http://muzy.com/profile/ArtsyGrandma
Have you seen "Muzy" on Facebook? It's fun site for artists and photos ... come see what I've posted so far! :)
So many things to write about - everyday life,gardening, cooking,France,Kansas,family,holidays, church,God,Jesus Christ,Christianity,missions, ministry,abortion, politics, art, music, "Sullivan" our English bulldog,reading .....
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Teenagers and Pregnancy
Teenagers and Pregnancy
Chuck Colson says parents and sex-educators are afraid to say the truth: that sex outside of marriage is WRONG. Period. God says so. He says its wrong for any number of reasons; but NOT because He wants to deprive us or our kids of fun and pleasure. On the contrary, He wants all of us to know the peaceful-no-guilt-feelings of love and pleasure that comes with enjoying sex in the right way: inside of marriage, between a husband and wife. The years of throwing out God's laws on sexual behavior have not resulted in less teen pregnancies, or less sexually transmitted diseases, or less abortions. It DOES seem to have resulted in girls/women once again, too often, being regarded as purely sexual satisfaction for the boys/men. Where are the feminists yelling against this???? God's moral laws don't seem so bad, after all, huh?
Chuck Colson says parents and sex-educators are afraid to say the truth: that sex outside of marriage is WRONG. Period. God says so. He says its wrong for any number of reasons; but NOT because He wants to deprive us or our kids of fun and pleasure. On the contrary, He wants all of us to know the peaceful-no-guilt-feelings of love and pleasure that comes with enjoying sex in the right way: inside of marriage, between a husband and wife. The years of throwing out God's laws on sexual behavior have not resulted in less teen pregnancies, or less sexually transmitted diseases, or less abortions. It DOES seem to have resulted in girls/women once again, too often, being regarded as purely sexual satisfaction for the boys/men. Where are the feminists yelling against this???? God's moral laws don't seem so bad, after all, huh?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Facebook | ACT! for America
Facebook | ACT! for America
Check this site out if you'd like to keep up on the radical Islamic actions ... and we'd better be keeping up with it, or we are going to be doing a lot of regretting!
Check this site out if you'd like to keep up on the radical Islamic actions ... and we'd better be keeping up with it, or we are going to be doing a lot of regretting!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Woman's T-Shirt/French from Zazzle.com
Woman's T-Shirt/French from Zazzle.com
ANYtime's a good time to show a little love! Photo of two loving grasshoppers and the words: "Je t'aime de tout mon coeur" ......... available in many styles, colors, materials and prices. Image also available on other products, such as greeting cards, postcards, buttons, mugs, etc.
ANYtime's a good time to show a little love! Photo of two loving grasshoppers and the words: "Je t'aime de tout mon coeur" ......... available in many styles, colors, materials and prices. Image also available on other products, such as greeting cards, postcards, buttons, mugs, etc.
Poster/Le Calme from Zazzle.com
Poster/Le Calme from Zazzle.com
Soothing, calming poster - don't we all need one like this at times?! :)
Soothing, calming poster - don't we all need one like this at times?! :)
Halloween T-Shirt/Spider from Zazzle.com
Halloween T-Shirt/Spider from Zazzle.com
Great Halloween t-shirt - design available on adult, child, men's or women's, toddler, etc. shirts - many different styles, as well as hoodies and sweatshirts
Great Halloween t-shirt - design available on adult, child, men's or women's, toddler, etc. shirts - many different styles, as well as hoodies and sweatshirts
Mug/Stein - Winter from Zazzle.com
Mug/Stein - Winter from Zazzle.com
Gift season's here......... this is a beautful ceramic stein ....... for YOU, or for a friend. :)
Gift season's here......... this is a beautful ceramic stein ....... for YOU, or for a friend. :)
Give Thanks Greeting Card from Zazzle.com
Give Thanks Greeting Card from Zazzle.com
Thanksgiving's coming - think ahead - why not send a greeting to your friends and family? And, how about a completely ORIGINAL greeting???? Pop into my store and take a look ...................
Thanksgiving's coming - think ahead - why not send a greeting to your friends and family? And, how about a completely ORIGINAL greeting???? Pop into my store and take a look ...................
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Mmmmm ... Smell That?
Now that the hot summer temperatures are finally starting to disappear I can turn the oven on again. And I have. Baking is once again a kitchen activity around here. Homemade biscuits. Muffins. Bread. Cakes. Not EVERYday, mind you - have to watch the old waist line. But often enough to send good smells wafting throughout the house.
Husband and grandson certainly appreciate opening the door and smelling delicious odors from the kitchen. Always hoping I am planning to give them a taste. I often remember coming home from school and walking into a kitchen with something baking. Mmmmmm - smelled so nice. As a mom to four hungry schoolkids myself, all grown up now, I often tried to have something baking and/or cooking when the kids got home from school. They may not remember much of it now - but I sure do. I hope our after-school-kitchen-odors have contributed to their "remember when ..." stories they now tell to THEIR children. :)
Lots of kids nowadays, though, don't have the chance to experience those "coming-in-from-school-and-smelling-something-great" moments. Life is busy for everyone. Many kids come home to an empty house and must make their own "cooking smells", in a microwave. Many young parents just don't cook or bake - they eat out, microwave, order in. That not only gets expensive, it's depriving the family of something - the memories of great homemade cooking and baking smells in their home. I once wrote an article about how every kid deserves to come home sometimes to the smell of bread baking in an oven. ... what a way to welcome your kids home and say, "I love you!" (And, believe me, the husbands love it, too. There are also some husbands who enjoy cooking - in that case, the wife will love it!)
