Nov. 11, 2009 - Latest Family News...Neko James
Monday I flew to San Diego to bring home sweet little baby Neko James. He is a beautiful, precious little fellow and we are absolutely smitten! He has Down Syndrome like his big sis Charity. We are grateful for God's blessing to our family - rejoice with us! I have been playing catch us so I will share more pictures soon
Nov. 10, 2009 - Awesome Unique Pumpkin Recipes!
(To Participate in Tightwad Tuesday, write your post and visit CanadaGirl's blog to add it to the list!)
I read Annie Kate's wonderful tips for microwaving pumpkins, but was concerned about the warning she posted about them potentially killing the microwave (by overheating it), so I poked around a little to find a safer alternative for mine. (I already replaced my microwave and my refrigerator this year plus have had repair bills on my dryer and my oven, so I'm NOT about to take any more chances, LOL!) If you have a larger pumpkin, this will be a safe alternative that won't overheat the m-wave.
I figured that it would be safer (and yes, take longer) and healthier to just steam-cook it in the oven. A Google search brought me to "SeasonalChef.com" where I found this wonderful tidbit taken from a book titled, "The Perfect Pumpkin," by Gail Damerow:
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"The standard method of producing a puree is to boil chunks of pumpkin, peeled either before or after boiling. But that method results in some loss of flavor and nutrients. So Damerow proposes a better way, taking a cue from Native Americans, who cultivated pumpkins for 8,000 or 9,000 years before Columbus reached the New World. They would bury pumpkins whole in the hot ashes of a fire. You could do it that way yourself, or more conveniently, use an oven.
'Baking a whole pumpkin will give you drier meat, which saves you time simmering off liquid if your ultimate goal is to make a pie,' she explains.
To bake a pumpkin, stab it in at least six places to release steam. Place it in a pan with some water in the bottom and bake at 350 degrees until the pumpkin is soft enough that you can depress the shell with a poke of the finger. Then let it cool, remove the seeds and scrape out the soft flesh.
Damerow recommends making more puree than a recipe calls for so that you can enjoy some of it on the spot, straight and hot, with melted butter and perhaps a sprinkling of cinnamon."
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I know to cook an acorn squash at 350 degrees would take an hour, so for a pumpkin, I imagine it wouldn't be much less, if not more.
Author Damerow's book also has recipes in it, three of which are given on the "Seasonal Chef" website. One is for Pickles, another is for Canned Pumpkin Bread...soooo cool, you bake the recipe in greased glass canning jars, then take a jar out of the oven, wipe down the rim, and quickly put on a lid and tighten the rim around it...it'll suck in and seal the lid, and then you store it with your other canned stuff! How cool is that???
And this one looked so different, I want to try it sooner as opposed to later:
This recipe is from the Stonycreek Farm in Noblesville, Indiana, home of a month-long Pumpkin Harvest Festival each October.
3 cups raw pumpkin, sliced
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
1 tsp salt
dash cayenne
¼ tsp dry mustard
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
Parmesan cheese
1. Saute the pumpkin in the butter until tender. Remove to a serving dish.
2. In remaining liquid in pan, combine the eggs, milk, spices, and Swiss cheese. Heat until the cheese melts.
3. Pour the cheese mix over pumpkin. Top with Parmesan.
Again, the website where I got all of this is "SeasonalChef.com" if you want to get the other two recipes! Yummy pumpkin!
God Bless
Lori
Nov. 10, 2009 - Cafes, Lattes, and the Like...
(To Participate in Tightwad Tuesday, write your post and visit CanadaGirl's blog to add it to the list!)
Mary, I LOVE the new graphic!!!
I am, at present, sitting in the college cafe, surrounded by laughing, chattering students, jazz music, and the smells of fresh roasted coffees wafting all around me. I am enjoying a tall half-caf coffee with blueberry flavor and cream...plenty of cream! It cost me only a little bit in change...that's all!
