For Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

a pictorial journal

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

DECEMBER 15^th, 2009

It's TUESDAY…

I got through another mean ole Monday…so that is something to celebrate for sure. And our roof is once again repaired. That’s another happy thought. I called them early Monday morning and by the time I got home they had already been here and replaced the shingles that had blown off. That is good service for sure.

Still no snow here – the picture above is from a couple years ago…but the decorations on the porch are the same as they were then.

THINKING

Advent is the time of hope, a time to renew the light of Christ in our lives.

As He came to bring us the light of eternal life, we hope to share our light with others.

This week we lit the 3rd candle in the Advent wreath which is the candle of JOY that Jesus is coming soon. Have you ever thought of JOY this way before

Jesus Others Yourself

If you put Jesus first, others second and yourself last, you will experience true JOY this Christmas season! Celebrate and feel the JOY that comes from knowing Christ!

When we face a problem we have two choices: focus on the problem or fix our eyes on God. If we opt for the first, the problem seems to grow bigger. If we look to God, we will see God's presence and goodness and this opens doors to discover a solution.

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people. He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.
He is the Savior of us all

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

When Mamie Eisenhower came to the White House, she brought along a recipe for fudge that called for marshmallow crème. Her candy was so creamy the president reportedly called it the million dollar fudge. This is that recipe!

Ingredients:

1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips

1 11-1/2 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips

1 7-oz.jar marshmallow crème

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups sugar

1 12-oz. can evaporated skimmed milk

2 Tbsp. butter

Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over edges of pan. Lightly butter foil; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, marshmallow crème, walnuts, and vanilla.

In a heavy large saucepan, stir together the sugar, evaporated skimmed milk, and butter. Bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. (Avoid splashing mixture onto side of pan) Lower the heat to moderately low, bring to a boil and stir 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Carefully pour the boiling mixture over the chocolate mixture, and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is creamy and well combined.

Quickly turn the fudge into prepared pan and while it is warm, use the tip of a small knife to score into 1-inch squares.

When fudge is firm, lift it out of pan and cut into squares. To store, cover tightly and refrigerate.

HINTS

To easily cut the fudge, line the pan with foil, then you can remove the fudge quickly and easily. When the candy is firm, grasp the foil and lift the block of fudge out of the pan. Remove the foil and place the candy on a cutting board.

Using a long-bladed, serrated knife, such as a bread knife, cut along the lines scored in the fudge. To get a smooth even cut, place one hand on the knife handle and the other on the top of the blade, then press down evenly until the knife cuts through the candy.

makes about 3-1/2 pounds-117 pieces

ATTIRE FOR TODAY

The weather man says it’ll be back into the 30’s today and going down in the teens tonight…with maybe a little snow too.

This shirt is made of fleece and is very warm. I’ll have a turtle neck under it two making my layers for today.

PRAYERS

Heavenly Father, please bless all my friends in whatever it is
that You know they may be needing this day! And may their life be full of
Your peace, prosperity and power as he/she seeks to have a closer
relationship with You.

Amen

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

AROUND HOME

Here are some of my grandson’s playing with what they got for Christmas one year.

Tonight if the weather permits my dulcimer friends and I will try to get together again. This is the last time we’ll be playing our Christmas music for this year.

FAMILY ALBUM

This is DD and her hubby…it looks like he may have gotten a toy that year for Christmas…I don’t remember.

The pictures I’ve been putting in this newsletter are mostly old ones ranging from 2005 through 2008. This coming Saturday I’ll be taking some new ones to show you of our family Christmas 2009

COUNTING THE DAYS

Walkway at DS#6’s house

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

If you refuse a mince pie at Christmas dinner,
you will have bad luck for the coming day.

Let's not Mince Words

Do you like mince pie? Never had it? Mince pies were once known as mincemeat pies. The actual meat is left out of the now completely sweet British Christmas pastry filled with dried fruit. You should give it a try if you want to encourage luck in the New Year.

6 DAYS UNTIL WINTER !

10 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

AND

122 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

ma

Pictures mostly taken by ‘ma’ and courtesy of the camera provided by my ‘babes’