Lois's Writing | |
Trying BloggerI've always been disappointed to come to one of my "friend's" on HSB and find out they've moved their blog to Blogger. However, after creating a blog over there, and discovering the ease of using it, I've decided to give it a try.The ease of changing templates, adding photos, and just the overall experience has been much less frustrating than trying those same things over here. I would love to have you visit me there and I will still come here to visit you. My new blog is at: http://heritagecreek.blogspot.com/ Hope to see you there. Debbie Hershey Pound Cake RecipeHere is the recipe for the Hershey Cake that I listed in our Thanksgiving menu. Enjoy!Hershey Pound Cake
21/2 cup sifted flour
2 sticks oleo 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 7 (plain) Hershey bars 2 sm. cans Hershey syrup 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda in one cup buttermilk 2 tsp. vanilla Dissolve hershey bars in hershey syrup on low heat while mixing other ingr. Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Add flour slowly. Add eggs one at a time, alternating with milk, beating well after each addition. Add hershey mixture. Mix well. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. I Did It!Well, I pulled off my first Thanksgiving at my house!It wasn't hard, but we had WAY too much food leftover. We had 9 people and enough food for about double that! Of course we ate another round last night, but still have about 2-3 more meals worth. Our menu included: Hickory Smoked Turkey Paula Dean's Glazed Ham* Mashed Potatoes Pinto Beans Green Bean Bake* Stuffing Dinner Rolls Hershey Cake Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Pecan pie* Cherry Pie *these were the best items of the day!* But - now that we've had all that "regular" food - I'm ready for some spicy food. Mexican is sounding very good right now! I am unusual in the way (one of the ways) that I don't want Turkey and Dressing EVER, except on Thanksgiving. My husband could eat that once a week, all year round. But after I've eaten it on TG, I don't want to see it again until the next November. We are not shopping for Christmas today, EXCEPT for our Christmas tree. We threw our tree away last year - it had seen better days. So we get to buy a new one this year and I'm planning on looking for one with built-in lights. This is appalling to my 10 year old, who says, that is a tradition - to wind the lights all around the tree. Funny how he missed the frustration on my husband's face year after year, as David untangled the strands of lights. My family tends to stick to traditional routines, while I get excited over the idea of "different". It's a battle I'm determined to win this year! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, filled with family and friends. There is much to be thankful for. If you are reading this, then God is still at work in your life! Until next time....... Blessings! Lots Going On & Horse updateWell, the men got home Saturday night about 11:30pm with the horses. They had driven about 12 hours that day and were worn out!Once they got home, the fun began. The horses were only coming to our house for the night, then we were moving them on Sunday to our friend's who will be boarding them for us until we build our fence. So.......at midnight, in the pitch black of night, we are unloading the horses and getting them tied up for the night. The plan was good, but we didn't count on a halter breaking, a horse on the loose, ropes around ankles, etc. Finally, after much excitement, both horses were safely tied to trees (with enough rope to bend their heads to eat), and we were able to get into bed about 2 a.m. We were tired! Sunday we took them out to a friend's house, where they had plenty of room to run and an abundant amount of grass to eat. They seemed very happy. We are checking fencing prices and getting those plans in the works ASAP. Collin said he didn't like the fact that his Christmas present was at someone else's house! It may seem like we did this thing backwards - getting horses before we built the fence - but the lady who had them only had a few days to keep them before she would have to find a new place to rent, so we had to bring them here to save them from being homeless. Other than the exciting horse news, Ted (my 16 year old) started his new job on Monday. He was a little apprehensive, but once he got there, he was fine. He is working for FOX, here in town, and they have two news shows; one at 4pm and the other at 9pm. Ted actually ran the studio camera for the 9:00 show. He is going to learn so much while working there. The great thing is that he has landed a position that usually college students have to intern to get. This position is not usually given to a 16 year old, as a permanent job. We're very proud of him. This week Collin and I are volunteering at the church, taking up Samaritan's Purse shoe boxes. I bought my first turkey today. Sorry to disappoint all of you wonderful homemakers, but I bought a pre-cooked Hickory Smoked Turkey. All I have to do is heat it up!! I'm so happy! More on the menu later. Hope all is well with you! Blessings my friends, Debbie Thank you, Lord!Well, I made it! I actually slept at the house by myself last night while David and the boys were in Alabama. Sounds silly - I know - but we've had strange things happen here and it gets a little spooky when you're surrounded by woods.I had