pick up the entire biscuit, carefully pick up a piece in your hand.


Take a bite of your biscuit.


Enjoy eating your biscuit (but please try to keep your mouth closed while you are chewing).


Eat only as much as needed. You do not need to finish the entire biscuit if you aren't that hungry. Oh, and mommy will happily clean up your dishes. :)