Delishious

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup or brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl,
check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,
pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter
in a large fluffy bowl.


Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point
it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another
cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup
of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry
it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something.
Who geeves a sheet .
Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can
find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall
over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the
Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.
Cherry Mistmas !

A day over 30

I guess since I am doing this for the kids I will do it for myself

Verse for the year 

Ephesians 1:3-12
3. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5. he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--
6. to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
8. that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
9. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10. to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
11. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12. in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Hymns for the year (I couldn't choose)

He giveth more grace  by Annie Flint

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

and Hymn #2

None other Lamb by Christina Rossetti

'Tis the sneezin'

a heap of white tissues

piled like snow

a nose like a reindeer

both red and aglow

christmas shopping for cough drops

while trying to rest

a song in my heart

a cold in my chest.

Christmas present #2 and 3

Do you keep your New Years resolutions?  I certainly don't, but I usually keep most of my Christmas presents which is why I've been coming up with one Christmas presents/resolution a week to implement in December rather than making a list of New Years resolutions to fail at in January.  

So far the quiet time in the tidy living room has been taking place consistently although not daily.  I think it's o.k. to ease into this one :)

Last week (when I didn't have an Internet connection) I decided to address every sales person that has a name tag on by name, make eye contact and go out of my way to brighten their day.  It's been neat so far and even though I may only get 2-3 minutes of their time I feel like I'm starting to understand Jesus' mentality of reaching out to everyone everywhere (the woman at the well comes to mind.) and if not sharing the gospel with them, at least sharing a smile or a laugh.

This week I'm off to purchase a good book.  I intend to read it during Christmas break and finish it as well!  I want to do one book per month and I need a good solid start date - like December 15th.  If I can't find the one I want I have a whole list to choose from at home and most of them are half finished already!

Pregnant pause

I woke up this morning with a great reminder to slow down and relax - a yucky cold.  Since I feel like my head is the size of a balloon and I'm more stuffed up than a Thanksgiving Turkey I thought I'd share all the natural remedies I know in case you get a cold and want to skip the Dayquil

Stuffy noses:

1. Breath rite strips at night

2. Saline drops to thin and help remove mucus secretions

3. Vics vapor rub under the nose

Sore Throat:

1. Throat Coat (not sure if this is o.k. in pregnancy but I've googled the ingredients and think it will be o.k. in moderation)

2. Peppermint tea with lots of honey

Cough

1. Licorice root tea with honey (works as an expectorant, antispasmodic and an anti-inflammatory but I wouldn't drink tons because it can have a laxative effect too)

2. Vics Vapor rub on the bottom of your feet

3. Cool air humidifier

4. Hot bath with peppermint bubble bath

Since I'm not a doctor I can't advise anyone, pregnant or otherwise to use any of these remedies this is just what works best for me when I'm trying stay all natural during this pregnancy (are Jack in the Box's stuffed Jalapenos all natural?  I've eaten dozens this pregnancy ...)

What works for you?

If you're tired and you know it ...

... go to the park!!

Thursdays are the most exhausting day of the week for our family.  Eliot and Eliannah don't get their naps and yesterday after going to Zak's class party and eating tons of sugar (not me - the kids) I realized that I didn't want to be in the same house as these hyper-active cookie monsters so we went to our favorite park.

Once we got there we noticed a large pile of marsh grass the the landscaping crew must have forgotten to clean up.  ** Jackpot ***

We poked the sturdier ones into the sand and then basket wove the weaker ones through the sides.  The kids didn't actually play in it once it was done but it was great fun to build!!

(I didn't get a shot of the "fire pit", kindling and fresh fish we were roasting on a spit but we got really elaborate and all our efforts kept us at the park until almost dinner time.)

Lechem Ha-Chaim

The man from "Breadtown"
5,000 full
but did the soul
know what he just said?

A hunger hole
inside their soul -
could they fill it up with bread?

Eyes on the loaf
or eyes on it's Baker?
Feast your heart

on Jesus, the bread maker.

I've been quite discontent lately. Today's sermon really showed me how much I'm missing the point. It also got me thinking about the Jewish toast "L 'Chaim". Most cultures toast "To Love", "Cheers", "Salud" or something of that nature. Jews toast "To Life" because life itself is a gift.

If you missed the Sermon you can listen online.  It is titled "I am the Bread of Life"

Dec. twenty-five

12/25

Musical
Magical
Altruistic

Sanguine
Sacred
Atheistic

what to you
But Who to me
Which will your
Merry Christmas be?
- j.m.

What the heck is Christmas anymore if atheists think it is too "religious"? Check out the link.  I'd love your thoughts.  

Early Christmas present

I have really fallen in love with Christmas.  We got our tree Dec 1st and whipped out our two boxes of Christmas decorations right after I made hot cocoa and put on a Christmas CD.  Phillip led us in an Advent devotional and I stood on the back of the couch to hang lights around our front window.  I just love it!!  

Part of me wants to leave all the Christmas lights on all the time but since that is wasteful I decided that my early Christmas present to my family would be to have a tidy living room every morning.  This means no laundry on the couch, no toys out, no junk mail - nothing but a cheery little tree to great my kids when they come down for breakfast.

But wait, there's more! I've been thinking for awhile now that getting up at 7 for me is just plain lazy.  I need to get up early, read my Bible and be prepared for my day instead of getting dragged into it by my three little alarm clocks  (just because they can get up and get out the cereal and milk by themselves doesn't mean I should let them!).  It's been wonderful and I look forward to a hot cup of stovetop espresso and the book of Isaiah in a cold living room blazing with Christmas lights.  I also feel a sense of camaraderie with my sisters in Christ that get up with (or before) me to focus their day on Christ.  Will you join me this Christmas season next to the Christmas lights?

The people who walk in darkness

Will see a great light;

Those who live in a dark land,

The light will shine on them. ...

Isaiah 9:2

20 weeks and counting ...

I'm cold right down the middle

where my coat doesn't meet

I have 10 little sausages 

at the ends of my feet.

My tummy (and my bummy)

- all as round as a beach ball

My face -- a disgrace

double chin and all.

But when my little sprout comes out

all wrinkled up and tiny

I'll crumple up this poem

and feel bad for being whiny.

People are starting to ask me if it's any day now.  Sure, plus or minus Nineteen weeks or so ...

A Thankful One ...

When I began my countdown to Thanksgiving I was reallly, really not in the mood to be thankful.  I was crabby, selfish and in need of an attitude adjustment - big time!!  Sitting down to write 4 things I was thankful for was a challange! (Yikes!!)  Just the exercise of making a list and being not just thankful for what I have but acknowleding to God that it is enough was a big shift in focus.  As it turns out, a thankful heart is a happy heart and that is somthing for me to be truely grateful for.

verses that have been on my mind:

Hebrews 13:5  "Be content with what you have, for God has said, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

I Timothy 6:6

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

Thankful 2

1.) I'm thankful for my family
2.) I'm thankful that they are soo cool!

(This picture is from the summer, the wall behind them is the living room sized little grocery store "Tom's Trust Grocery and Deli". We were waiting for the bus in this picture where I guess we were going to pick up a rental car since we have the car seats with us.)

Whadda YOU lookin' aht?