a good day yesterday. I accomplished many of the things on my list and even had lunch with a great friend, who I haven't seen in a long time. It was great to catch up with her. I got my menu made for next week, bought groceries, rented some movies, worked on some school things, ate corn chowder for supper (yum), and was in bed by 10:30. This morning David texted me at 6:30 to say he and the boys were getting on the road. They had an hour and a half drive to get to the horses. He just texted me at 8:15 to say they were there. It will be a long day back for them, but they will be so excited to be pulling a trailer with our new pets. What's on the agenda for me today? Finish up school record keeping, lesson plans for next week Wash clothes Clean the house Watch a movie (while eating pizza - of course) Print some pictures on my trusty little picture printing machine Hopefully scrapbook Wait on my boys to get home How about you? What are you doing today? Changes and SeasonsThere are seasons of life that are expected and those that sneak up on you. I am experiencing one of those seasons that has caught me by surprise, all of a sudden.My 16 year old son got his first permanent job this week. He's had short term jobs but never a fully committed, go to work every day, kind of job. Starting Monday that will all change. He will work in the evening, which will still give him time to do school and be at home during the day. But our evenings will be different. He has been offered a job in production at our local FOX affiliate, which will entail things like: running the teleprompter, handing out scripts, and various other duties that have to be done before, during and after the evening news. This opportunity is unique in that, he is only 16 and usually the guys they hire for this position are much older. But, because he had experience with shooting football and has known the guys in the news business since he was little, they are taking a chance on him and his age. We didn't want him to pass this up. So, my "little boy" is growing up and entering the grown up world. And this mom is not doing well with it! On a happier note: we are getting into the horse world. My husband and 2 boys are on their way, as I type this, to Alabama to pick up two quarter horses that have been given to us. This will be our first time as horse owners (well David had them as a teen) but, for our family, it will be a first. We have promised our kids horses since we moved to this little farmhouse, and now we are delivering. We've got fences to build and alot to learn, but what a journey! I feel like it's a real blessing to be able to give my kids this opportunity. And, true to the homeschooling mom way, I bought a book on horses, and Collin will be reading it all the way to Alabama! He'll be educated beyond belief by the time they get there! And if I know Collin - Ted and Dad will be begging him to stop relaying all the facts from the back seat, very soon! And I'm at home for 2 days with no one but the dogs. True to myself, I've made a list of all the things I want to do during these two long days. I don't want to squander the precious time away, doing nothing. So, I hope to get some projects done (scrapbooking) and some movie watching, some school record-keeping (I actually enjoy this), and organizing (love this too). I'm about to make my menu for next week and go to the store. I'm considering this weekend to be like a little retreat for myself. I hope to spend alot of time renewing myself and communicating with God. Sounds precious, don't you think? Many blessings to you, my friends. Have a great weekend! Debbie What have I done?In order to feel like I've been productive this week, I'm going to make a list of all I've done. I've been tempted to do nothing but enjoy a good book on the front porch and have taken those opportunities several times this week, however, there still seem to be so many things calling for my attention.So, beginning on Monday and going through today, this is what I can remember accomplishing so far, this week: 5-6 loads of laundry Cleaned and reorganized the school bookshelf Cleaned off and reorganized my desk Online banking several times Grocery shopping Cleaned bathroom Cleaned out and reorganized bathroom storage shelves Pulled out all Thanksgiving curriculum items Cleaned off and reorganized Collin's school desk Started reading "Little House in the Big Woods" aloud Wrote a letter Changed and reduced my DISH network, AT & T, and Verizon bills Posted a picture on Facebook Voted in Amendment election Cooked many meals Made cookies Offered a written schedule to Gena at TOS Prayed for friends in need Helped the kids with schoolwork Ok. I feel better now. Does Fort Worth ever cross your mind?Any country fans recognize the title?Good Morning! Once again it's a rainy, humid day here in Texas. Another 2-4 inches expected today, then another cold front. I think it's a weather rule that, in order for Texas weather to be pleasantly cool, we have to get drenched first! Oh well. Just wanted to write an update on what our family has been up to lately. We spent all last week in Ft. Worth. David had a Texas Municipal League meeting there, so we traveled with him. We had a great time! The hotel we stayed in was actually the last hotel that JFK stayed in before his trip to Dallas the next day. We took the kids to the JFK museum at the Book Depository in downtown Dallas. We have visited it before, but