Rick Springfield - Speak to the Sky

I just came across this video and had to share it here! So cute!

Until We Meet Again

Today my hubby and I attended the funeral of our friend Dave. It was an emotional day. Dave passed away Christmas Eve morning. He had said that he would be celebrating Christmas with the King of Kings and he was right.

Dave knew this day was coming and had planned his funeral so his family wouldn't have to. He chose the music, the readings and asked those who he wanted to speak. It made it that much more emotional to know that he planned it all. Each song and reading reflected his unwavering faith and his joy in the Lord.

He will be missed greatly, but as one of the songs we heard today said...when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be!

Blessings,

Liisa

When We All Get To Heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,

Sing His mercy and His grace.

In the mansions bright and blessed

He’ll prepare for us a place.

Refrain

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will overspread the sky;

But when traveling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Refrain

Let us then be true and faithful,

Trusting, serving every day;

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay.

Refrain

Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we’ll behold;

Soon the pearly gates will open;

We shall tread the streets of gold.

Refrain

Clearing Out

Today I am going to start clearing out the house. I am going to sort through everything and be tough and get rid of the things we never use or wear. I am a pack rat at heart and I am always thinking that I should save this or that in case I may need it one day. That one day never seems to come though. So it is time to be brutal and bite the bullet and clear out. I know it will be so nice to have everything organized and easy to find once I do this so today is the day! I have several projects planned for the next few days in preparation for the new year. It is always so nice to start it off on the right note with everything clean and fresh and organized!

Blessings,

Liisa

Fresh Start for the New Year

Today I am going to be preparing for the new year. We will be taking down our tree and all the decorations. Before I was married my family used to leave everything up until after New Years Day but my husband's family has always taken everything down before New Year's eve because they say in German tradition it is bad luck to bring the old year into the new one. I don't believe in luck either good or bad but am just as happy to have the new year start off fresh and not have to worry about doing it all later.

I hope to be able to make up some menu plans for us as well as for the little monkeys today so that I can make grocery lists and shop only once a week. This is one of my "New Year's resolutions." One of the biggest money drains I contribute to is going to the grocery store every single day! I always forget something or discover I need something for a recipe I am making that day, or I run out of something and have to go to the store. The trouble with this kind of activity is that I never leave the store with just what I went for so I am going to plan ahead and shop only once a week and resist the urge to just pop over to the store every day.

I am also going to be making stuffed mushrooms and devilled eggs for a get together we are going to at a friends place this evening.

Right now I have bread going in the bread maker....I just love this machine. ~smile~ I also have quite a bit of housework to catch up on so I better get moving!

Happy Thursday!

Blessings,

Liisa

Boxing Day

Well, it wasn't quite this bad when we went shopping yesterday but there were alot of people out. We went to a near by city and picked up a few things. My hubby got a much needed new pair of shoes and I got two new pairs. I was so excited! The Bay had a great sale on....everything that was clearance priced was buy one get one free! (perhaps it is an all week sale I'm not sure) I don't normally shop at The Bay as it is mostly out of my price range but I was able to find two really cute pairs of shoes that were clearance so one pair was free..... I also didn't have to pay p.s.t. because they were under $30. Yep two really cute pairs of shoes for under $30! I guess I should mention that I buy most things second hand but hadn't been able to find a pair of shoes, my hubby REALLY disliked the pair I usually wear and I had been putting off buying some so it was such a blessing to be able to get such a good deal on these ones and he really likes them!

I read Laine's letters all the time...I never get tired of reading and rereading them! She says that she always prays that God will guide her and give her direction when she shops. I often do this as well and I am always amazed. Often when second hand shopping I will suddenly find something that we really need that I have been putting off buying because it costs too much. These shoes were one of those surprise finds because I was just browsing through the store and stumbled (almost literally ~smile~) onto this stack of clearance shoes. He knows what we need before we even ask. If you look for God in the little things in life you will find Him there guiding and directing you and providing for your needs.

Blessings,
Liisa

Blessed Christmas

I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day with family and friends! I wish you every happiness today and through out the coming year.

I am having a little break between breakfast clean up and lunch preparations and thought I would pop in for a moment. My sister and her children spent Christmas eve with us and are here for the day as well. My hubby is at work until 3 , my son is enjoying his gifts, my sister is out for a walk with my nephew, my niece is curled up in a favorite chair reading some magazines and there is Christmas music in the background. Quite a peaceful day here though I wish my hubby was able to stay home all day today.

