Edible playdoh

If your kids love playdoh as much as mine do, and always manage to get it mixed and dried out. This is a great recipe. My kids can even help make it, and if our littlest decides to try it, I don't have to worry. Besides, I can make this one, and not have to spend a fortune on buying enough for everyone! So here it is: Edible playdoh, not necessarily so you can feed it to them for snack time, but rather so you don't have to worry if they do eat it.



Boil 2 cups of water

3T oil



Add to a mixture of

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1 T. cream of tartar



Knead it all together like you would bread (my mixer with my dough hook works well). You can separate it into groups and add food coloring. You can also add more flour to keep it from being sticky.



Store it in some old playdoh containers, plastic bags, or even if you have a stash of those disposable sour cream and frosting containers (if you don't give Mom or Grandma a "good" reason to get rid of some of theirs LOL). If it gets to dry add a little more water, if it gets to mixed together, throw it out a make some more!



Have fun!

Some pictures!

I just wanted to share some of the artwork of Amberlins. She loves drawing, and these last few weeks, she's been doing alot of it. So here are some of her latest. She's going to be 8 in a few months and we are looking into getting her some serious art supplies for her birthday. She runs me out of scrap paper and pencils constantly. No she has never had lessons, and yes that is something we do hope to change. She just draws whatever suits her fancy. I have gotten her books from the library about "how to draw", she loves them. She goes thru the book and than goes to town.

Enjoy!

This is one of her favorites. It's a watercolor picture she made on a huge piece of poster board. This photo doesn't do it justice. It made it blurry.

A favorite recipe:Homemade Bread

I thought I would add a few of our family favorites, since I'm sure lots of you are busy baking and cooking today. Here are a few of the things I am making today.




Homemade White bread


No it's not difficult, really


2 1/2 c. hot to touch water
2 T (or 1 pkg) dry yeast
2T sugar
2t salt
1/4c. oil
3 c. flour

Mix the above together, adding the flour last. You will see the yeast begin to bubble, this is good. It means the water is warm enough. After this is mixed together, you add flour 1c at a time for cups 4 and 5, than cup 6 you add 1/2 c. at a time. A towel over your mixer, is a good idea, it will *poof* and make a mess. You than add 1/2 c. at a time until the dough is pliable, but doesn't stick to your fingers when you pinch it.







It will also pull away from the bowl. It usually takes about 7-8 c for the total recipe (including the first 3). It depends on your mixer and the humidity. Higher humidity (like rain today!) will make it take slightly more. Put it in a bowl, or leave it in your mixer bowl and spread marg. or lard (our favorite) over the top of it. Towels tend to stick, so we just leave it uncovered.
Once it doubles in size (it's not an exact science) either knead it with your hand about 50 times, or in your mixer about 3 minutes? You will than split the dough in half and roll each one separately into a rectangular shape. The point of rolling it out, is more to get the air bubbles out. You want to get as many of them as possible out of there. You than roll it up like cinnamon rolls, pressing it together as you go. Once it's shape put it in a greased pan, grease the top and let it sit till double in size again.







You then bake it at 350 for 45 min or 375 for 30 min. When you tap it, it will sound hollow when it's done. Don't over brown it. Enjoy the smell, nothing smells better than warm bread baking mmmmm. As soon as it's done, flip it out of the pan and cover it with marg (not lard). Than let it cool for about 30 min. The key to soft crust, is the marg and than putting it in a bag, or other sealed container to finish the cooling. If it's sweating in the bag, it's still to warm, open the end for a little longer. If you can't resist the smell, that go ahead and cut one loaf, big thick pieces with butter and honey or jam. MMMMMMM, you have 2 loaves, so you still have one for dinner.





If it doesn't look that great, that's ok, looks can be deceiving. It can taste wonderful and look horrible! If it falls, than have some hot, than use the rest for french toast, bread pudding or stuffing! Even us pro's have flops sometimes. This one for instance didn't get rolled out good enough. There were to many air bubbles still in it when it was put in the pan. It rose to fast and to high, but it tasted great warm!



This recipe is great because it is sooo versatile. For example, you can use it for pizza crust, a little less flour will make a thinner crust. One batch (that makes 2 loaves) will make us 2 cookie sheet size pizzas and 1 pan of bread sticks in a 9x13 pan. You can also use it to make pizza pockets. Make small circles, fill half with chicken, sauce cheese, or even pot roast type ingredients. Fold it over in half, seal the sides, butter and bake.

