Grab Your Kleenex and Go Here:

http://virtuealert.blogspot.com/2009/02/tissue-alert-timely-message-for-us-all.html

Love,
Wendy Darling

GCC Recipe Swap....

It's hard to believe it is Friday already. ;-) Be sure to visit Gayle over Grocery Cart Recipe Swap for more great ideas. She has a great recipe for making your own Ranch Dressing Mix, rather than buying the envelope of dry mix. ;-)

I guess this one could actually be considered a "third installment" post. ;-) I'm giving your the recipe for the puppy face cookies I have been posting about. ;-) It is really pretty easy, but they make amazing cookies.

I have to give credit where credit is due. I got this from the Disney Family Cookbook. I bought this back in '96 or so, and it has served me VERY well with the kids. If you find a copy I encourage you to pick it up. It is a great investment. ;-)

Anyway, here is the recipe.

Sugar Cookies
1 C butter, softened (use REAL butter)
3/4 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 oz unsweetened Bakers chocolate

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Mix the 3 dry ingredients together in a bowl and then add to the creamed mixture in 3 installments, mixing well between each installment.

Dived the dough in half. Place the "plain" dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll into a disc, about 1/4 inch thick. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and then add to the remaining dough. Mix well. Place that between two pieces of wax paper, roll out. Refrigerate both discs for 2/3 hours.

Using a heart shaped cookie cutter cut out one "plain" heart and one chocolate heart. Place the "plain" heart upside down on your cookie sheet, creating the "face". Cut the chocolate heart in half and place one piece on each side of the "face", pointed tip at the top of the "head." Decorate the "face" however you would like. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

You could even wait until after they have baked and cooled and decorate with icing and candy. ;-) Be creative!

** Tip - be sure to keep the dough chilled. If it gets to warm to work with just put it back in the fridge for a bit. You could also just make pinwheel cookies by rolling the two pieces into a log and slice and bake. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Puppy Cookie :-)

I found ONE, lone cookie in the bag, so I snapped a picture of it for you. "Angel" decorated this one. The main thing with this cookie is the recipe, and using the two heart cutters to make the face. The decorating could be done many ways. We used what we had.

If I were in the "perfectionist" mood I would have used 3 SMALL chocolate chips on each cheek, a black jelly bean for the nose, and a glob of white frosting for the eyes before placing the M&M. ;-)

But, we were going for fun, not perfection. And they taste amazing. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

I am still here... ;-)

Sorry that I haven't posted much lately. We have been busy, and then the last couple of days I have been lazy. No excuse. "Little Mark" is in Dallas, so I am trying to take some time to just relax. So far it isn't working well, but I'm hoping tomorrow I can be a little lazy.

Then, there's that whole "addicted to facebook thing." ;-)

However, I did have a sweet visitor today that I thought I would tell you about. :-) I woke up about 7:30 this morning. I slept in a couple of hours. ;-) Before my eyes could even adjust the doorbell rang, and I heard my mother answer it with these words, "Well, hello darling..." and her voice went up a couple of octaves. That tone of voice is reserved for 3 people, and two of them are in Big D, so I knew that "Angel" was paying us a visit on her way to school. ;-)

I went to the front door and there she was holding out two pictures she had colored for us, and written at the top of mine was "I love Aunt Wendy because we make the best cookies together." ;-) And she signed her name.

Yes, I was touched. ;-)

She then asked if she could PLEASE come and visit us after school today. We said, "Yes" and I prepared some cookie dough later this morning. I thought she might like to make some puppy face cookies. I saw it in a magazine a couple of weeks ago. I have tried to find a picture of it, but I can't, and they have been eaten. Sorry.

Anyway, she had a great time cutting out the dough with heart shaped cookie cutters, and cutting the chocolate heart in half with the pizza cutter to make the ears. In her own words "I'm a good cook, because I can use this and not cut myself." ;-) She did a great job.