So far this morning we have enjoyed a breakfast of sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit, pancakes and rye and white toast (the white was homemade in my new bread maker! ~smile~) and had a rousing game of Cranium Cadoo.

Last night I was blessed to be able to attend the Christmas Eve service at church with my hubby, son and the rest of the family. It was wonderful to sit next to my hubby and hear his rich voice in song next to me as we celebrated the birth of our Saviour. We walked home afterward enjoying the winter evening. It was wonderful.

Well, it is about time to get lunch started so I better get back at it!

Blessings,

Liisa

An Early Christmas Gift

I am so excited! My hubby bought me my Christmas present early! I had been hoping to buy a bread maker with my Christmas money from my parents and my mother in law and we were planning to go and get one on boxing day however I opened the Canadian Tire flyer this morning and there was my bread maker for half price!!! A savings of $50! So my sweet hubby gave me the money and told me it was an early present from him. I love him so much he is one of the sweetest men I have ever met.

As we speak I have a loaf in there. It just finished kneading. I am so excited...I think I mentioned that before....~smile~ I can't not make bread from scratch no matter how hard I try. I don't know why, I can successfully bake most things but bread baking skills seem to be beyond me. I have tried MANY different recipes and techniques and step by step videos etc. and still my loaves look lovely but are heavy and just all around awful tasting. So I have high hopes for this one!

Here is the Canadian Tire ad....

It is a horizontal bread maker and makes 2, 2.5 and 3 lb. loaves. My hubby suggested I call and ask them to hold one for me until I could get there as the store is in a near by town so I did. They said they don't hold flyer items but asked when I'd be in and I said this afternoon so the lady was very nice and set one aside for me but did assure me there were several in stock. When I got there they were all gone - mine was the only one left! I guess others know a good deal when they see one.

Since I was going to this near by town I took my mother in law with me and we had a very nice lunch out. It was nice spending some one on one time with her. We did a bit more shopping mostly groceries. I tried to go to Walmart but it was so busy that I could not get through anywhere with the cart and I eventually just gave up without purchasing anything. Wow! Shopping mania has hit hard.

There was one rather sad incident in an otherwise wonderful day. When I was in one of the stores I witnessed a mother being quite rude and harsh with her daughter. It was so sad. Her daughter was perhaps 10 or 11 and was just excited about the holidays and all the things that were out on display. At one point she was trying to show her mother a top that she thought she would like and her mother snapped at her and told her to knock it off or she was going to kill her.....harsh, so harsh. I hope that this is not what everyday is like for this girl. I pray her mother will take a step back from the busyness and hectic shopping days to appreciate what is most important. I pray she will take time to enjoy the excitement of a young girl who will all too soon not be around to spend these days with her mother as she will be busy with her friends, boyfriends and eventually a family of her own. ~sigh~

Happy Holidays? I hope yours are!

Praying the Lord will be at work in hearts and lives this Christmas.

Blessings,

Liisa

Tart Press

This is a picture of what I called a tart press in my last post but what I discovered is called a tart tamper. I got mine from Regal but they are available at most kitchen supply stores, Ebay, Amazon, Pampered Chef etc. They are so handy! It saves so much work. I used to dread making tart shells but now it is so easy. Well worth every cent.

Blessings,

Liisa

Mini Quiches

I love mini quiches! They are so easy to make but so yummy. I am going to make them for Christmas Eve. I have tried more in depth recipes and my family prefers the simpler versions I make now. Here is what I do for anyone who may want to try them.

Mini Quiches

I make a batch of pie dough. I use the Crisco recipe that used to be on the box.

Fortunately I have a wooden tart press so I roll the dough into little balls and place a ball in each cup of a mini muffin pan.....I like the really mini size. Then I just press each ball with the tart press.

I mix up some eggs (depending on the number of quiches I am making) just like for scrambled eggs adding some milk.

For the ham and cheddar ones I put some flakes of ham in each shell. Fill the shell with the egg mixture and then top with grated cheddar cheese.

For the feta and spinach ones I use chopped frozen spinach, thawed and well drained. I place some spinach in each shell and then crumble in some feta and then fill the shell with the egg mixture.

You could also do bacon, onion and mushroom, sausage and peppers or any other combination you like in quiche.

Then bake at 350 until crust is done and eggs are set.