Yeah, it's all about love. Cooking and baking for your family is one way to show how much you love them. One way to provide happy "home" memories for them to talk about in their future. One way to show them that, as busy as you are, you still put them first and love them more than anyone else.
P.S. ( Though I usually bake and cook from "scratch" - I'm not above using a brownie mix, a chocolate-chip cookie mix, etc. from time to time. For those of you who just are really stretched for the time to stick something in the oven ... give these a try. I won't say they taste better than "from scratch" , but there are some pretty good-tasting mixes out there. And, if it's a question of time, those mixes can still produce some pretty nice kitchen odors for the family to walk into. :) )
**************************************************************************************
Here is a quick-to-make chocolate cake you might want to try. I found it recently on a recipe online site.
"Throw-Together Chocolate Cake"
(greased 9 X 13 baking pan .... preheat oven: 360 degrees)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour ...............NOTE: I used self-rising flour (don't add the baking powder if you do), and it
1/2 cup soft butter turned out fine
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder ............NOTE: I didn't have any instant coffee, so just added about
1/2 cup of left-over black coffee
********************************************************************************
Put all ingredients in a bowl, in order given more or less, and beat well until creamy and smooth.
Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE: preheated pan ... 45 minutes to 1 hour
*********************************************************************************
Put any kind of frosting on that you like; or just sprinkle powdered sugar over it. I used a brown sugar/cream praline frosting. Yum!
******************************** ENJOY! ****************************************
Mmmmmmmm! Smell that?
Husband and grandson certainly appreciate opening the door and smelling delicious odors from the kitchen. Always hoping I am planning to give them a taste. I often remember coming home from school and walking into a kitchen with something baking. Mmmmmm - smelled so nice. As a mom to four hungry schoolkids myself, all grown up now, I often tried to have something baking and/or cooking when the kids got home from school. They may not remember much of it now - but I sure do. I hope our after-school-kitchen-odors have contributed to their "remember when ..." stories they now tell to THEIR children. :)
Lots of kids nowadays, though, don't have the chance to experience those "coming-in-from-school-and-smelling-something-great" moments. Life is busy for everyone. Many kids come home to an empty house and must make their own "cooking smells", in a microwave. Many young parents just don't cook or bake - they eat out, microwave, order in. That not only gets expensive, it's depriving the family of something - the memories of great homemade cooking and baking smells in their home. I once wrote an article about how every kid deserves to come home sometimes to the smell of bread baking in an oven. ... what a way to welcome your kids home and say, "I love you!" (And, believe me, the husbands love it, too. There are also some husbands who enjoy cooking - in that case, the wife will love it!)
Yeah, it's all about love. Cooking and baking for your family is one way to show how much you love them. One way to provide happy "home" memories for them to talk about in their future. One way to show them that, as busy as you are, you still put them first and love them more than anyone else.
P.S. ( Though I usually bake and cook from "scratch" - I'm not above using a brownie mix, a chocolate-chip cookie mix, etc. from time to time. For those of you who just are really stretched for the time to stick something in the oven ... give these a try. I won't say they taste better than "from scratch" , but there are some pretty good-tasting mixes out there. And, if it's a question of time, those mixes can still produce some pretty nice kitchen odors for the family to walk into. :) )
**************************************************************************************
Here is a quick-to-make chocolate cake you might want to try. I found it recently on a recipe online site.
"Throw-Together Chocolate Cake"
(greased 9 X 13 baking pan .... preheat oven: 360 degrees)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour ...............NOTE: I used self-rising flour (don't add the baking powder if you do), and it
1/2 cup soft butter turned out fine
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder ............NOTE: I didn't have any instant coffee, so just added about
1/2 cup of left-over black coffee
********************************************************************************
Put all ingredients in a bowl, in order given more or less, and beat well until creamy and smooth.
Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE: preheated pan ... 45 minutes to 1 hour
*********************************************************************************
Put any kind of frosting on that you like; or just sprinkle powdered sugar over it. I used a brown sugar/cream praline frosting. Yum!
******************************** ENJOY! ****************************************
Mmmmmmmm! Smell that?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Concord Grapes
And ............ they are concord grapes! The taste of only one brings back memories of a childhood in Rhode Island ... Newport and Portsmouth. Why the walk down memory lane because of a concord grape? Because, when I was a kid living in Rhode Island, I used to help my brothers with their paper route. To help my brothers with their paper route meant I rode my bike up and down some little country roads - and along quite a few of those country roads were stone fences - and on those stone fences I would often find grapes growing. CONCORD grapes! Yum! My absolute favorite grapes. When I was told those "things" on the fences were edible grapes, and first tasted them, I was hooked for life. In grape season my brothers probably wondered why I was so slow; though, they, too, loved the concords and were most likely indulging themselves.