Then, we watched some TV, played on the computer, and listened as she enthusiastically told us about the dream she had in which she went to Heaven and a little girl made a fire and took care of her. And then the very big cross was there (and here she interjects very dramatic, broad movements with her face and arms to show just how big this cross was) and she just looked at it forever and ever. And then she woke up. ;-)

So, I didn't get my day of relaxation, but I got a day of affirmation. I think that's better. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

GCC Recipe Swap...

Happy day before Valentine's Day; or for those of you who are single (like me) and will not be celebrating (like me) "Have a great Saturday." ;-)

Today is Recipe Swap Friday over a Grocery Cart Challenge. Please, check them out for more great recipes. ;-)

Anyway, with tomorrow being Valentine's Day I thought perhaps you might like to make this little gem of a dessert for your romantic dinner. I believe when I made this the word used to describe it was "sensual." You might remember when I posted about it HERE.

So, if it can be "sensual" for a bunch of women sitting around scrapbooking, just imagine what it could do for you and your spouse on a romantic day like Valentine's Day. I bet you might even score some jewelery with this one. :-) Enjoy :-)

Chocolate Truffle Pie

1 1/4 pkg. (10 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 C whipping Cream
4 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C flour
1 C Cool Whip , thawed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place chocolate in large microwaveable bowl. Add whipping cream. Microwave on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted; cool slightly. Add egg, sugar and flour; beat with wire whisk until well blended.Pour into lightly greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake 35 min. or until outer half of pie is puffed but center is still slightly soft; cool. Serve topped with the whipped topping. Makes 10servings. May also dust with powdered sugar for decoration.

Love,
Wendy Darling

http://burnsfamilystudios.com/movies/pendragon/media/

The following is a direct quote from the HSLDA newsletter. I hope they don't mind. ;-)

Families Make Historical Epic Movie

By Natalie Harris

Unaware that it’s impossible to film an epic movie on a micro-budget, the Burns family did it anyway. Although everyone contributed, the vision and work was driven by the cousins of both families.

Northern Burns family: Back row, left to right: Aaron, Nathan, and Andrew Burns. Front row: Marilyn, Tracey, and Shannon Burns.

Southern Burns family: Back row: Ray and Adriane Burns. Front row, left to right: Chad, Peter, Nick, Sara, and Lisa Burns.

Twenty-six-year-old Chad Burns and his siblings and cousins have succeeded in filming, producing, and now promoting Pendragon: Sword of His Father with only $80,000. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, the average cost of an MPAA film was $106.6 million in 2007.

Pendragon is about Artos, a young British warrior who must defend his native Britain against invading Saxons in 411 A.D. To do this, Artos must escape Saxon slavery, his own despair, and treachery.

The cousins had made movies before for fun, but with Pendragon, they wanted to get serious. They worked on the story for a year before presenting it to the family.

“They said, ‘We think this is what the Lord wants us to do, and here it is,’ ” Chad’s aunt Tracey said. “ ‘While the moms sat in stunned silence, the dads responded, ‘This is going to cost a lot of money. Where are you going to get the money?’ ”

Eventually, the families became a cast and crew. Chad directed. Nick, Marilyn, and Aaron acted and managed various tasks. Lisa, Sara, Peter, Shannon, and Nathan took on jobs such as photography and blog maintenance. Moms Adrianne and Tracey hosted. Dads Ray and Andy acted and advised. Everyone pitched in.

“The faithful support of many other Christian families, most of them homeschoolers, was what made it possible,” Chad said.

“The first big answer to prayer was the horses,” Tracey said. Unexpectedly, the Burnses received an email from the Atherton family who heard of the project and volunteered their horses. They even taught the Burnses to ride.

They were the first of many volunteers who sewed costumes, acted, and built sets such as the hill fort. One homeschool graduate turned cardboard and coat hangers into axe heads and spearheads, held together with glue and spray-foam insulation and finished with spray paint. About 450 people served as extras.

