ANOTHER DAY OF SNOW

Well, two days til Christmas...and it is snowing again. I am beginning to think it is a snow conspiracy! Actually I really like it and sort of wish it was like this every year. My plan today is to go cross country skiing out my front door before heading off to the family Christmas party. I hope I have time.

I have read my Bible already today and have to say that it is a really refreshing way to start the day. I went from feeling a bit grumpy and annoyed about being awake to feeling like I can actually do "it" all today. It is a great feeling. We do have a few major adjustments to make over the next few weeks due to a certain family event that shook our lives but I am very optimistic that we are well on our way to having that ironed out...until next time.

Let us be aware of those who are in need of help during this unusually snowy time. Whether it is the neighbor needing to be dug out, the single mom who can't afford a gift for her kids or the homeless freezing on the streets, let's try to help where we can. Remember that when you ask God to use you to help others, he will. Just keep your eyes, mind and heart open. When it happens, you do not want to miss the opportunity.

I am reminded of the time my sister and her friend were able to help their neighbor kids. Kristy and Jolene were neighbors in an apartment building and another of their neighbors was a neglectful mother of two or three kids. Kids old enough to be left alone but the youngest would glom onto Kristy as a stand in mom. Since the mother was off on one of her week long stints away from home it became clear to Kristy and Jolene that a happy Christmas was not in the cards for the kids who were sitting alone in the filth next door. Kristy and Jolene plotted for a way to do something for the kids. Late on Christmas Eve they went to Walgreens to see what they could find in the way of gifts for the kids. Even at the last miniute they were able to come out with quite a haul. The got it all wrapped and went next door. They told the kids that they were out and about when a fat man with a white beard and a red jacket approached them and asked if they knew Sally and Billy. (Of course that isn't their real names!) Kristy and Jolene said yeah we know them. The man said, well I have some things I am hoping you can deliver to them for me. So of course Kristy and Jolene agreed and did so.

These kids were SO HAPPY! Though they lived a rough life and deep in their hearts they knew the gifts were from Kristy and Jolene, for that day they believed in Santa. Regardless of anything else, for those kids, Kristy and Jolene had performed a Christmas Miracle.

Without ever mentioning His name, Kristy and Jolene had shown the love of Christ.

Breakfast today

We got this from an American Girls Cookbook. This is an adaption from a traditional Swedish breakfast. I cannot remember what it was called so...

The girls have named this:

Rice Delight

Rice (I use white as it is cheap and always on hand but you can use brown for a healthier alternative)
1 apple
cinnamon- to taste
nutmeg- to taste
sugar- to desired sweetness
butter
milk

I cook my rice in my rice maker according to amount I need. Quite a bit for a family of five. As it is cooking I chop the apple and add it right away so it cooks for a few minutes. Add Cinnamon and nutmeg to the rice as it cooks.

As I am serving into bowls I add butter, milk and sugar.

Ohhhh! So GOOD!

MY FAVORITE CROCK POT RECIPE

I am always at a loss for dinner ideas so when I have a good one it makes me really happy. Maybe that is why I am so giddy today. Seriously I am in such a good mood!

This is a pretty common recipe but it is what is filling our house with yummy smells today so I thought I would share for those who may not have tried it yet.

Just a run of the mill Pot Roast with the most delicious gravy! Dave hates gravy but he sure likes this! (See bottom of post for my vegetarian comment)

1 roast- whatever fits into your crock pot
carrots- however many you want or will fit in your pot
onions- same as above
potatoes- same
other veggies- different people like different things put in what you want!
1 pkg onion soup/dip mix
one can Cream of Mushroom Soup
some water- the roast will release more liquid too so today I put in about 1 1/2 cups I don't even know if you need to add water I just do.

Coat the roast in flour and brown in a pan with a bit of oil. I do not always do this but I did today. It is apparently what you are supposed to do. I assume it adds to the flavor. Maybe, someone who knows can explain that one better in a comment! (Aunt Char?)

Put all ingredients into Crock Pot. At this point I usually cook as long as time allows. The main thing is to get the meat cooked thoroughly. You can set it on high to cook faster but the flavor is so much better the longer you cook it. Today I did not have 8 hours so I set it on a high setting for 6 hours.