They are so yummy! I made 125 of them for the Harvest Tea we had at our church this fall. There were not many left!

Blessings,

Liisa

Preparing Ahead

Today's Works for me Wednesday is Christmas -ish so I thought I would share what we do to prepare ahead and save time during the holidays.

For Christmas Eve dinner we always have tortierre. I plan to make this the day ahead and then I can just pop it in the oven to heat up before dinner. This frees me up to enjoy family time rather than being in the kitchen making dinner.

For breakfast Christmas morning we usually have "wifesaver" this is an easy recipe that allows you to make it the night before and then pop it in the oven when you get up and by the time you have finished opening presents it is ready!

Here is the recipe ....

Wifesaver

6 eggs

1/2 lbs. cubed ham

12 (or more) slices buttered bread - crusts removed

2/3 lb. grated cheese

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Asparagus or broccoli (slightly cooked and drained and cut in bite size pieces) We use white asparagus in the jar and don't cook it ahead.

Combine - Milk, eggs and salt. Blend well.

Layer 1 - press 6 (or more) slices of bread in bottom of pan. Spread ham and cheese over bread.

Pour half the egg mixture over this. Spread around asparagus.

Layer 2 - Put another layer of bread over this and then cover with remaining egg mixture. Press down. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake uncovered at 325 for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Another time saver is to make the day before anything you can for Christmas dinner. We do this for most holidays and often we will cook and carve the turkey the day before and place it back in the pan in the gravy. This makes dinner time so much easier and frees up time and space to get everything else ready.

I hope all your holiday preparations are going well and that God's blessing will be upon you as you celebrate this Christmas.

Blessings,

Liisa

Cyber Cookie Exchange

Mrs. Wilt at The Sparrow's Nest is hosting a Cyber Cookie Exchange . I am so excited! I love new cookie recipes and I thought I would share what I am making today.

Brown Sugar and Spice Cut Out Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg ( I substitute ginger)

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease cookie sheets.

Cream the butter and sugar add egg and vanilla.

Blend dry ingredients and add to wet.

Roll out to 1/8 " and cut out as desired or roll into walnut sized balls and press with a glass dipped in flour.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Ice with Royal Icing.

Royal Icing

1 lb. icing sugar

3/8 cup milk

3/8 cup light corn syrup

flavoring and coloring as desired

In a bowl mix sugar and milk then add syrup just until combined.

Add flavoring if using and then coloring last.

These cookies are one of my son's favorites. I make these through the year and decorate with the names of his favorite bands or funky designs or black and red icing etc. Today I will be decorating them for Christmas with green and red and perhaps some polka dots, trees, snowflakes and plaid type designs.

Happy Baking!

Thank you Mrs. Wilt for this great idea!

Blessings,

Liisa

Speak Out For the Lord

Ephesians 6:19-20

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

I came across this verse this morning in my email Bible study that I do each morning with a couple of ladies.

It really got me to thinking that there are many times that I have left a situation and thought oh if only I had spoken up, or I wish I had been bold enough to say something. I think my problem and that of many others is that we are afraid, not necessarily of being ridiculed for our faith but that we won't get it right. That we may say the wrong thing or won't know what to say if we are challenged or if the other person asks us a question. But here Paul is asking for prayer that whenever he opens his mouth, words may be given to him so that he will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel and that he will declare it fearlessly. That is amazing.

I ask that you will pray for me, that I will be given the right words at the right time and that I will have the courage to speak out for the Lord fearlessly. I will be praying the same for you.

Blessings,

Liisa

Plans for the Day

Today I don't have my little monkeys as I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I can't take them with me, so I have the day ahead of me.

My hubby is off work as well since the roads were too bad for him to go to work at 6. I am hoping they are not too bad this afternoon as my appt. is in another town. I am happy he is home because I won't have to worry about him all day and because he will be able to take me to my appointment and I won't have to drive. I am such a winter driving chicken!

So what to do with a free Monday......I made up plates of cookies, so I will drop those off today. I will also catch up on some housework and work on a few projects I still have to complete before Christmas.

For dinner tonight we are having some steaks that were barbecued and frozen earlier and some beef "rice and roni" along with some beans. The beef rice and roni is one of the mixes I made up and have ready in the pantry. I can't remember where I found the recipe but it is a real money saver and so convenient to have ready.

