Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Mrs. Dillard's cookies

I thought that I would share our long lost friend's recipe with you...

Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookies

Mix and set aside:
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Salt

2 sticks Butter (I used 1 stick Butter & 4 oz Coconut oil)
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Sucanat (or Brown Sugar)

2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla

1 cup Nuts
1 cup Chocolate Chips (she really calls for 2 cups, but we never put that many in)
3 cups Oats

Cream butter with sugars,
add eggs & vanilla.
Gradually blend in dry ingredients.
Stir in nuts/oats/chips.

Chill dough, roll into balls (I just used the med. cookie dropper);
place on greased baking sheets. Bake in a 375 oven, for 9-11
minutes.
Don't over bake or they'll be hard! =)



~Happy Eating!
Adrienne


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Growing up.......

Proverbs 21:31...
"The horse
is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD."

...you know I never did (and still don't) see any reason to "grow up"? (Sigh.) I just thought that if I ever had a reason to, I would.

Well~ I still don't, but maybe "growing up" is good practical example of Prov 21:31. That growing up is like getting my horse ready, and then it would be up to God to give me a reason to grow up. And then maybe someday I would say something like: "I am so glad that I went ahead and grew up, 'cause now I am ready for this project/phase of life!"

So I guess that I should grow up now. I know that I would make a LOT of relatives very happy.
(...sigh again...)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess I always in the back of my brain thought of growing up and getting old as the same thing, and in a way it is.

I don't ever want to be like most of the adults I know, that never:

*Run for no reason other than because they want to...
*Ride on the Merry-Go-Round or Carousel(!)...
*Swing on swing sets every chance they get...
*Slide down slides... (It makes me SO sad that parks are taking down the good old slides as fast as they can...I really wish that I could buy a few for our yard...that would be a lovely birthday gift!)
*Reading children's or at least books that are intended for younger audiences...
*Have stuffed animals in my room (& on my bed too)...
*Random humming of children's tunes in the check out line...
*Wear bows in their hair....
~And lots of other fun things, I could go on and on!~
(I don't think adults really like balloons, or at least almost never show it.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I see myself as a sort of Laura Petrie/Barbara Good and Adrian* kind of person, so I wonder how much I may really change?

But, I am interested in being a responsible, reliable, competent & confident young lady. =) ...now I just have to figure out how...

(Mom says it's more about not being afraid of what might come ('cause I am always fearing what might happen, or what might not happen), but being willing to tackle whatever God brings for me to do.)

*Mom says that I am NOT like Adrian. (Rocky's girlfriend)

Friday, August 26, 2011

Psalm 105

I have been reading (and re-reading) Psalm 105...and thinking about it.
You know, you could just change out Israel/Jacob/Abraham/'people' for your name...

Like this: For he remembered his holy promise, and Adrienne his servant.
....HE won't ever forget me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
v.1-7; Praise the Lord, remember all his works. Praise the Lord- don't be a block head!
v.8-15; God has a plan- he will take care- do not despair!
v.16-22; Hard times and trials will come- how will you handle them?
v.23-38; Egypt got a big 2"X4" upside the head, but they did not learn- they had a worldly sorrow, not a truly repentant heart. They went right back to sleep.
v.39-45; See- God keeps/will keep his covenant with His own...even when we aren't so loveable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times; Adrienne, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for you.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pau d’Arco tea

Is really easy to make...
1 quart of water with 4 teaspoons PDA tea,
cover and bring to a boil, turn down to low,
and simmer/low boil for 20mins.
~Strain and drink~

~Happy Eating!
Adrienne

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Do you like to eat cooky* dough?

I made these while listening to Julie & Julia's soundtrack (click here).
I was going to take them over to ME & Charlie's house on Friday, but I am going to make something else instead.

The raw dough was SO delicious...I confess I ate not some, but A LOT of dough.
But I did bake 4 pans of these cookies, and I discovered that I accidentally doubled the baking soda (I could not taste it while the dough was un-cooked), and the
crisp rice cereal went strangely tough/chewy. =P

So, I would say if your family (of friends) love to eat raw cooky* dough, you should make this for them.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter & coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup Sucanat (or packed brown sugar)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup crisp rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup lightly toasted flaked coconut

Directions

  1. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour/salt/baking soda; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in cereal and coconut.
  2. (If you are going to bake them: Roll into balls (I just used the med. cookie dropper; place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.)

~Happy Eating!
Adrienne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Goodwill today, I found this HUGE old dish towel for a dollar!
(I put the light bulb in so you can see how big the rooster is.)
He is hand embroidered & appliqued.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Cooky is the correct non-plural spelling.
Cookie is the plural spelling.

I am sorry, but I don't remember what the year was, but somewhere around 100 years ago, some Cooky company decided that they would spell it with an "ie" all the time.

But then like saying Kleenex instead of tissue, almost everyone spells cooky with an "ie", and thinks that you are crazy for spelling it with a "y".
(this is a pet peeve of mine)


Monday, August 22, 2011

So This is...Love?


Mrs. Taylor shared this blog post (click here) from Stacy McDonald's blog.
Stacy's daughter Jessica wrote it.

So This is…Love?