But what’s a movie without an audience? The Burnses were working on promoting the film long before they released it in November 2008. The movie premiered at Oakland University with standing room only for the 300 people attending. On January 24, Chad said the Burnses have sold 1,937 DVDs, though the Burns families have only spent $2,000 on promotion. They have received as many as 100 DVD orders in a day. The Burnses want to use the proceeds to promote the film and get the project out of the red. To do that, they will have to sell 20,000 DVDs. In the meantime, they have several distributors lined up to sell the film, and the Burnses hope to have Pendragon in 500 bookstores this February.

Without homeschooling, the Burns families don’t think the movie could have happened. Adrianne and Tracey agreed that homeschooling prepared their children for the world’s secular influences. At the same time, it gave the Burnses a desire to impact the world through film.

“To me, the measure of success is that they’re doing their best to walk in the truth and please God with their lives,” Tracey said.

Throughout the all-night film shoots, brutal retakes, and hours of editing, Chad and others kept going because of their mission statement: “Impacting history by inspiring young people to embrace the vision God has for their lives.”

“There are many dark days that happen along the way,” Chad said. “If we hadn’t felt that the Lord had led us along this path, it would have been difficult. I don’t know that we would have made it through to the end.” Chad’s advice for other homeschoolers interested in filming is to pray and to make sure the project is God’s will.

To find out more, visit the Burns’ website.

I ordered my copy tonight. ;-)

Love,

Wendy Darling

We are "bracing" ourselves... ;-)

Please, forgive my feeble attempt at a pun. ;-) I have not forgotten about the post for yesterday, it is just taking longer to write than I first planned. It is in the works...

Please, also forgive this "ramble" of a post. I can assure you that there is not much substance here, no earth shattering changes or epiphanies; just my "this is what's happening in my world" type thing. ;-)

"Little Mark" has his first orthodontist appointment today. We have our consultation and preliminary visit to decide if he needs braces. Based on what the dentist said when he recommended we get the Orthodontist, I'm betting he needs them.

I never had braces, so I have not been able to answer the MANY questions "Little Mark" has been asking. The #1 question being "Will it hurt?" is especially difficult to answer. SO, "Little Mark" took it upon himself to do some research. He now knows a lot about what the braces do, how they will help him, how they are put on, etc. I was glad to see him show that much initiative.

In other news, I have been busy preparing for our college homecoming. It is this weekend, and we are expecting a couple hundred people. I am in charge of refreshments, again; and I am making a cake, again, this year. ;-) I am very excited to see everyone, but also sad that I cannot accompany "Little Mark" to the district food show this year. It's Saturday, the SAME DAY as homecoming.

The last couple of years I have skipped homecoming to attend the food show, but this year I actually have to participate in the meeting, so Cleggy and Aunt J will be attending the food show. However, my phone will be on and I expect a phone call to let me know how things go. ;-)

So, what's going on your world?

Love,
Wendy Darling

Hello, my name is Wendy and I am addicted to Facebook...

Just in case you have wondered where I've been. Anyone with me?

I will be back tomorrow with an actual post. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap.

It's Friday, and that means another recipe. ;-) This one has been on my mind lately. I guess because I love it, but haven't made it in awhile. I learned about it when I was a girl from a friend of mine. I don't even know the real name for it, so I just call it "skillet chicken", and it is GOOD. ;-) I'm doing this from memory, so I hope I remember it right. ;-)

For more great recipes head over to the Grocery Cart Challenge and visit the links. If you would like to participate just follow the directions there. Enjoy! :-)

Skillet Chicken - for one serving

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
about 1 T flour
ground ginger
season salt
rosemary or parsley
pepper
1 T butter (I guess you could use EVOO if you want, but HELLO, BUTTER.) :-)

Heat your skillet to medium heat. Wrap your chicken breast in plastic wrap and pound it pretty thin. About 1/2 an inch. Lightly flour each side of the chicken. I don't really measure my seasonings and spices for this, I just sprinkle it on to taste. Melt the butter in the pan, lay seasoned side down and season the other side. Cook each side until brown and cooked through. This won't take long if you pounded it rather thin, so don't overcook it. Serve with a salad.