I better get on with things or I won't get anything done! ~smile~

Blessings,

Liisa

Our Christmas Tree and a Stormy Sunday

Our trip to the Christmas tree farm was not meant to be. There was a warning of a severe winter storm so we opted to stay closer to home. The result was a stop at a store in town and what has ended up be an enormous tree! We didn't realize quite how big it was and then when it defrosted it got even bigger! Now half our living room is filled with the tree! My sister is calling us the Griswolds now! ~smile~

The only trouble is that since we have the kitten we don't want to put our breakable ornaments on it , many of them are very old and it would be so sad if they were to be broken. So, our tree looks quite sparsely decorated as we don't have very many unbreakable ornaments, but it is pretty all lit up!

The storm has shut down our little town. For the first time I can remember there was no church service this morning and the grocery store is closed. There was about a foot of snow freshly fallen by this morning and it has been falling steadily ever since. It is a nice day to stay in, curl up in my favorite chair and work on some crocheting. Perhaps I will take this opportunity to get my Christmas gifts all wrapped and ready and bake a little something as well.

Here are some before and after pictures of our tree.

I hope you are warm and cozy and enjoying your Sunday as well.

Blessings,

Liisa

Prayer Request

My niece Jessica is undergoing surgery again on December 20th. If all goes well she and my sister will be home for Christmas on the 24th. Please pray for her. To read more about this visit Leanne's blog Life as a Sheep .

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,

Liisa

Getting Ready for Christmas

The Griswold Family Christmas Tree

I have been busy getting ready for Christmas. Last night I was able to complete almost all of my shopping...just one more gift and food left to buy. Lots of baking getting done and being planned.I have a weakness for Christmas books and magazines ( fortunately I have been blessed with books as gifts and purchase the magazines second hand) - they are full of such wonderful ideas and so my to do list grows or perhaps I should really call it my "hope to do " list!

I try to never lose sight no matter how busy I am of why we celebrate this holiday. Our Lord and Saviour came to earth, born of a virgin to save us from our sins. I am so grateful that He did! I just try and grow closer to him daily and at this time of year I can't help but marvel at the awesome sacrifice He made. He did it for me. That is amazing. He came to earth and He died for us, for our sins. All you have to do is believe and accept Him into your life, turn from your sins and He will forgive you. There is no sin too big and no person too bad to be forgiven. You can enjoy eternal life. There is no better gift and it is free for the taking. If you don't know Him yet I would be more than happy to talk to you about it via email...just leave me a comment with your email address.

Tomorrow we hope to visit a Christmas tree farm and get our tree. I was telling my friend this morning that when I say that all I can picture is a scene from Christmas Vacation where Clark takes the family out to get 'The Griswold Family Christmas Tree'. This is our first time getting a tree this way and I hope it goes better for us than for the Griswolds! I'll try and remember to take some pictures!

I hope your holiday preparations are going well and that you will take some time during this hectic season to remember why we celebrate!

Blessings,

Liisa

Ironing Made Easy

Today I thought I would share what works for me to make ironing easier. I used to use spray starch to make it easier to iron our clothes and bedding but was concerned about the chemicals and the cost of using these products. I remembered that ladies used to iron their things damp so I tried a sprinkling bottle meant for this purpose. It just made big wet splotches on everything and didn't really help so I tried a spray bottle set on mist to just dampen the things evenly. It works very well. Wrinkles come right out even stubborn ones and it is so easy and free! For more Works for me Wednesday ideas please visit Rocks in my Dryer .

Blessings,

Liisa

Frugal Thoughts

My friend Lisa has been sending out emails with money saving tips and ideas and links to some great sites. I am so thankful as just this morning I was able to send for a free bag of Kitten Chow for our kitten Timothy. I know if you saw the pictures of "my little helper" he really doesn't look like much of a kitten anymore but he is not yet a year old so I still feed him kitten chow and he really likes it ~smile~ I also sent for a number of coupons that will save our family quite a bit of money. Thank you Lisa for sharing.

If anyone else is interested the site I visited this morning is Frugal Shopper Canada .

This whole thing got me to thinking about a lesson I learned some time ago but often need to go over again. Things are not a good deal no matter what the price is if it isn't something you need.

I used to fall into the trap of buying more and more things because they were too good a deal to pass up. This was especially the case when I discovered second hand stores. Often these same things ended up unused in our next yard sale.....a good deal? I think not. If it costs any money at all then you need to think about it's value to your family before you buy it. Sure that thing might be a fantastic price at $3 but do you need it? Is it something you would have bought anyway? Will this have a place in your home? Or will it end up in your next yard sale?