Jessica McDonald is the daughter of James and Stacy McDonald and the 5th oldest of ten children. She is a Texan through and through, but currently lives in Central Illinois where she enjoys singing passionately, reading constantly, discussing controversial subjects, exploring history, quoting Shakespeare, and cuddling with her littlest brother. Jessica will turn 21 this fall.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

A Letter To Girls I Know (on Modesty)

Thank you Mrs. Taylor, for sharing this letter with me...I like to be reminded/encouraged to do the right thing. ~ ALM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(author's name was removed at his request) (click here for the original letter)

Dear Girls,

There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men. What kind of man do you want? I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.” Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being because he will be an excellent husband and father. He will honor and be true only to you. Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you. The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear. I know what men want. Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better. I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for, and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God. I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you. We have different desires and priorities. Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do. It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good! It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits. He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees. When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image. He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind. He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees. He views you as a person, knows you and respects you. He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need, he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men. And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man. So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress. As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones. It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship. The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there. By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress. You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women. Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.” It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly! I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others. This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against. But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady. And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing. You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: What kind of man do you want?

Answer me with your clothes.



Saturday, August 20, 2011

Our Duck Dinner




Mom said: "Yum, fresh duck for dinner! Tasted something like wild turkey. I brined it in salt water and wrapped it with bacon, seasoned it with black pepper and garlic and baked it in a porcelain cast iron dutch oven (Garry gave us). Even though it was skinned it had good flavor and didn't get too dry. Hubby will try again tomorrow (he bought some pliers to get the stubborn quills out) and we'll roast it with the skin. There is something so satisfying about providing your own food!"



Dad said: "The duck was incredible, looks like tomorrow I'll do in another two and this time I will leave the skin on so we can try a different recipe! Yes, it taste like chicken sort of only better!"



I said: "Oh, you guys (Garry, Rick and Andrew) should have been here for dinner!!!! That was THE BEST meat I have ever eaten. ~Thanks Dad! =)"



"...they never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o..."
THE FOX sung by: Burl Ives
or sung by: Pete Seeger
or Chandler Preparatory Academy Men's Choir

Hand sewing...

...is the kind of sewing I've been doing...

...color coded felt wrappers for my tea set/stuff.

Now I need to buy some yellow and some blueish felt for the rest of the set...

...I figured that it made more sense to make my own, that were the color of the dish inside, and told what dish it was on the outside, than to buy the ugly ready made kind.


And yes, if you give me a pretty little dish, I really will put your name on the bag.

I think that this one was from Rachel. =)

Friday, August 19, 2011

Dinner...


Last week I cooked up a mess of Liver and Onions...
This was only the second time I have ever cooked Liver, and it turned out lots better this time than last.
There are only 2 problems with Liver & Onions:
1. No one will help you eat it. =(
and
2. I can't eat very much of it at a time, so I am REALLY tired of it before I finish it.

...it was pretty good for liver...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For tonight's dinner, I oven roasted Rehoboth Ranch Chicken, with "Adrienne's Super Secret Chicken Rub" rubbed under the skin, and oil & pepper on top!
Oven temp: 370 (Mom said between 350 & 375....)
Cooking time: 30 minutes, and turned the pans, and baked for another 30.


...it was delightfully delicious...

Monday, August 15, 2011

Friends


I think that I could get used to seeing friends every week...this coming week will make 5 weeks in a row, that we had people over, or met them elsewhere!

Somehow, at first the week goes better because you are looking forward to the fun, and then the following week goes better because you are remembering all the fun! =)


This week we are:
having long lost friends for dinner, and then our neighbors across the street are having their 50th Wedding anniversary party on Saturday!


Friday, August 12, 2011

Bitter~Sweet

The weather is Lovely...a "cool front" has come in!
Or at least it was here last evening, and was here this morning. =)

~~~~~~~~~~

I've been overhauling my room this last week...I think (or I hope) that I am almost done.
I did a very sad thing.
I packed up a lot of my children, and most of their things...
..and put them in the attic.
They had to make way for the tea stuff (big girl toys).
It took me a while to do...changing their clothes,
and reminiscing...running down to show Mom something.
Bitter-sweet.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World

Monday, August 08, 2011

Together is a wonderful place to be!

Friends are the flowers in the garden of life....

I have an announcement:
I love my family & friends, and my friends & family.
I don't know what I would do with out you all!

~Thank you for putting up with me~

Saturday, August 06, 2011

A funny sounding word for you...

Enthusiast
Pronounced: en-thoo-zee-ast, -ist

1. a person who is filled with enthusiasm for some principle,pursuit, etc.; a person of ardent zeal: a sports enthusiast.

2. a religious visionary or fanatic.

or:
1. a person filled with or motivated by enthusiasm; fanatic
2. archaic a religious visionary, esp one whose zeal for religion is extravagant or unbalanced

1. zealot, devotee, fan.

Word origin/history:
c.1600,
pejorative, one who believes himself possessed of divine revelations or special communication from God, from Gk.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Orange & Pink...


Do you ever wonder why you all of a sudden notice a whole bunch of red cars,
when you didn't really see any last time you were in town???

Why was I seeing pink and orange (and ducks) today?!?
I really don't even care for orange...

(the best orange spray in the world)

(AVON toy from my G. Grandma, when I was nearing 2 yo)

(T-I-double GUH-ER!)

(~Piglet~)

(paper target)

(random ducks)

(4 pinks that all live together on the same shelf)

(does Sally remember this?!?)

(dear old measuring cups...)

(odd long pipe in the back yard...)

(Garden dwellers...)

(...you never know when you need some of these...)

(The very best (IMHO) dish soap!)

(Have you had yours today?)

(Random duck)

(sorry lighting...this really is a nice pink towel...)

(Poky! Is that how you spell his name?)

(the new flash light)

(dear OLD scissors)

(Fun CD...)

(another random duck)

(Lovely face soap! Just don't use it if you are going to pick berries...the bugs will love you!)

(Attic Shoes)

(Last duck, I promise!)

(Pretty pink paint for my attic, only $10, and it is low VOC!
It was one of those lone miss-mixed cans!)

(new dress)

(Little Lady)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So...am I the only who sees colors/things like this?