Love,
Wendy

You can win a $250 Keurig Platinum Brewer!

Gayle over at Grocery Cart Challenge is giving away a Keurig Platinum Brewer plus 4 boxes of K-cups. How awesome is that!? ;-) Please go HERE for more details and sign up for it. She will be giving it away on February 2nd, so hurry! ;-) THANK YOU GAYLE!



Love,
Wendy Darling

Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival...

FYI, the quarterly carnival begins today. I will not be participating this time around, but if you would care to participate, or sign up for the MANY giveaways just go HERE. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

At least he's honest...

Update: "Profits" as opposed to "prophets"; Proof that medication, lack of sleep and blogging do NOT go together. I have corrected it now. ;-)

On Friday "Little Mark" was retaking a Bible Quiz. I say "retaking", because he chose not to study before said quiz and failed miserably. I went over everything with him, including studying all of the prophets. I knew he would have to list all of the major and minor prophets IN ORDER on the test, so before giving him the quiz I instructed him to be sure to study them, come to me and say them and once he could do that I would give him the quiz.

About an hour later he came to me, rattled off all the major and minor prophets in order and took the test. He made a 98. That is a respectable score, so we moved on.

Later that morning my Mom and I were talking about her new Myspace account. (We are dragging our Mom into the 21st century...) ;-) "Little Mark" then said, "Nana, I know you login and password for myspace." Oh really?! Yes, turns out the little guy heard us discussing it ONCE, several DAYS ago. It is well noted in our family that "Little Mark" has a wonderful memory for phone numbers. He can remember phone numbers we haven't had IN YEARS. I think he has most of my phone book in my cell phone memorized. Seriously.

I then asked the obvious question, "How is that you can remember things like passwords and phone numbers that you hear ONCE, days or even years ago, but it takes you an hour to memorize the minor prophets?"

His response: "Minor Prophets aren't fun."

Allrightythen.....

Love,
Wendy Darling

I got an award! :-)

I want to thank Kwizgiver for honoring me with the "When Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade Award". Thank you, Kwizgiver!! ;-) According to the rules I must:

1) You must link back to the person you received the award from.
2) You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

So, my 10 will be...

1. Gayle at Grace for Gayle and The Grocery Cart Challenge
2. Melanie at Big Mama
3. Monica at Daily Dwelling
4. Julie at Elisha Rose
5. Dee Dee at Fiddledeedee
6. Leighton at My Best Investments
7. Cleggy at The White Horse
8. Lori at Queen of Dirty Laundry
9. Candace at Be Jolly, By Golly
10. Ree at Pioneer Woman Homeschooling

Thank you to each of you for the joy you bring me, the inspriration, laughter, tears and lessons learned. I love visiting each and every one of you. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Recipe Swap Friday...

Gayle over at Grocery Cart Challenge is hosting the weekly recipe swap. Thank you, Gayle! ;-) I actually just made the following recipe last night. I saw it on 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray, and I had to adjust it a bit, because I didn't have the exact ingredients, but it looked so good I wanted to try it. It was, in a word, "GREAT." ;-)

Chick Pea Salad

1 can Chick Peas (Garbonzo Beans)
1/2 small onion, chopped (she used red onion, but I didn't have red.)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 C celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, grated or chopped really fine
1/2 tsp rosemary (she used fresh, but I used dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of red wine vinegar
about 1 T of EVOO ( I just drizzled some on and eyeballed it.)

Stir everything together and let set for about 10 minutes. ENJOY. See, very easy, inexpensive and healthy. ;-) For more recipes be sure to head over to the Grocery Cart Challenge. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Pray for President Obama...