When we lived in France I became pretty well acquainted with muscat grapes and those big, sweet Italian grapes. They were delicious. But the concords still remained my "preferred" grape.
After returning to the states I was always on the look-out for concord grapes. They were rarely found here in the Midwest. But when I DID find some I snatched them up, knowing it would be a long time before I found them again.
Now, I admit that our humble concord grape specimen shown here does not measure up to the stately, beautiful ones I remember, and find from time to time (maybe because this is only the second year of our vine???). But, I have to tell you that as soon as I popped one of the ripe ones into my mouth and bit into it ... I was instantly transported back to those bike rides on the Rhode Island country roads! Heavenly taste; only way to describe it. :) LOVE 'em! Absolutely LOVE them.
Oh, and listen up: the ONLY way to eat a concord grape is to pop it into your mouth, bite into it and enjoy that instant glorious squirt of concord grape flavor - and then swallow the WHOLE thing (don't you dare spit out that skin - it's yummy)! Oooooooooh ... I sure hope the birds plan to leave us a few more .....
If the Squash Bugs Missed Them ...
We haven't had much luck with our garden squash this year. The squash bugs didn't spare us. Come to think of it, they didn't last year either. :( Some of our friends have had the same problem - but there are SOME friends who have had success. And, thanks to their generosity, we have been "kept in squash" this summer. Yellow squash. I like other kinds, too. But YELLOW squash is my favorite.
I have tried various recipes for the squash, but have to say that my absolute favorite way to eat yellow squash is probably the simplest way of preparing it. We enjoyed it again for supper this evening: slice small yellow squash into a skillet with a little olive oil (I also love using bacon drippings), some chopped fresh garlic, chopped onion, salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Stir-fry for three to five minutes and, presto!, it is ready to eat. Enjoy!
Of course, there are any number of ways to "ad lib" this recipe. Sometimes I throw in some fresh, chopped basil - or sage - or thyme ... or all three! It's great with some good crispy country bacon chopped into it. And, if the bacon idea grabs you, you'll probably also love some slices of good ham ( I LOVE country-smoked ham) to go along with the squash. Then, there's always any kind of cheese to sprinkle in ... maybe a little cream ... etc. Use your imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment. For me, part of the fun of cooking, is the "creativity" of it ... sometimes I follow a recipe completely; but LOTS of times (maybe most) I'm not afraid to stray off on my own. A little of this; a little of that. Have to say that there have been few times that something's turned out really bad (but don't ask my husband about the sweet-and-sour rabbit when we were young marrieds and only had a can of pineapple and a jar of home-canned rabbit from a friend in the cupboard.............).
Eat REAL food - including squash-bugless yellow squash - and enjoy REAL taste. :)
I have tried various recipes for the squash, but have to say that my absolute favorite way to eat yellow squash is probably the simplest way of preparing it. We enjoyed it again for supper this evening: slice small yellow squash into a skillet with a little olive oil (I also love using bacon drippings), some chopped fresh garlic, chopped onion, salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Stir-fry for three to five minutes and, presto!, it is ready to eat. Enjoy!
Of course, there are any number of ways to "ad lib" this recipe. Sometimes I throw in some fresh, chopped basil - or sage - or thyme ... or all three! It's great with some good crispy country bacon chopped into it. And, if the bacon idea grabs you, you'll probably also love some slices of good ham ( I LOVE country-smoked ham) to go along with the squash. Then, there's always any kind of cheese to sprinkle in ... maybe a little cream ... etc. Use your imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment. For me, part of the fun of cooking, is the "creativity" of it ... sometimes I follow a recipe completely; but LOTS of times (maybe most) I'm not afraid to stray off on my own. A little of this; a little of that. Have to say that there have been few times that something's turned out really bad (but don't ask my husband about the sweet-and-sour rabbit when we were young marrieds and only had a can of pineapple and a jar of home-canned rabbit from a friend in the cupboard.............).
Eat REAL food - including squash-bugless yellow squash - and enjoy REAL taste. :)
Homemade Soup!
The soup in the photo here was our supper tonight. We'd had a church picnic, after services today. One thing I took was a roasted chicken, the meat cut off of the bones. When we returned in the afternoon I put the chicken carcass that I'd saved in the fridge into a pan of water, letting it simmer a couple of hours, while doing other things. The freshly-making chicken broth smelled great. Finally, I lifted out the bones to cool enough to pull the bits and pieces of meat off ... added the meat to the broth ... salt and pepper to taste ... a tomato from the garden, peeled and chopped ... a couple of okra pods straight from the garden, sliced in thin pieces ... a bit of garlic ... a little white wine ... a handful of chopped basil from the garden ... let it simmer a little longer - then, just before serving, added a bit of REAL cream. Yum! My husband and I both enjoyed a bowl-full. So good.
Great-tasting homemade food can take time - or not. Like soup. Give it a long, slow simmer over the afternoon, or overnight in the slow cooker ... or, use ingredients that can be cooked quickly and enjoyed in just a few minutes. Believe me, it's worth the effort. :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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