This lesson can also apply to grocery shopping and coupons. If you have a coupon and combine it with a sale you can get many items nearly free. I love coupons but I had to learn that I am not saving money if I am buying things we don't need or wouldn't normally buy just because it is a good deal. I would save far more by leaving it on the shelf. I also learned that often the store or no name brand is sometimes still cheaper than name brand with a coupon. It's important to check!

If you have any money saving tips or ideas I'd love to hear them ...I am always on the look out for ways to save money for my family.

Blessings,

Liisa

P.S. Isn't that a pretty piggy bank? It is an Anna Rosa Piggy Bank and plays you are my sunshine when you put in your money. Too cute!

Just One Little Monkey

Today will be a little quiet around here. I only have one little monkey to look after today, he is the littlest one - 10 months old. The other two that were supposed to be here today are siblings and one of them has a horrible stomach virus that seems to be going around the area. Today is day 4 for the poor little thing so I am praying for speedy recovery for her. I am also praying that this virus misses everyone else. Can you imagine 4 days of it? This seems to be the average length of it from what I have heard.

On the bright side I may be able to get a few extra things done today and complete my chore list for the day. Mondays are laundry days here so I'll change the beds and get all the laundry caught up and I may even have time to iron the bedding today, instead of tomorrow. I hope to be able to get some work done on the scarf I am making for my son for Christmas. It is a long standing tradition that I make him a scarf every Christmas - he never wears a scarf but that is all part of this silly tradition! I also want to get some more Christmas baking done. I have a lady who requested a tray of baking for the holidays and offered to pay for it! I told her not to worry about that! I also want to be able to deliver a tray of baking to the medical clinic, bank and dentist's office before Christmas. I am hoping to get a doctor's appt. soon so I better get busy! Due to the shortage of doctors in our area I have to go to a town 20 minutes away to see mine so it will be nice if I can deliver the baking at the same time.

Anyway, I guess I will never get anything done if I stay on here much longer!

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Liisa

P.S. Isn't that picture of the wee monkey amazing? Who can see things like this and still deny the existence of God?

He Did It!

My son got his driver's license on Friday! He is now able to drive alone. I am proud of him and scared all at the same time! I have spent all his life trying to protect him and now I have to let him out on the roads alone! ~sigh~ Time flies by way too fast...I am pretty sure he was just a little boy and now he is almost 17 and driving alone! I am so glad that I know there is Someone who is in control of it all. Someone who loves and cares for us, Someone who loves my son even more than I do.

Blessings,

Liisa

Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend was a very busy one but it was wonderful! It really began Thursday. I went to our church Thursday night to help set up tables and chairs for the Christmas dinner Saturday, it is amazing how even that can be fun when you are with your friends!

Friday my hubby came home after being gone most of the week....yippee! I just dread him being away and am always overjoyed when he is back home. I did some baking for the Christmas dinner - molasses crinkles, snowballs and nonpareils then I went to the church and decorated two bulletin boards for the season. That evening one of his friends came over to visit with him so I was able to go over to my sister's store and help her hand out hot chocolate to people watching the Christmas parade - it was a lot of fun. The parade is an annual town event and makes you feel like a kid again.

Saturday I made coleslaw for 120 people and brought it, my baking and some decorations over to the church. I spent all day Saturday in the church kitchen helping to prepare the dinner. We have a Christmas dinner every year. It is so much fun and is free to anyone who would like to come. The fellowship with ladies in the kitchen as we work side by side is one of the highlights of the event for me. Another highlight this year was Rev. Schwindt who performed for us after dinner. He played the violin, mandolin and his "converted whiskey bottles". He is truly a man of God and it just radiates from him. Have you ever met someone like that? I pray I will be that kind of person! He presented the gospel in a no nonsense way and I know that at least one person's life was changed last night! Praise the Lord!

Here are a few pictures from the dinner........

Lynda our Pastor's wife leading some carols.
Eunice accompanying Lynda.
Pastor Dan welcoming everyone.
Rev. Schwindt playing his "converted whiskey bottles"

Rev. Schwindt playing his mandolin.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well!

Blessings,

Liisa

Never to Big too Play in the Snow

Here are some pictures of my son and his girlfriend playing in the snow yesterday afternoon. Kids will be kids!