It's not because this is an inexpensive coffee shop...it's because I brewed the blueberry coffee, 1/2 regular, 1/2 decaf, at home before I left. I have a tall travel mug, which I like to fill up to the top and close off the lid so I don't drink it all in the car. Then, while Nathan is in his German class here at the college, I go to the cafe (I can get an internet connection there) and either blog, or do my Bible study, or lesson plans, if needed (though it's a bit noisy in here if I have to seriously concentrate, I am able to write even with lots of noise around me...it's not the best, but I can do it).
It's a wonderful way to enjoy the coffee shop atmosphere yet save the $4+ cost of a cup of java!
Have a blessed week!
Nov. 11, 2009 - Veteran's Day
(This is from my Company Front Porch blog section, "Homeschooling Through High School" ... thought I'd post it here at Plans4You, as well!)
Today's entry will be brief (perhaps a welcome alteration from my usual ramblings for some of you busy homeschool moms!). As always, the homeschool high school does not typically have a lot of "room" for "extra projects" or holiday crafts. So what to do about Veteran's Day when homeschooling through high school?
It is my personal opinion (and ONLY my personal opinion) that one of the greatest gifts this country can give to our veterans is to teach our children the history of our nation's battles. The very fact that the Korean War is nick-named "The Forgotton War" belies the lack of intentionality which most American's apply to their study of American history.
Philosopher, poet, literary and cultural critic George Santayana is known to have penned, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the grand scheme of world history, America is but a babe of a nation. In comparison with, say, Europe or Asia, we here in America really don't have that much history to remember! As I reflect upon Veteran's Day, I feel that we owe it to the brave men and women who have fought and/or died in service to this great nation of which we have been blessed to be a part, to teach our children their history, and to teach it to them well. I wish to require a deep consideration of history at this, the high school level. And, most importantly, to unfold our nation's history...our world's history...by looking at it from the overarching viewpoint and plan of the Author of human history. It is, afterall, HIS-story.
I have recommended it before, and I'll recommend it again: the best history curriculum for high school that I have come across is Diana Waring's "History ALIVE!" Beginning with Creation and ending with the VietNam War, the curriculum is a three year tour through the history of the world ALL presented in a format that is glued to the Guiding Hand of God as presented in the Bible. You and your students will learn to see His purpose in each and every event for achieving His desires for His people, all laid out in Scripture. In the process, you will cover history, literature, composition, geography, art and architecture...even cooking! Every learning style is accomodated with Diana's coursework, and the course is a dynamic learning experience.
Give a veteran an important gift during these important years in your homeschool. Give a veteran a young adult who comprehends the gift that our veterans have given us.
May God bless you and your homeschool this week!
Lori
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - ~25 Days of Gratitude~
Today I am especially grateful for...
~His love....I am so undeserving He is so faithful and abundant in His love...
~a great night's sleep
~a warm shower
~a fun afternoon at a park with my 3 favorite girls...
Nov. 10, 2009 - Fleeting moments of grandeur
Sometimes I feel as if I'm on top of the world, excelling as a wife and mother, ordering my home and tasks with ease, accomplishing more than I imagine possible. I am confident and energetic. I feel like an achiever and a conqueror.
Those moments of grandeur are fleeting. All too often they are followed by mediocrity -- days of chaos and struggling to keep all the plates spinning without dropping anything. Weeks when I am rushing from one task to another -- or simply wandering around somewhat aimlessly, overwhelmed by all that I SHOULD be doing. In these moments, I am merely persevering.
In the moments of grandeur, those near-perfect days when I am feeling that maybe, I might be, almost, just a little bit of a Super Mom -- I think I am doing it all. I am the great one. I have my act together.
But when the chaos returns, and I'm trying to figure out what I've done wrong -- I have to admit that I am not SuperMom. I can't maintain the grandiose days forever. I am merely an imperfect human relying on God's grace.
Everyone has revolving (and evolving) moments of grandeur and mediocrity. It is just life. And life is much less about me than I often believe. It isn't really about what I'm doing RIGHT or what I'm doing WRONG. It's not all about my success and failure.
So in these days of mediocrity, disorder, distraction, and even laziness -- I am once again humbled, but also hopeful that the more organized and productive days will return. I like those moments of grandeur more than the days of just trudging along.
But I persevere, each and every day -- even when I'm not in my most glorious state. Even when I'm merely mediocre.
Galations 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Hebrews 12:1, 2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, ane let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith ... "
1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that our daily life may win the respect of outsiders ... "
Trusting In Him,
April
Nov. 10, 2009 - Carnival of Homeschooling
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up. Be sure to visit janice-campbell.com to find some great new articles.
Nov. 10, 2009 - Kathy Carlton Willis Communication Christmas Miracles blog tour!!!
(Atlanta, GA) Many ordinary people experience Christmas miracles—those special moments during the season of giving and receiving when Christmas becomes more than just a holiday. In Christmas Miracles (St. Martin’s Press, October 2009), Cecil Murphey and Marley Gibson share the stories of those who have recognized the special moments that transcend daily experience and transform their lives.
In these stories, people overcome desperate situations through a miraculous twist of fate—all during the most wonderful time of the year. A young boy sits down to read a Christmas book and discovers that his learning disability has vanished. A woman stranded in a blizzard is rescued by a mysterious stranger who she suspects is an angel. And a woman living far from home gets an answer to her prayer in the form of an unexpected gift.
Bestselling author Cecil Murphey says, “We all face discouraging times, whether it's the lack of money, being stuck on a road in a snowstorm, feeling stress, or being hungry and homeless. But God's help is available. I want readers to see that miracles do happen—sometimes simple, unexpected blessings or those that involve the supernatural. We start by asking, and in strange and wonderful ways God tiptoes into our dark nights; we experience renewed joy in life and witness God in action through people and unexpected events.”
Interview with Cecil “Cec” Murphey
by Marley Gibson
Co-authors of Christmas Miracles, from St. Martin’s Press
I am extremely privileged to have the opportunity today to talk to my friend and co-author, Cecil “Cec” Murphey, and to chat about our upcoming book, Christmas Miracles.
Marley: Cec, thanks for spending some time with me today.
Cec: Marley, it's great that you could take time away from important things like making a living to spend a little time with me.
Marley: I’m so jazzed about our Christmas Miracles book that’s coming out soon. I’ve had a lot of questions from folks wanting to know how we met, what brought us together, etc. So, I thought we’d do a back and forth on how it all came to be. Of course, I have to give props to our amazing agent and friend, Deidre Knight, for bringing us together. For those of you who don’t know, Cec co-authored the runaway New York Times bestselling hit 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper.
Cec: I have to say thanks to Deidre Knight as well. Between Deidre and my assistant, Twila Belk, I've been able to sell quite a few books. 90 Minutes in Heaven has been my big book. I'm also proud of a book I wrote in 1990 called Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. The book has never been out of print and has hit close to four million in sales. Early this year, Cuba Gooding Jr. starred in the made-for-TV film version.
Marley: That’s amazing! You are truly prophetic and definitely “the man behind the words.” Now, people ask how we teamed up. Sadly, there was a personal tragedy that brought Cec and me together as friends.
Cec: True. In early 2007, our house burned and our son-in-law died. Aside from the grief over Alan, we lost everything. Deidre and Jan, my-then-assistant, sent the word out of our tragedy without telling me. I'm immensely grateful for every gift people sent, but I probably wouldn't have admitted I needed help and wouldn't have asked. They taught me how much we need other people.
Marley: Deidre put out a call to other clients of The Knight Agency, to help Cec and his family out in any way in their time of need. At the time, my company was moving and we were cleaning house. We had a ton of office supplies that we were either going to throw away or give to some of the charities the company worked with. I got my boss’ permission to send a large care package to Cec…full of office supplies for him to re-stock his writer’s office. You name it…post-its, staples, paper clips, pens, pencils, markers, white out, ruler, scissors, paper, notebooks, notepads, envelopes, a laptop case, tape, glue, folders, binder clips…etc. A veritable potpourri of office delights. I was hoping that it would help Cec have a sense of getting his office back so he could keep working.
Cec: Marley's gift was the most unexpected I received. We hadn't met, although Deidre Knight had spoken of her many times and kept telling me she was wonderful. I wonder if you can imagine what it was like for me to open that box from someone I didn't know. I saw all those practical things for my office and yelled for my wife. I felt as if I were reading a first-grade book. "Look! Look and see! Oh, look!" I was overwhelmed by the gift and even more to receive it from a stranger. Those supplies were the most practical gift anyone could have given me. I'm still using black paper clips and red folders from Marley.
Marley: Awww…thanks, Cec! I didn’t have to think twice about doing it. Writing is such a solitary “sport,” but the writing community always astounds me with how they help their own. Not long after that, over plates of spinach and Gouda omelets, Deidre introduced me to Cec in person and I was thrilled to finally meet the man behind the words. Deidre knew we needed to work on a project together and thus began our brainstorming. What did you think of that first meeting, Cec, and cooking up the idea to work together?
Cec: Deidre and I had already spoken about a Christmas book and I had some idea about what it should contain, but nothing had come together. One day Deidre told me that Marley was coming to visit her and she wanted us to work together on a Christmas project. Marley and I talked before we ate and again during the meal. Everything felt right to me. I knew my strengths and Marley knew hers (and Deidre knew both of us). Everything clicked. Marley, a far better networker than I am, immediately sent out the word for submissions. Within days she had almost four times more than we could use. (She read every one of them!)
Marley: I was truly impressed with the submissions we received and it was hard narrowing it down to the ones we chose for the book. We’re fortunate to have such a go-getter agent in Deidre Knight. Cec, can you share how the whole idea of Christmas Miracles came about and what you thought of the project originally?
Cec: For me, it actually started while I was on the rapid-rail train from the Atlanta airport when I listened to teens talk about Christmas and it was mostly about gifts. I had the idea then, but nothing really came together. Months later when Deidre I and had a meeting, she brought up the idea of a compilation and mentioned my working with Marley. I've been Deidre Knight's client since 1997 and I've learned to listen carefully when she comes up with an idea. I said yes before she gave me all the information.
Marley: That’s the truth about Deidre! Getting back to those submissions, I want to say we got more than two hundred submissions for Christmas Miracles. So many wonderful stories to read through and select for the book. It was a challenge to pick and choose which ones were right for the book, but I loved every minute of it. After I chose the entries that would go into the book, Cec toiled long hours editing the works for a unified voice. What was the biggest challenge you found in the editing process, Cec?
Cec: I've been a ghostwriter and collaborator for twenty-plus years and this was a switch to give the book a unified voice—which was mine. It would have been easier to stay with each writer's voice, but the book—like many compilations—would have been uneven in tone and quality. When I discussed this via email with our delightful editor, Rose Hilliard, she was (to my surprise) familiar with my work. She told me she liked the warm tone of my writing and that I don't waste words. "That's the voice we want," she said. It still wasn't easy, but it was an exciting challenge. After Marley and I agreed on the stories and gave them that unified voice, our editor pulled six contributions. Although different, Rose felt they were too similar to other stories.
Marley: Can you give our readers a preview of the book? A favorite story perhaps…or one that moved you to tears? (I have to say the little boy who wished for nothing but to be able to read a book all the way through because of his stutter had me bawling when I read the submission.)
Cec: That's not fair! I liked them all. The one that touched me most, however, is the last story in the book, "Sean's Question." We had almost finished the book and I was teaching at a conference in Florida. I felt we needed one strong story at the end. Despite all the good ones, I didn't feel fully satisfied to conclude the book. On the last day of the conference, I met a conferee named Sara Zinn for a consultation. As we talked, I mentioned Christmas Miracles and that I still needed one more story. "I have a Christmas story," she said and told me about Sean. As I listened, tears filled my eyes—but, being the macho type I am, I was sure it was an allergy. Sara wrote the story, and it became the one I sought.
Marley: Oh yes…that one is an emotional one all right. It was meant to be in the book because of how you met at the conference. Now, you and I have both had challenges in our lives that others might have found too much to take, but we are both very strong in our faith and our relationship with God. How do you think Christmas Miracles is going to help others feel closer to God and experience His miracles in their own lives?
Cec: Awareness and appreciation are the two things I want readers to grasp. Awareness means for them to realize that they're never totally alone in life. Those unexpected, out-of-the-ordinary events remind us of that. Appreciation means to be thankful for what we already have. Too often, and especially at Christmas, we focus on what we'd like or what is supposed to make us happy. Christmas Miracles gently reminds readers of both.
Marley: In this day and age when our country is fighting two wars, unemployment is high, and a lot of people have a lack of hope and faith for their future, what do you want readers of the book to take away from Christmas Miracles and how can the stories in our book help provide comfort to those struggling?
Cec: I want readers to see that miracles do happen—sometimes simple, unexpected blessings or those that involve the supernatural (as in one of Marley's stories). I call myself a serious Christian. For me, the world's greatest miracle began with the birth of Jesus. Regardless of a person's religion, this book encourages readers to think about life during the Christmas season and see that life as more than gifts and celebrations. It's also a reminder that God loves us and hears our needy cries.
Marley: Beautifully put, Cec, and I couldn’t agree with you more. Can we share what’s next after Christmas Miracles? J
Cec: Why it's the Cec and Marley show, of course. Because of our go-getter agent and our enthusiastic editor, we've already received thumbs up for The Christmas Spirit. This will be stories of people who express the true spirit of Christmas by acts of love and kindness, for release in the fall of 2011.
Marley: And I can’t wait to start working on that project! Thank you so much for your time, Cec, and answering my questions. It was a privilege and honor to work with you and I look forward to our future projects together. You’ve helped me along during a trying time and I appreciate your friendship and support.
Cec: I liked this project because Marley had to send out the word, collect submissions, read them, and discard the weaker ones. I get to see only the better-written stories. (Don't tell her that I have the better job.) Although I mentioned only one story, all of those in the book touched me because of the poignancy of their situations and the miraculous answers. I won't say the stories increased my faith, but they increased my appreciation for the delightful mix of human need and divine intervention.
Marley: Thanks again, Cec! God Bless! And to our readers, please be sure to pick up a copy of CHRISTMAS MIRACLES, out October 13, 2009 from St. Martin’s Press. It’s a great stocking stuffer or gift basket filler. We hope you, too, will discover your own Christmas Miracles in your life.
Leave a comment for a chance to win the Christmas Miracles gift basket.
Wouldn’t you love to take home this amazing basket filled with Christmas goodies galore? This amazing gift basket contains everything you’ll need to make your Christmas holiday a success. Inside you’ll find a stocking stuffed with hard candies, kitchen towels and oven mitts, seasonal potpourri, holiday-colored candles, stuffed animals that talk, snowman candle, nutcrackers, Christmas ornaments, gift bags, gift tags, gift bows, ornament hangers, Christmas cookie cutters, a Merry Christmas doorstopper, a picture frame, Christmas cards, Santa ear muffs, and not just one, but two copies of Cecil Murphey and Marley Gibson’s Christmas Miracles – one to keep and one to give away to someone special.
Nov. 10, 2009 - From Britan to America
Interesting. Something that many of us already see.
http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnnewsplayer/cbnplayer.swf?aid=9425
Nov. 9, 2009 - Tightwad Tuesday ~ Save In Piggybacking
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Save In Piggybacking
In all the changes that I have made this year I have been learning the importance of "piggybacking". Piggybacking is when you butt one thing after the other and save because it is already heated up. For example... to dry one load of laundry after the other and save because the dryer is already heated up. Another way I have piggybacked my savings is when I roast my coffee beans. I roast what I need for that week...one batch after the other. A third way that I can think of right off the bat is piggybacking while baking or cooking with the oven. Get the biggest bang for your buck by baking several things together and right after the other. In the winter time it is also a nice way to raise the temperature a little in your house. I guess you can say it is like multi-tasking your energy use and save. 
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Now to join in the fun of Tightwad Tuesday....
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Link your TWT post click on MckLinky and give exact the URL of your post. (each Tuesday that you join in on the fun)
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example of a URL ...
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Canadagirl/693425/
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Now go ahead link and read and comment on all these other's wonderful TWT's.
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Lets save our pennies, nickles, dimes, and dollars together !
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"There are only a few big ways to save money but there are many small ways ....that all adds up."
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