I was going to post about today's inauguration later today, but I just saw that Beth Moore has begun a prayer chain for him at her blog. It is no secret that I did not vote for President Obama, but he was elected by a democracy in what I still believe is the greatest country on Earth.

I prayed diligently before the elections, during the elections, and after the elections. I have not stopped praying. Today is not a day to be divided, but to be united in prayer for God to give President Obama wisdom, and a clear direction of where HE would have us to go as a nation.

Please, visit Beth's blog and leave your own prayer for President Obama in the comments.

Love,
Wendy Darling

Apologia Biology Give-Away...

If you homeschool you have probably seen this curriculum. Principled Homeschooler is giving away
a set of "Exploring Creation with Biology" second edition. Please, go over to Principled Homeschooler to sign up for the giveaway. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Better late than never....
UPDATE: I ended up linking this post to Friday's Recipe Swap, so I want to make sure you guys go over to Gayle's at Grocery Cart Challenge to see the other wonderful recipes. :-)

I told y'all the other day that I would be back with a recipe. Obviously, that didn't happen. BUT, I am now here with it. :-) I made these last week to take the Bible Study. Yes, the same Bible Study in which they served the YUMMY Taco Soup. ; -) They were ALL eaten. And there were only 5 of us at the Bible Study. ;-) I guess they liked them. LOL... I know I did,.

OK, here's the recipe.

Spice Cake Cookies

1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 C oil

Mix all three ingredients together. Dough will be a little "crumbly", but still moist. Form small balls, about 1 inch round. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, flatten the cookie with your spatula. Let set for 2 minutes and then remove from pan. If the dough in your bowl begins to dry out, just mist it with a little water.

These actually make a crispy cookie, and is VERY good. We made them even better by spreading vanilla icing on them. ;-) I bet cream cheese icing would taste good too. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

It's a list...

I have to apologize. I have been meaning to blog for a couple of days now. Truly, I had all kinds of plans, I had the post thought out in my head, and everything. But, LIFE happened, and I just didn't do it.

I sat down at the computer several times to blog, and then I just couldn't get it all down, or I was too tired and changed my mind.... you know how it is.

SO, given all of that I have decided to just give you a list of what I would have blogged about this week. :-)

1. "Little Mark" competed in the county 4-H food show. He competed in 3 categories and came home with 3 blue ribbons. :-) He was excited, and he did very well. Really. The only constructive criticism that the judges had for him was to "relax." ;-) He goes to District in February, and he is looking forward to it.

What did he make you ask? He made these Oatmeal Bars, and these Multi-Grain chips. :-) He also did a place setting.

2. I know I have mentioned it in awhile, but "Little Mark" and I have been going back to the gym 3 days a week. I have been watching my eating, again, even though I have not done the diet I was on. For some reason I just can't seem to do those first 9 days again for phase 1. HOWEVER, I am eating much more fruit and yogurt. I am drinking a lot more water, and watching my portion control. WE EVEN BOUGHT A SCALE! :-) Results? This week I have lost a whopping 1.3 lbs.

OK, so it isn't the huge 15 lbs. I lost the first week last time, but it is a loss! :-)

3. I am almost finished with the Bible Study "Believing God" by Beth Moore. If you have not done this Bible Study may I urge you to RUN to your nearest Christian Bookstore and purchase it. It is amazing. ;-)

4. We begin the Beth Moore Bible Study on "Esther" this Sunday evening at church. I am leading it. ;-) I can't believe I am doing it. The leader of the Ladies Ministry asked me if I would do it, and after a few days of prayer I agreed. Pray for me, please. ;-)

5. A friend loaned me some DVDs to the Moody Science Institute. Y'all, I have fallen in love with the DVDs. I want to own a set! Dr. Irwin Moon did the "films" more than 50 years ago, but they are still relevant today. The way they are put together, the scenery... everything about them is amazing, and glorifies God as our Creator. I have had so much fun watching them with "Little Mark."