Blessings,
Liisa

Works for me Wednesday

Today at Rocks in my Dryer Works for me Wednesday is the "What to Fix Edition".

What do you fix when you have no time and no way to get to the store and take out and sandwiches aren't an option.

Here is what I fix....

I usually have cooked chicken cut up and in the freezer for times when I need something quickly so I will make a chicken pot pie.

Chicken Pot Pie

Cooked chicken cut in small pieces (1 cup or so)

Can of cream of chicken soup (or you can use homemade white sauce)

2 cans of mixed vegetables

Mix together in a pie pan.

1 cup biscuit mix

1/2 cup milk

1 egg beaten

Mix together and pour over chicken mixture.

Bake in oven at 400 for 30 minutes.

If I don't have biscuit mix I will put the chicken mixture in a pie crust and bake until the crust is nicely done.

Failing chicken in the freezer I will make ground beef pie.

Ground Beef Pie

Crust for double crust pie

1 lb. ground beef

1 small diced onion

1 can of mushrooms

Beef gravy leftover in the freezer just enough to moisten or 1 can of beef or mushroom gravy .

Brown beef with onion and mushrooms. Drain. Add gravy and mix well.

Pour into shell, add top crust and bake until heated through and nicely browned - about 20-25 minutes at 300 degrees.

You can use mixed vegetables in place of mushrooms or leave them out all together.

If there is really a rush and I am way behind for the day I will make pork, beef or chicken fried rice. I freeze left over beef and pork cut up in small pieces as well for pot pies or fried rice etc.

Then I just heat oil in a large frying pan quickly fry an egg or two in the oil, toss in some chopped onion and green peppers (also chopped up and in the freezer) and then the meat, when that is done I will add some cooked rice and soya sauce fry it quickly and serve.

Another quick recipe is crustless quiche. You just put any veggies you like in a buttered pie plate

like onions, green peppers etc. Add in a can of ham. Whip up six eggs with milk as for scrambled eggs and pour over ingredients. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 until the eggs are set. You can also use chopped spinach and feta cheese and top with eggs and bake as above. My hubby' s favorite is jalpenos and bean sprouts with cheese on the top.

I almost always have spaghetti sauce frozen in the freezer that I make when the tomatoes are ready from our garden and since we buy a quarter of beef at a time I can always make spaghetti quickly as well.

My freezer saves me often!

Blessings,

Liisa

Snow Day!

I love snow. I am one of the few people I know who have winter as one of their favorite seasons. I was noticing that my music selection reflected my desire for snow....Let it Snow....Winter Wonderland.... Well we definitely have a winter wonderland now!

We got the snow squalls they promised and then some! The roads surrounding our town are all closed today and it is the second day my hubby hasn't been able to make it to work and the schools are all closed. It is a bit wild outside at the moment. Oh the weather outside is frightful.....

I am so grateful for a home where I can spend these days with my family snug and warm while the snow flies and the wind howls. I am also grateful that I am able to be home full time. I spent too many years driving in all kind of horrible weather wondering if I would be able to make it back home again. Longing to be here. Missing my family. Worrying about my son when I was at work. Thinking of all the things I needed to do at home or was hoping to be able to do for my family. I always felt like I was running some kind of horrible race and could never quite catch up. I came home full time five ago and I have never longed to be away from it again! So now here I sit my hubby has just come in from blowing out the driveway and shovelling the walks and I was able to bring him a hot cup of flavored coffee and his favorite breakfast. My son is sleeping in and when he wakes up I will be here to spend his snow day with him, make him some breakfast and bake some treats we can enjoy later this afternoon. What a blessing. Thank you Lord!

Enjoy your day!

Blessings,

Liisa

Rainy Sunday

Today has been a cold and rainy day. The weather is actually quite crazy. We awoke this morning to a ton of snow and when we went to bed last night we didn't have any. At noon the rain began and it has been raining all day. Tonight there is a snow squall warning and we could see 10 - 20 cm. tomorrow. So strange.

It has been a good day to spite the weather though! My son and a gentleman he is very fond of did the advent reading at church this morning which was so nice. Then after the service our pastor and his wife offered to drive my sister and I to the official "It's all about Dave Day". Dave is our friend I mentioned the other day who is suffering from brain cancer. His wife is an amazing woman. She decided to throw an open house and anyone who wanted to visit with Dave was invited to come over. She had a ton of food prepared and we had a wonderful time visiting with her and Dave and the absolute ton of people that came to see them. They are much loved.