they have added some displays since then, and it is a very nice and informative museum. The next day we traveled over to the Fort Worth Stockyards. This is a historical site and still a huge attraction. In fact, they were getting ready for a big rodeo and so we were there for the wagon train coming through to kick off the big event. They have a cattle drive daily, but we got to see covered wagons and much more than just the typical drive. They also have a human maze that the boys were able to go through. That was alot of fun watching from the observance tower. The downtown area of Ft. Worth was wonderful too. It is a beautiful area, with great architecture. All the trees were covered in white lights, so at night it looked like a postcard scene. We walked along the streets, looking in shop windows and stopped in at Barnes and Nobles. It was a great week! This week we've been trying to get back into our routine. It took me a few days of getting there. First I had to tackle the mound of laundry that we acquired from being gone for a week. Then, just get myself motivated to motivate the kids. By Wednesday we were going strong. Collin has officially entered his first photography contest. A small museum in the area is sponsoring a contest and we just happened to have a great photo that he took on one of our field trips. We enlarged it to an 8 x 10, took it to Hobby Lobby and picked out a mat and frame, and dropped it off at the museum yesterday. They said they had around 30 entries. The pictures will be judged on Saturday and Sunday they will host a reception where we can walk through and view each entry. The pictures will actually be displayed for an entire month for the public to see. The kids had a choice of putting a price on their entry, to sell it, but Collin chose not to. He's too sentimental about his stuff! On the reading front: I read a book this week titled Terror by Night by Terry Caffey. This is a true story, which many of you may remember, about a family that was murdered in East Texas. I won't go into detail, but the family had been homeschoolers for a few years, and they were murdered by their daughter's boyfriend and and another friend, and the daughter was also convicted. This was such a sad story, except for the fact that the dad - Terry Caffey - lived through the murder and fire and has gone on to minister to people through his testimony. It's a story of forgiveness that is bigger than human capacity, and only possible through the power of God. I highly recommend this book. Bible Study wise: I'm still in When Wallflowers Dance. It is a great study! Upcoming: I will be attempting to hold Thanksgiving at my house this year! I've never cooked a turkey, and I honestly don't know if I'll actually do it this year. If I "chicken" out, I will just buy one and make everything else. David and I have just decided that we travel too much and we want to be in our own home for the holidays. This goes for Christmas too. Tomorrow we'll be shopping for Samaratin's Purse - the shoe box ministry - with a group of kids. We are taking them to the Dollar store to purchase the items they want to put in their boxes. After that, we'll go back to a friend's house and have a little "fall" party. Tomorrow night - Collin will be at a birthday party, Ted will be shooting football, and David and I will actually go to a movie premier - on a date! We are going to the premier of Noble Things, a movie made by a man who grew up in our town and went on to be an actor. In the movie he is a singer and it tells of his life. Tracy Byrd and many others will be singing in the movie, so it will be interesting. The town we live in is where Tracy Byrd grew up ( he and David went to school together), so it will be a little like watching his life play out on screen. So - now - I'm off to start the day - and put on my teaching hat. Did I mention I'm ready for the holidays? Have a blessed weekend! The Great Awakening - againYou know, the more I listen to Glenn Beck, the more hopeful I become. Even though our nation has gone crazy lately (last 10 months), I believe we are on the verge of a great awakening. As so many "tea party" attendees have said "they've awakened a sleeping giant". Yay! That's just what we need! Just as the country woke up on 9/11, I believe we are coming alive in 2009! That's what's good about adversity - you become alive and ready to fight. Your survival instincts kick in. We need to be awakened and up for the fight. There are so many issues threatening to tear down the moral fabric of our country and threatening our future, that we cannot sit back and be complacent any longer. This is no longer a time when you can NOT vote or NOT stand up, and yet, still reap the benefits of a "Christian" nation. This nation is falling and if we don't stand up NOW - there won't be anything left to stand up for. Stand up for Truth. It's your responsibility.
Indoctrination continuesHere is a link to OneNewsNow.com which will take you to the latest ploy in indoctrinating the kids in the government schools:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=730214#
If you are a Christian parent with kids in the government school - this should infuriate you and the responsibility lies upon your shoulders to speak up. Take a stand and take the schools back. It's your children's future. { Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page } |
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