So maybe this recipe isn't the answer to the worlds problems but it is delicious and easy and fast and I don't have to think about dinner again until it is time to put it on the plate!!! YAY ME!

You know I have a lot of Veggies (that is my name for the vegetarians I so dearly love) in my life and I think this would be great sans meat with just a pot full of veggies too. OH YUM! In fact I think I will try it soon! As a side dish OR main course.

FINDING NEW WAYS TO RENEW REDUCE REUSE AND RECYCLE

Ok so nothing is really new except my way of thinking. And it isn't that I am new to the whole recycling thing but I just have a different perspective on it for the moment.

I will be the first to admit that my ideas and plans are often so fleeting that they do not last more than a season. And usually a short one at that. But at heart I am a greenie and that has been the same for a long time. And I think God is happy with me this way because look what I recieved in a gift exchange yesterday.

I should say I WON it in the gift exchange because it was one of those nutty games where everyone goes crazy and "steals" each others gifts. It was actually a lot of fun! There is a lot of speculation that I might have stretched the rules in order to win this. I can honestly say that it was about 50% plotting and 50% serendipity that I ended up with the coveted travel coffee cup plastered with greenie comments about recyling and reusing, etc.

So, In the latest Sunset magazine I read about some people who were committed to buying nothing new for a year, other than medicines and a few bathroom necessities. They showed off their thrift store Christmas ornaments and homemade bread that they gave as gifts and that sort of thing. It just got me thinking how much money I spend that is such needless waste. And I am a pretty frugal person by upbringing. Seriously though, sometimes I find myself buying something that I simply don't need or maybe even shouldn't have.

So I thought, well, even if I don't commit to buying nothing new for a year, I can challenge myself to make all my gifts this year and just see how far I can take it. So I put $20 in my pocket and headed off to the thrift store to see what I could find. I promised myself not to spend a penny more than that. Well, I knew I was going to make beanies for my nephews so I wandered over to the yarn section of the store and I was SO pleased with myself when I found the most awesome thick yarn perfect for making a trendy beanie for my oldest nephew. As you can see from the look on my face I am pretty proud of the hat too. Well it took me long enough to figure out how to make the stupid thing. I tried following a couple patterns and ripped it out about 6 times before I decided I would just make it up as I go. Well, after doing it wrong a few times I had figured out how to do it right and this was the end product.



Well, as soon as I was done with that and both girls had modeled it I felt ready to do the next one and I whipped it out in about an hour or two in front of the tv. Pretty quick consindering how many evenings I spent stitching and ripping up til now. So here is the end result of the other one.

Well, I hope the nephews like them because if they don't I might just steal them back and wear them myself. HA!HA!

Happy HOLY-days

Even though this is a special time of year that is loaded with meaning for me and my family, I felt a feeling today that did not fit with what I know. As I sat in traffic and the snow was heavily falling I started sensing that depressing feeling. You know the one that Charlie Brown feels each year before Linus reminds him of the true meaning of Christmas. Well, I got focused quickly but was reminded of Christmas Past when I was stuck in the funk for extended periods of time. Last winter was a bad one. This year I am just not willing to to have my joy ripped away from me.

On more than one occasion this year the reality of the baby with a tragic yet redemptive future has over taken my mind. I think of the babies being born at a regular and frequent rate in my church. The face of anyone of them may be representative of the infant born to save me. It blows my mind and I have to remind myself that it is possible to keep Christmas separate from Easter and I can revel in the glory of the event.

Well, today is Friday and in this house that means Family Fun Night. Due to the slim condition of our pocketbook this week and the Snow Event we are currently experiencing, I dropped by the store on my way home and prepared to have Family Fun Night "in" tonight. Chicken Noodle Soup is always a favorite and I am looking forward to some Christmas Cookie baking and snowman building. The night will be finished off with a movie- Tinkerbell since Nick is out of town- and popcorn. Now doesn't that sound nice? And the house is even SORT OF clean.

Ahhhh! LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!