Dear Sweet Peas: Tinkerbell

I know that you, Little Sweet Pea, are obsessed with all things Tinkerbell & Pan. I only encourage you in that wondrous imagination of yours by sending you fairy wings, and a teeny Tinker in her lantern. You're only little once, and this is a magical time for you. 
SO Tinker is on her way to you.  
She will be flying over in an airplane because her tiny wings would be all worn out from the flight over the ocean. It's such a big, big water to us and even bigger for her! She will be bringing something for Brother Sweet Pea & Daddy to put together, and something for Mommy to read.Tink will tell you how much your Nan & Pappy love you all and our secrets. So listen closely, and she might tell you things like how she saw Nanny & Pappy hugging and watching fireworks from the window, and how she heard the noisy firework LATE last night and told Patty Dog, "Don't be afraid!" She saw Nanny read her bible and talk to God, and heard Pappy & Uncle A fixing the side of the house.Tinker might tell you to remember that little girls can pretend to fly like fairies, but only pretend. No jumping off of tall things. Daddy is great for a "take off!" flight. 

I'm so glad I get to Skype with you and brother. Glad that Tinkerbell wasn't too shy to talk to you. 

Here's a picture of Nanny's shadow that I took at your house one night. I thought of Peter Pan when I saw my shadow. I'm glad my shadow sticks close by me and never runs away.

Christmas Candies: Homemade Tag-a-Longs, Reese's Bars, Divinity, Coconut Bon-Bons, Toffee, Tea Cakes & Chocolate-Covered Cherries

Christmas Goodies like these have always been THE gift to our favorite families. 

Everyone has their favorite. Bon-Bons are probably mine. I can remember Momma sometimes also dipped the Bon-Bons in melted butterscotch chips or cherry chips. This year I did almond bark and chocolate-covered ones. The toffee was a new candy for me to make this year. I followed the directions to sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let them melt and spread the chocolate. It didn't work out so well. The chips didn't melt right even when I popped it into the oven. So if there's  next time I will melt the chocolate and pour over the set toffee. It's still yummy.

Here's the link for the "Better than Lofthouse" Tea Cake recipe  which is my great grandmother's recipe. 

Chocolate-Covered Cherries directions are here.

The Tag-A-Longs are just 2 Ritz crackers with peanut butter spread in the middle, then dipped in chocolate. I like to mix chocolate almond bark or milk chocolate with semi-sweet chocolate.

Recipe for Bon-Bons will be here.

Reese's Bars recipe is here.

I did not use it, but this is the Toffee recipe from Pioneer Woman's site. I wanted the brown sugar one that I can't find. My recipe will be here eventually. It's only 1 c. brown sugar, 1 cup butter, dash salt.

Dear Sweet Peas - Deer in the middle of the day

I saw deer in the middle of the hot, hot day. Maybe they needed water. It's been so dry and the branch in the woods drys up in the summer. (A branch is a small stream that branches from, or to a larger stream or creek as we say here.) I was having a hard day. 

I was sad. I said to your aunt Carla, "I think God sent the fawn to me." She said, "I was thinking the same thing."

I needed to see the fawn that particular day. God is good to me, but I don't know why. I'm thinking of Psalm 42 which starts: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."
 And the Psalm ends: "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God" See, He did send the fawn.

A fawn comes out of the woods and looks back toward the trees. 

I hear a snort and then...here comes Mommy.

She knows I'm there somewhere. She can hear a clicking from the shutter.

She thinks if she stomps I will move and she can see me.

"You can't see me on this side of the tree"

"Or this side."

Going back into the trees using the road.

One last look to try to see me.


"As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”  These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
    under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
    among the festive throng.

 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;
    therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
    the heights of Hermon —from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep
    in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
    have swept over me.

 By day the Lord directs his love,
    at night his song is with me—
    a prayer to the God of my life.

 I say to God my Rock,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
    oppressed by the enemy?”  My bones suffer mortal agony
    as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”

 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God." 