When we got home I decided to make some nonpareils. I had been going through my Christmas books last night planning the things I wanted to do this season and the recipe was in one of the books. These little treats were my favorite when I was younger so I was quite excited to try making them myself. Here is what they looked like after I added the sprinkles.......

For dinner tonight we had steak, baked potatoes with sour cream, fresh green beans and mushrooms and onions fried in garlic butter. This is one of my guys favorite meals.

Now I am off to tidy the kitchen and relax with my hubby before the start of another busy week!

Blessings,

Liisa

Feeling Festive

This morning I am off to help decorate the church for Christmas and then my hubby and I are going to a nearby town to do some shopping. I hope to pick up a couple for things for Christmas. To spite the fact that I have been trying to shop all year I still have quite a few things to get. Maybe next year I will have it all together! I do love the holidays though and don't mind shopping in December so it is o.k.

I changed my music here to reflect my festive feelings. I hope you enjoy it. I just love Bing Crosby! My son says that is because I am frumpy....maybe he is right! ~smile~

Do you ever have the feeling you should have been born in another era? I do all the time. I know God has placed me here at this time for a reason and that everything happens in his perfect timing. Don't get me wrong I love my life but feel a longing for the way things used to be. I think I would have fit well in the 40's-50's. Then perhaps I would have been in style and not frumpy! ~wink~

Happy December 1st!

Blessings,

Liisa

Blessed Assurance

Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Faith and Love

This morning I received some very sad news. My friend who has been battling brain cancer for quite sometime has now found out that there is a new inoperable tumor in the center of his brain. There is also a new very aggressive tumor in the temple area. The doctor said an operation is not a good option and they have decided that trying another kind of chemo to try and slow it down is the best option. There is only a 10% chance that this will work. If it does not work he will slip into a coma in approximately two weeks and as his wife has said he will be celebrating Christmas with the King of Kings. My heart breaks for this couple. They are still so young.

They have been an amazing encouragement to all that know them as their faith and love are so strong you can feel it. Through all this trial their faith hasn't wavered and their love has only grown stronger. They have been such a blessing to me.

They posted this on their blog....

"This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life". John 9:3

Your prayers would be most appreciated.

Blessings,

Liisa

Works For Me Wednesday

This is my first time participating in Works-For-Me Wednesday but I wanted to share what works for me at lunch time. I have four little ones to feed each day. One of them is only 9 months old so I need to feed him myself and he is often in a REALLY big hurry to eat. It can be a little stressful trying to get the others lunch while he is letting me know (loudly) that he is ready to eat. What I do now is to make lunches in the morning before we go out for our walk. I can get this done while the little one naps and the girls are doing their craft. Then when we come home it is all ready and all I have to do is set it out for them. If it is a hot dish I just microwave it for 30 seconds and we are ready to eat. This really works for me. For more ideas visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Blessings,
Liisa

Peer Pressure

It isn't always easy to do what is right. I was just downstairs with my son and his friends and they were trying to get him to sing for them. He is very good but very shy about singing in front of people. Anyway, he jokingly says to them he is not one to give into peer pressure so he won't sing.

This just got me to thinking about a comment my friend made to me today. She was saying that even other Christian women sometimes make it hard to do what is right. She had made the choice to step out of some ministries so that she could devote more time to her husband and her family. I think this is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately not everyone feels this way. She has had other well meaning ladies trying to pull her in another direction. It is much like peer pressure. It is hard to stand firm in our decision to devote more time to home and family when you have other women encouraging you to do the opposite. They mean well and some may say it is a shame to waste your gifts but they may not realize that our homes are our primary mission field! We have little ones and husbands not to mention other family members that need us. When the time is right there is nothing wrong with volunteering for church activities and ministries but it is important that your priorities are in order.

It is so important to encourage each other to do what is right. By doing that we can build strong marriages and families that serve the Lord together.

Blessings,
Liisa

Snowballs

These are my favorite Christmas cookie but are wonderful all year....

Snowballs

1 cup dates

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

Cook until thick.

Cool.

Add:

2 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Roll into balls and roll in coconut.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Liisa

Cookie Day!

Yesterday was "cookie day" at my friend Nancy's house. She invited several of us to her home in the country to bake a variety of cookies. This was a wonderful way to get to know some of the younger ladies as well as encourage them in their baking skills.