Or you can of course make cinnamon rolls or bread. Once you have it rolled out in the rectangle add a layer of marg than cinn/sugar, roll into a loaf and bake as you would bread OR, make what my daughter has named a super cinnamon roll!

Roll it out into a long rectangle, cover with marg and cinn/sug.

Fold in half longways, than repeat the butter and cinn/sugar process

Than put into a pie pan, in a circle roll shape. I first melt a mixture of marg, brown sugar and cinnamon in the pan. It helps keep the bottom moist and gooey. This works for a pan of cinn rolls as well. Cover with butter and let it rise. One batch (makes 2 loaves), makes 4 pie pan of rolls like this.

And here's the final product, don't forget the icing. I just use a basic icing of powdered sugar, a little vanilla and water. Let the rolls cool a little before you put the icing on, or it will just melt off. If the roll is hanging over the edge, lift it up a tad, so the icing runs under. You can cover them with a bag and save for later. Warming them in an oven makes them super good and gooey. You can freeze them as well.

So far today we have made 6 white loaves, 4 super cinn rolls and baked some squash to mix and mash!

Stay tuned, tomorrow we are making bread pudding and banana bread!

What do you do for Christmas?

The holiday season is now here. Where do you stand? What do you do in preparation for christmas? As a human being, we are bombarded every year with all of the influences of these holidays. We are also made to remind ourselves why we believe the way we do. So here are a few articles that I have found to be very well studied and written regarding christmas. If you don't want your beliefs questioned, read no further. If you don't want to know the true origins of christmas, stop now. But if you truly want to understand why and where all this celebration came from, I encourage you to read on, with a prayerful heart, open to understanding.



Mat 6:24 (KJV) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.


1Co 10:21 (KJV) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Christmas: Harmful to Children?
By Rod McNair

"For hundreds of millions across the Western world today, Christmastime is a family time. And it is especially a time of fun for children! Nativity plays, Christmas carols—and of course waking up with great anticipation on Christmas morning, expecting to find gifts under the Christmas tree—are childhood memories cherished by countless millions. With its candy and sweets, colors and lights, songs and stories—and of course the gifts—today’s Christmas traditions are designed to create powerful memories children will look back on fondly for the rest of their lives. Why would any parents choose to deprive their children of these memories? Ask yourself: if you knew Christmas was actually unhealthful for your children—even hazardous to their spiritual health—would you continue to observe it?" for more of this article go to:http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/tw-mag.cgi?category=Magazine51&item=1193929572

Is Christmas Christian?
By John H. Ogwyn

"To billions around the world, no time of the year is more eagerly anticipated than the Christmas season. "‘Tis the season to be jolly," is how the song goes. Of course, for many people, Christmas can be a depressing season, emphasizing their loneliness and isolation from family." for more of this article go to: http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/tw-mag.cgi?category=Magazine33&item=1104261794

What's Behind the Magnetic Pull of the Christmas Season?

by Jerold Aust

"Millions observe Christmas because it's a feel-good time with holiday music filling the air, brightly decorated trees, Santa Claus for the children and family togetherness. But does the Christmas season have a strong, commercially motivated magnetic pull that goes unnoticed by most?" for more on this article go to: http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn73/christmas.htm

The True Origin of CHRISTMAS

BY DAVID C. PACK

"Where did Christmas originate? From the Bible or paganism? What is the real origin of Santa Claus—mistletoe—Christmas trees—holly wreaths—and the custom of exchanging gifts? Many are concerned about putting “Christ back into Christmas.” Was He ever there? Here are the stunning answers! " for more on this article go to: http://www.thercg.org/books/ttooc.html

God’s HOLY DAYS or Pagan HOLIDAYS?

BY DAVID C. PACK

"Does the Bible teach that there are specific days God made holy? If so, what are they—and are they still in effect? And did God only intend them for ancient Israel? Did Jesus do away with these days and exchange them for Christmas, Easter, New Year’s and other days of pagan origin? Which days should you keep? Does it matter? Prepare to be shocked by what the Bible really teaches!" for more on this article go to: http://www.thercg.org/books/ghdoph.html

If GOD will not partake with the devil, than how can he be in a celebration that was not even meant for him? If you read, most newspapers even, there is plenty of proof that the origins of christmas do NOT begin with Christ. He was later misplaced into the Pagan celebrations by the Catholic church to INCLUDE Christians in the celebrations. So how can GOD accept it as a celebration for him, when he's only substituting Pagan deities? Further more, even if your intentions are to celebrate only his birth, than why do the traditions we hold to celebrate them, include lying to our children about santa, giving gifts to others and idolizing a tree??