That concludes the list. Perhaps I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap...

Obviously my goal to blog more this week didn't work out too well. I'll strive to do better next week. ;-)

Last night I attended our first Singles Bible Study of the new year. I love Bible Study. I love the fellowship, studying the word, and the food.

Did I mention we eat at the Bible Study? I didn't? Well, we do. And it is good.

Last night our host made a Chicken Taco soup. I had never had this before, but OH. MY. WORD. It was amazing. We all had to have the recipe, and even though I have not actually made it, yet, I am passing it on to you today. Because you must make this soup. It taste fantastic, and is very easy.

Chicken Taco Soup

1 family size can of chicken and rice soup
2 cans of water (use the soup can to measure)
2 large cans of canned chicken
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of ranch style beans
1 can of Rotel
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1 envelope of Ranch Dressing mix

If you want it "heartier" you can add more corn and beans, etc. You serve this with cheese and Fritos or Tortilla chips. OH, and we also had a salad, because we like to be healthy. ;-)

For more mouth watering recipes please head over to Gayle's at Grocery Cart Challenge. If you like, post your recipe and link up as well. ;-)


Love,
Wendy Darling

Book Recommendations

Hello, Everyone :-) I hope you are having a really great new year. Things are beginning to get back to "normal" here. Whatever "normal" is... ;-) We had a nice two week break from school, and we started back today. "Little Mark" is doing well, so far. ;-)

We went back to the gym today, and I feel like my legs are heavy pieces of cement now. We worked out in the pool for over an hour, and according to the trainer that showed us around when we first joined that is like working out for over two hours on the machines.

It feels it too. But, I'm glad I did it. ;-)

Now that the holidays are over I hope to be better about blogging regularly. I'll strive for that anyway. :-)

For my first post of the new year I thought I would share some books with you that have really helped me the last few years. I guess I could have titled this post something like "Self-Help Day", but who would want to read that?

Now, naturally the Bible will be at the top of the list, so we are just going to give that a given. I can't even tell you how much The Scriptures have changed my life. That would require MANY blog posts just for the Bible. So, we will move on.

Breaking Free by Beth Moore



Now, I have made it very clear how much I enjoy Beth Moore Bible Studies. I did do the Breaking Free Bible Study as well, but before that I read the book. A lot of is covered in the study/workbook, but if you don't want to get into all of that the book is a tremendous help. I learned how to take my negative thoughts "captive", and to just let go of a lot of junk. Junk that was keeping me from not only growing in Christ, but hurting personal relationships with friends and family. This book really helped.

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley AKA "FlyLady"



If you have not heard of FlyLady you are missing a treat. I cannot tell you how overwhelmed/stressed I used to be. I would be so upset if someone saw my home and it was not "perfect." And, to me, it was NEVER perfect. I would also set myself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals for the day.

I would make a "To do" list for that day and there would literally be 25 things (or more) on the list. BIG projects. Things that would normally take a week a to do. Then, I would kill myself trying to get it all done, and I would beat myself up when I didn't finish the list. OR, I would do most of it and still beat myself because I didn't finish. Not to mention I would be cranky. Can anyone say "martyr syndrome?"

Once I heard about FlyLady and I resolved the fact that I am NOT superwoman I became much more relaxed and much happier. :-)

This book will totally change not only your life, but the entire dynamics of your family/household. :-)

Taking Care of the Me in Mommy by Lisa Whelchel



OK, so I'm not a "Mom." But ANYONE who deals with children on a regular basis, runs a household.... heck, if your a woman you need to read this book. It taught me that it IS okay to take time out for ME. To renew my spirit, my health, my sanity. I can't praise this book enough. :-)

OK, it's a short list, but a good list. Maybe I'll do some more later. ;-) I really hope you were inspired to read one of them. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling