Hello all,
I have been busy baking and getting ready for our christmas eve party. I have made cream cheese mints, gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, peppermint bark, fudge. Plus trying to clean my house and get things set up for the pary tomorrow. I think that I am almost ready. Blogging is obviously too time consuming for me, but I do love doing it.
Of these treats I have made, the cream cheese mints are my favorite.
Here is the recipe:
powdered sugar 1 cup for every 1 ounce of cream cheese.
Mix together until like a dough and you can handle without sticking to your fingers and hands.
add vanilla or other type of flavoring, like lemon, or pepermint. food coloring, and maybe a little more powdered sugar to help it not get too sticky.

Once like a dough, take little pinches and roll into little balls. Place on wax paper and flaten with a fork. Let dry over night and keep cool or refrigerated.

yummy treat!

Also I made fudge, this recipe is also pretty easy.

5 cups of sugar
1 can of evaporated milk
1 cube of butter
 
cook in pan stiring; bring o boil and cook for 8 minutes.

turn off heat
stir in 16 oz of marshmellows
12 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips.
1 tsp. of vanilla.
Stir until marshmellow and chocolate chips are melted.
poor onto cookie sheet the is greased and let stand until hardend. keep in cool place.

Enjoy.

My latest projects. I have not been posting much because I have been trying to finish projects to mail off to my family for christmas.

I knitted my mom a blanket. I crocheted a blanket and hat for my new baby niece. I made to latchook pillows for my other two nieces.

Now I have to finish a knitted scarf for my sister.

I will post more later when I have finished.

Today I took my kids into Borders for a specific reason to get my 12 year old daugther a book she has been wanting for a while. We went up to the costumer service desk to ask where we might find the book and my 5 year old kept walking  and not paying attention to what I was doing, so when the rest of us stopped he kept walking. after about a minute we walked to follow the store clerk to where the book was located and I notice Isaiah (5 year old) was not walking with us, I immediatly said where is Isaiah, then I started calling to him, I thought I hear a faint What? come from across the store, I kept calling his name really loud, I told my 12 year old to go the other direction in the story to look for him, she just looked at me dumb foundedly. Then because I was by the custumer service desk, they called out over the loud speaker for Isaiah. Someone found him at the front of the story crying and sent him in the direction of the front desk. He came running to me and I picked him up. He was crying and scared of course.

All I could think of in what seemed like a lifetime, (but was only about 5 minutes at most), was that because it was crowded someone picked him up and snatched him, no one would have paid any attention either because it was so crowded. This is one of my biggest fears, and when this happened today, I immediatly started thinking the worst, somone snatched him and he was gone forever. I know this is bad to make myself think the worst, but I have always been afraid that something like this would happen to my kids. I am always being very cautious where they are when we are in public.

Anyway, he is safe, we found him and all is well. I just thank the Lord that came back to be and everything is fine. I really feel like this was the Lord watching out for me and my kids.

Today I made another pumpkin pie from scratch. I think I might of shared this before, but I am sharing again for those who might of missed it or just for my own personal reference.

I bake frest pumpkins in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees after cutting them in half and taking out the seeds. Then once the pumpkin is cooked, spoon out the cooked stuff and blend with a mixer on high until it is mashed together.

Then I use it in any pumpkin pie recipe or muffins. Anything that calls for pumpkin you can use this fresh pumpkin instead of canned. I think it tastes better and I get a feeling of accomplishment when I use things fresh like this. I feels like I am using the foods the way God intended. Not all the proccessed stuff.

Tommorow I am making another turkey because I did not get many leftovers from Thanksgiving and I want some leftovers. The turkey is still frozen in the Fridge, but I will have to find a way to cook it tomorrow. I have some friends coming over to share it with us.

I will let you know how this goes.

For the last few years we have made christmas chains for the kids to be able to have a visual on how many days until christmas. It really simple, construction paper, tape and or staples. we use red and green construction paper. Cut the construction paper into strips and make rings with the strips, staple or tape the strip shut. then run the next strip through the one you just made and staple that one too. Continue until you have the desired amount of strips.

This is a great idea for all ages.

Everyday the kids get to take off one ring and count down to how many days until christmas.

Happy crafting.

Today is Thanksgiving day, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What am I thankful for? Well I am thankful for my family, wonderful kids, loving husband and all. I am thankful that the Lord has given me a warm house and plenty of food in my belly.

On days like this I don't think so much about what I am thankful for but more about what those I know do not have, or even those who I don't know.

I have a friend, who has become part of my family, who is chronically ill and doesn't have any family to speak of (K.C.). She is in her 50's and she can't really walk due to diabetes which has affected her feet. She has several other illnesses that keep her from being able to lead a normal life. She is living off of government programs because she can not work.

K.C. does have one son who does not always give his mother the attention he should. Right now he is currently not speaking with her and she does not know why. She has been calling for about two months, but he has not returned any of her phone calls.

Because of this issue with her son and others issues she deals with on a daily basis, she is extremely depressed and does not do a whole lot.

Today she is in my prayers because I want her to be happy and I want her to be someone who I can bring into my life and share my family with her. But she does not always want to participate because of her depression. I invited her to Thanksgiving dinner today, but she declined. She said she is not participating in the Holidays this year. I will be taking her some food from dinner today later on, because I don't want her to be alone on Thanksgiving.

I wish there did not have to be people who have to live like this, I know part of the reason is probably due to something they have chosen to do with their life, but I believe that everone should be loved and given the oportunity to have a wonderful life. K.C.'s family is a pretty well off family, but they didn't include her in the families wealth, I am not really sure why, but I don't think it is fair.

My prayer is that the Lord gives me the time and energy to be there for her as much as I can without taking away from my family. I have been raised to have a servants heart from my dear grandmother, I hate to see people suffering. But I am not able to provide all that she needs, due to my family needing me too

Pray with me today that she will have a blessed thanksgiving, along with any others you may know that need a little love this holiday season.

God Bless.

Hello again,

I haven't blogged in a while, I have been wrapped up in The Homeschool Lounge. It kind of like a blogging site, but it has more.

This week has been Star Testing for my kids. We are currently enrolled with a homebased Charter school, so in order to keep the school active It is required to test the kids. I personally don't agree with testing of kids because it doesn't show how well kids are learning or how much they are learning. But in order for the charter school to keep its charter and prove to the state that they are educating kids. So because I have chosen to sign up with a charter school instead of homeschooling privately, I need to support the school. I guess its just one of the hoops we have to do for the choices we make.

OH by the way I am in California so the laws here are to file your private school affidavit or use charter school, ISP, or private school.

So How the week is going: I am a night owl, so I am usually up late and I have having to get up earlier than normal to get the kids to testing by 9 am. This has been killing my, I guess I should go to bed earlier huh?? I have been making sure that the kids have had good sleep and eat well, so they test better. I guess I should take my own advice to make sure I am not tired. But hey I am not the person who is testing.

I also have been emmerging myself in to The Ultimate Homeschool expo. Cindy Rushton is the creater of this and I have loved it.  Here is the link if you want to check it out: www.ultimatehomeschoolexpo.com.

I love converences and this is the perfect way to go to a homeschool conference and still be home taking care of my family. Its wonderful. I am listening to Erik Novak talk about blogging right now as I am typing this.

It is a Ulitmate exerience.

check it out.

Kathy

Hello,

I just came home from a bible study I am doing with a friend and on the way home I was listening to some country music on my ipod. The song Where were you on that day? by Alan Jackson came on and I didn't realized how much that song is about Jesus. The song starts off talking about September 11th.

The couse goes "I'm just singer of simple songs, I'm not a real political man. I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you the difference between Iraq and Iran. But I know Jesus and I talk to God. And I remember this from when I was young, Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us, And the Greatest is love."

I realized tonight that this song is a very good song directing people from that trajedy that happend in our world, to Jesus, the LOVE OF JESUS!

This to me is the most important thing in our lives, Just tonight I guess why I am typing this, is amoung all the things we experience in our lives, good or bad, remember Jesus and His LOVE!

GOD BLESS!

Kathy