Yes, we will be spending Dec. 25 with family around a dinner table. But not to celebrate Christmas, or participate in giving gifts, idolizing a tree, talk of how much money we overspent for they're presents, but rather to enjoy the rare opportunity to get together with all my family at one time. Armed with the truth for those who ask because:

Mat 5:14 (KJV) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

How can our light shine, if we are in a closet alone?

If you don't agree with me, that is between you and God, but know this, closing your eyes so you can't see the truth still makes you responsible for it.


These are only a few articles, a search will provide you many, many more. In my agreeing with these articles, I am in no way saying, I agree with all of the beliefs and doctrines of the organizations who published them.



Jam 4:17 (KJV)Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Isn't he cute!

I'm sorry, (not actually) but I have to brag. As most of you know, we homeschool and we now have this great office/school room to do it in. Well at the school table, David just has to sit when the older 2 are doing school. He is learning even though he's only coloring, as most homeschoolers can attest too. Well he is starting to sing his ABC's and I got the cutest moment on camera! Of course he can't do the letters, it's all "Gee, gee, gee, waa, waa, waa" but it's a start and he stands up and sings whenever he sees the ABC's. LOL. Hope you all enjoy it too!





I LOVE being a MOM, who can stay at home at see this all first hand!

Poems by Judge Roy Moore

The first poem here is one written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama along with an anonymous co-writer. The second entirely by his own hand. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his position and now they are trying to strip his right to even practice law in Alabama. The judge's poems sum it up quite well. (I apologize about the layout. I don't know why it won't keep the spaces in the proper places Jen)

America the Beautiful,

Or so you used to be.

Land of the Pilgrims' pride;

I'm glad they'll never see.

Babies piled in dumpsters,

Abortion on demand,

Oh, sweet land of liberty;

Your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly

Poisoned by cocaine,

Choosing to indulge their lusts,

When God has said abstain.

From sea to shining sea,

Our nation turns away

From the teaching of God's love

And a need to always pray.

We've kept God in our temples,

How callous we have grown.

When Earth is but His footstool,

And Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government

that's rotting at the core,

Appointing godless judges

Who throw reason out the door,

Too soft to place a killer

In a well deserved tomb,

But brave enough to kill a baby

Before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not angry,

That our land's a moral slum?

How much longer will He wait

Before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our God,

From Whom we cannot hide?

What then is left for us to do,

But stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children,

Will humbly turn and pray;

Seek His holy face

And mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven

And forgive us of our sins,

He'll heal our sickly land

And those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful,

If you don't - then you will see,

A sad but Holy God

Withdraw His hand from thee.

OUR AMERICAN BIRTHRIGHT

By Circuit Judge Roy S. Moore July, 1998

One nation under God was their cry and declaration,

Upon the law of Nature's God they built a mighty Nation.

For unlike mankind before them who had walked this earthen sod,

These men would never question the Sovereignty of God.

That all men were "created" was a truth "self-evident,"

To secure the rights God gave us was the role of government.

And if any form of government became destructive of this end,

It was their right, their duty, a new one to begin.

So with a firm reliance on Divine Providence for protection,

They pledged their sacred honor and sought His wise direction.

They lifted an appeal to God for all the world to see,

And declared their independence forever to be free.

I'm glad they're not here with us to see the mess we're in,

How we've given up our righteousness for a life of indulgent sin.

For when abortion isn't murder and sodomy is deemed a right,

Then evil is now called good and darkness is now called light.

While truth and law were founded on the God of all Creation,

Man now, through law, denies the truth and calls it "separation."

No longer does man see a need for God when he's in full control,

For the only truth self-evident is in the latest poll.

But with man as his own master we fail to count the cost,

Our precious freedoms vanish and our liberty is lost.

Children are told they can't pray and they teach them evolution,

When will they learn the fear of God is the only true solution?

Our schools have become the battleground while all across the land,

Christians shrug their shoulders afraid to take a stand.

And from the grave their voices cry the victory has been won.

Just glorify the Father as did His only Son.

When your work on earth is done, and you've traveled where we've trod,

You'll leave the land we left to you, ONE NATION UNDER GOD!

Our Patio!

I just realized I never posted our patio pictures on here, so I thought (even though it's not as beautiful covered in leaves), I would. These are from earlier in the year after we finished it. I now need to drain the pond and bring the fish inside and button it up for winter.