We made sugar cookies, macaroons, chocolate no bake cookies, snowballs, peanut butter marshmallow squares and graham wafer delights. My men were quite please with what I brought home and I have half a plate of cookies left out of three plates! ~smile~

It was so much fun and I just hope that we can perhaps make this an annual event. We were thinking about having cooking days perhaps once a month as well.

Here are a few pictures from Cookie Day!

One of the favors.

Kitchen all set up for us.

Ashley, Jessica, Nancy and Lynda getting started.

Tidy up time.

The cookies being packaged up.

Blessings,

Liisa

Busy Day

Yesterday I had to go a city about 45 minutes away for some tests with a specialist. I had to be there at 7:30 a.m. for a 9 a.m. appointment. This wouldn't have been any problem except that we got what the weather people were calling "the first winter storm of the year". It started with freezing rain, then ice pellets, and then snow. The roads were VERY icy. I am just so grateful that my wonderful hubby had taken the day off to drive me there. He is an amazing driver and isn't bothered by bad weather conditions. There was much prayer going on as we slid around quite a bit on the ice. However God is faithful and answers prayers and we made it -on time even! However the result of the testing was that I didn't feel up to do doing much for the rest of the day so today has been a busy day of catch up.

The mother of one of my friends from church passed away yesterday. She was 1 day past her 100th birthday. She is now home with the Lord. What a comfort to family and friends left behind to have that assurance.

I was so glad that I had gone crazy in the fall and made way too many cabbage rolls for the freezer. This enabled me to take some out and take them over to my friend so that she and her husband will have a quick meal ready for lunch or dinner today and not have to worry about what to have or what to cook. It is a blessing to have foods that are quick to make on hand or prepared foods in the freezer for when someone is ill or there is a death in the family. I often have cooked chicken cut up in the freezer and other ingredients on hand so I can make a chicken pot pie quickly for someone. Or I make a ground beef pie by browning ground beef adding a can of mushrooms and gravy I saved in the freezer from past roasts. I mix it all together and put it in a pie crust and bake until the crust is golden. Quick and easy but welcome. One of my friends has lasagnas ready in her freezer. If she has surprise company, or someone needs a meal she is ready.

Today I have beef stew going for dinner and have caught up on many of the neglected chores from yesterday. My little monkeys are all down for a nap thank goodness! It has been a bit of a trying morning with them.

Tonight I need to cut my hubby's hair and iron clothes for tomorrow night when we go to his Christmas party at work. We get to dress up, have a wonderful meal and perhaps I'll even get in a slow dance or two with my husband. ~smile~

I better get back to my busy day!


Blessings,

Liisa

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Here is the recipe for the cinnamon swirl bread in case anyone else wanted to try it....

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sour milk (1tbsp. vinegar in 1 cup of milk and let stand for a minute)

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tsp. cinnamon

Icing : 1/4 cup icing sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. milk

-Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda and salt.

-In another bowl combine sour milk, egg and oil. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

-In a small bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon.

-Grease bottom only of a loaf pan.

-Pour half the batter into the pan and top with half the cinnamon sugar mixture. Carefully spread with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.

-Cut through batter with a knife to swirl and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

-Cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

-Mix icing ingredients and drizzle over loaf.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Liisa

Playgroup and Other Happenings

Well, it is gloomy, rainy kind of day here but that is o.k. because today is playgroup day. The little ones are over joyed, they look forward to Wednesday's all week. Playgroup is run by the Early Years center and they provide all kinds of wonderful toys, crafts, activities, songs and stories. It is also a great opportunity to meet with other moms and caregivers for some adult conversation! We can discuss issues and offer advice as well as just visit - I enjoy it almost as much as the children. ~smile~ I am especailly looking forward to it as my friend Lisa will be there today!

My house is filled with the smell of cinnamon right now as I am making a cinnamon swirl bread. This is the first time I have made it but it smells wonderful.

This afternoon during nap time I hope to be able to do some ironing and perhaps work on a project or two. I will also start the chili for dinner which we will have with biscuits. Perfect food for a chilly day!

Tonight is a night to just relax at home as a family. Since Monday night I had a Social Team meeting at the church and last night my hubby was busy at a friend's farm and my son had his girlfriend over I am really looking forward to us all being together this evening.

Blessings,

Liisa