~ Psalm 42

Chocolate-Covered Cherries

Chocolate-Covered Cherries for Valentine's Day

My honey LOVES these. Store bought are just not the same. These are a surprise, so shhhhh, don't tell.

Ingredients:

• 2 jars of maraschino cherries, drained and dried on layers of paper towel (aprox. 60)
• 4 Tab. butter
• 4 Tab. light corn syrup or honey
• 3 c. or more of powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 lbs. chocolate, either a mixture of dark and white chocolate chips or other quality  chocolate, melted.

Keep the drained cherries on paper towels drying while you work.

In a largish bowl:

Don't be afraid to use your hands.

Make CERTAIN that your cherries are nice and dry before the next step.
Even if you have to hand dry each one individually.

While cherries are getting firm you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If you are like me, who has NEVER owned a double boiler use a small saucepan sitting inside a larger pan with a small amount of almost boiling water. DO NOT let even one speck of water get in the chocolate. It will cause the chocolate to seize, which is sort of like when milk clots. Then all it will be good for is to pour out on waxed paper and chop up for putting in cookies.

You may have a few weepy ones when you take them out to dip, and that's okay. Storing in the fridge will keep them from getting too messy.

After they are all dipped and starting to harden, loosen them and see if the undersides are sealed with chocolate. If not put a little dollop of chocolate on the naked spots and let set. Store in the refrigerator for a week or so to ripen. That means they will get a little more gooey on the inside the longer you can hold out from eating them, but your family will wonder why you have a recent love affair with the fridge if you try to sneak in and snag one too often for taste testing just to "check and see if they are ready".

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Sunrises and sunsets with my honey

Fruity Spinach Salad

I'm all about saving money by figuring out how I can make something at home for less. This recipe was inspired from three different sources: TV guy I saw make something similar, Panera Bread and the Wednesday night church salad bar. I can eat a whole huge bowl of this stuff! Eat it with one of my Sandwiches - not Just For Kids, or add some chicken to the salad for a meal. It's like having dinner and dessert at the same time! Feel free to add mandarin oranges or fresh pineapple, or to subtract other fruit. 

Fruity Spinach Salad

• Fresh or bagged Spinach (whole bag if for a crowd)
• Blueberries (or blackberries, raspberries...)
• Strawberries
• Walnuts (or pecans)
• Purple Onion
• Feta Cheese crumbles

Wash spinach in a colander and take the stems off the larger leaves while it drains. Wash fruit. Cap and quarter strawberries. Very thinly slice a small portion of the purple onion and cut into pieces. 

Place spinach in the bowl first then top with the rest of the beautiful ingredients. Drizzle the strawberry dressing over salad right before serving, or serve it on the side for guests to drizzle desired amount. 

Strawberry Dressing

• 1/4 c. Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 c. Honey (could cut this down a little)
• 1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 4 large Strawberries

  Throw all together into a blender or food processor and blend until berries are fairly smooth.

Counting My Favorites

Some of my Favorites are.....

Little Grandsons and Animals...

New Baby Granddaughters and Buttery Soft Skin...

Perfect Roses...

The Color Blue, I love blue and old, Old Wood...

Mountains, the majesty, the enormity, the peace...

Miss Patty Dog and Snow...

My Kindhearted, Smart, Wonderful Kids...

My Honey's Hands and The Word...

A New Godly Generation...

Silhouettes of Bare, Leafless Trees...

All my favorites serve to remind me that I often say I must be one of HIS favorites, otherwise how, how, how, could HE forgive ME and cast my failings as far as the east is from the west and choose to remember them no more?? Actually, there's absolutely nothing that I can do to make myself acceptable to God. THAT is why He died in my place and raised from the dead to pay my penalty. 
I can never be good enough on my own.
The Lord God is who I owe gratitude for the blessings of each new day 
and every favorite that comes into my life.
You can be one of His favorites too.

Psalm 103:8-18

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15 The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts. 

My Most Favorite Video EVER!