2004

1/26/07

4/19/07

4/21/07

5/19/07


7/6/07

7/12/07 The final product

Daylight Savings Time

Just wanted to send a reminder to all those affected by the Daylight Savings time change. Set your clocks back an hour before you head to bed Saturday night (11-3-07). We get an extra hour of sleep, YAY!

A moving video

I found this today. Thought I would share.

It's on youtube,

New Again by Brad Paisley & Sara Evans with video clips from "The Passion"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaSROohLzs

Personality ID

I found this thru WWW.Crown.org, it really did pin my personality down. You can go and see what they say about you as well.

View my Career Direct personality profile

The Mayonaise Jar and 2 cups of coffee

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked."

The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about.. I JUST DID

I don't have much time, but I wanted to post a little something to say I am still here LOL. Mark has some time off so we've been getting stuff done around the house. He got all his tools out of the backroom and into the basement (which is a MI basement, only the size of one room). That is REALLY nice having two, 2yr old boys here. They just can't resist the erge to try out all his tools. So now I have a laundry room YAY!

Also here is a picture of a really simple recipe I made the other day. I made a basic meatloaf recipe and made them into balls (I used my ice cream scoop) Then I browned them in some bacon grease and marg. After they were browned I threw some tomatoes and juice on top and simmered them untill done. It was very good! Everyone seemed to like it. I add peppers and onions to my meatloaf as well.

Well I will try to be on again soon. Mark is going to be home until early next week, than it's back to work!

Talk to you all soon!

A few links

I thought I would add a few of my favorite links today. The first is one I was told about, she does the most amazing things. She's very good at art and decorates with painted pictures instead of hanging them. Here's her link, she has a ton of really good links on her site. It's a really fun blog to subsribe to.

http://bethany.preciousinfants.com/

One Bethany recommends, which is very good as well is:

http://tammysrecipes.com/chacha_chicken_salad

This particular link takes you to a chicken salad recipe, which looks really yummy. I think we're going to try it. We are also gong to try a recipe we tried at Sam's club (free samples YUM!). They used canned chicken, but any cooked chicken would work. They added Ranch dressing, bacon bits, onions and I think celery. It was REALLY good, they wrapped them in tortilla shells. I'm sure tuna would taste pretty good too. The ranch really gave it a new taste, but very good.

Another favorite we seem to use alot lately is the google earth free download. It is very cool. If you have dial up, it may not work well as it constantly updates. We have DSL and it works fine. It has a ton of features and options that make it even more fun. What it is, is a program that uses satalite photos to put together the earth. Rural areas and some towns are blurry, but you can see roads. Large cities and popular place are very detailed, right down to the car in the driveway. It is NOT in realtime, these are photos taken probably months ago. I don't know how often they update the photos, but they seem to be pretty recent. And it's not limited to the USA either, it's EARTH and the SKY!! Anyhow, the green box at the top right, is the free download button, very worth it!

http://earth.google.com/

Well my babies are napping, so I'm going to try for one, I've exhausted!

Later

added a new feature

OK, just wanted to let you know, I changed a few things and made (hopefully) a easier way to get email updates. We will see!

Have a great night!

JenD

When I was trying to take a picture of the dining room, my helper came to get in on the fun. He always has tools~

And a belly picture. I'm 21 wks or 5 months, today. I had just got done hollering at the boys on the table, I'm really not unhappy LOL.

Progress

Ok, so it's not all done, but it's progress. Remember I have 4 kids ALL DAY ( I babysit a 2 yr old as well as my own 2 yr old.) And I am 5 months pregnant after all. But we're getting there.

Our new dining area (where the desk used to be)

I now have a great plant shelf and hutch.
Yes there are still boxes, but not as many. Ok, so these were there before we got started moving. Still working on that pile.
And the closet in the office, school shelf and sewing cabinet
Another bookshelf hiding behind the door

David got my camera

I thought these were funny. He found my camera and was having a blast sitting at my desk.

Ultrasound pictures!

I thought I would share a few more of them. It's amazing that at just 20 wks old, they can see all of this.

He's 2 :(

Well David is officially 2 years old now. He had a good birthday, here are some pictures from his party. He kept blowing out the candles and Mark had to relight them 3 times, before we finally finished "happy birthday" LOL. He was having fun!

Enjoy!

Papa had to show him how to lick the frosting off the candle, instead of bite the candle
Yay Phones!
Did I mention he LOVES balls!
And he had a blast bowling.