Christmas Baking

So this year I decided to do a lot of baking so that I could share plates of goodies with neighbors & friends. Those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook have seen all my tweets about my baking. So I thought I'd share the recipes I used this year. All of these recipes are peanut/nut free as my daughter is severely allergic. I use Blue Bonnet Margarine everywhere it says butter or margarine. I use Meijer semi-sweet chocolate chips (Nestle's are not peanut/nut free!). If you have any questions about any of these recipes, feel free Hope you all enjoy!

Christmas Plate Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nestle TollHouse modified)
2 ¼ c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter - melted
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz bag Meijer Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven 375º
Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar & vanilla. Add eggs.
Gradually beat in flour, baking soda & salt. Add more flour if needed until spoon stays upright in dough. Stir in Chocolate Chips
Bake 8 ½ - 9 minutes.

Cookie Cutter Sugar Cookies (Joyce Young)
2 c. butter
3 c. powdered sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
6 c. flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugar & beat until fluffy. Add eggs & vanilla. Add flour, soda & cream of tartar & stir in. Batter will be stiff. Refrigerate. Roll on lightly floured surface & cut with floured cookie cutters. Bake 6 to 7 minutes at 375º. Cool and decorate as desired. To decorate with sugars only, sprinkle sugar on cookies before baking.

Buttercream Icing (Joyce Young)
½ c. shortening
½ c. butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar (1 lb.)
2 Tbsp milk

Cream butter & shortening, add vanilla. Add sugar 1 c. at a time, beating well on medium speed. Icing will appear dry. Add milk & beat at high speed until light & fluffy. Tint with food colors as desired. Keep icing covered with damp cloth when not using. store in refrigerator. To make icing spreading consistency, add 1 to 2 Tbsp extra milk.

Chocolate Peppermint Candies (Jeanne Fry on Allrecipes.com)
¾ c. sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract
4 c. confectioners’ sugar
3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening

In bowl, combine milk & extract. Stir in 3 ½ to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar to form a stiff dough.  Turn onto a surface sprinkled lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Knead in enough remaining sugar to form a dough that is very stiff & no longer sticky. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Flatten into 1 ½ inch circles. Let dry 1 hour.  Turn & let dry 1 hour longer. Melt chocolate chips & shortening in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl; cool slightly. Dip patties in chocolate mixture & place on waxed paper to harden. **Note: Next time I'm going to actually roll out the dough & cut circles rather than do it in balls. I think it will be more uniform.

Prepare Creamy Christmas Peppermints (Shaheen Bilgrami from www.education.com)
¼ cup or 4 Tbsp cream cheese
several drops peppermint extract
1 cup powdered sugar
red food coloring

add peppermint extract to cream cheese. gradually add powdered sugar & mix until mixture forms soft dough. Break of ¼ dough & add few drops red food coloring. Mix until ball is completely red. Loosely combine the red & white doughs so that the dough has marbled effect. Sprinkle powdered sugar onto surface & roll out dough (about ¼ inch thick). cut out festive shapes using cooking cutters. Leave candies to dry on waxed paper. Refrigerate candies if not eating them right away. **Note: This took almost double the powdered sugar in order to get it stiff enough to roll out. Was very messy to work with.

Chocolate Snow Balls! (Dina Brooks from www.education.com)
½ cup plus 3 Tbsp (11 Tbsp total) softened butter softened butter
¼ cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¾ c. all purpose flour
3 Tablespoon cocoa
½ cup confectioner’s sugar plus 1 cup, separated.

Preheat oven 350º
Mix butter until creamy & fluffy. add evaporated milk & vanilla. carefully stir one at a time: flour, cocoa & sugar into butter. Shape into balls about 1” wide & place on baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes. Immediately roll in 1 cup powdered sugar. Allow to cool completely, 15 -20 minutes. sift remaining powdered sugar over snowballs.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies (recipes.bhg.com)
1 ½ c. flour
½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
½ c. butter softened
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla
10 oz jar maraschino cherries
1 c. (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
½ c. sweetened condensed milk

Mix flour & cocoa & set aside. In another bowl, beat butter until softened. Add sugar, salt, baking powder & baking soda. Beat until well combined. Add egg & vanilla. Beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Shape dough into 1 inch balls on ungreased baking sheet. Press center of each ball with thumb.

Drain maraschino cherries, reserving juice. Place cherry into center of each cookie.

In small saucepan combine chocolate chips & sweetened condensed milk. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 tsp of reserved cherry juice.  Spoon about 1 tsp of frosting over each cherry on unbaked cookie, spreading to cover cherry. (thin frosting with additional cherry juice if needed). Bake in 350º oven for 10 min or until done.

Easy Fantasy Fudge (from Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme Jar)
¾ c (1 ½ sticks) butter
3 c sugar
⅔ c evaporated milk (5 oz can)
Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add 1 12 oz package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Add 1 jar (7 oz) Puffed Marshmallow creme & 1 tsp vanilla

**Note: This is the old recipe from the Marshmallow creme Jar. I haven't tried the new recipe that takes baker's chocolate squares. You can double the recipe ( I had large jar of marshmallow) but it's harder to work with & stir so completely mixed.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows (Wendy Fouse)
1 bag marshmallows (can use regular or miniature size)
1 box candy canes unwrapped & crushed (put in ziploc bag to crush)
Bark Coating Chocolate - 6 cubes

Melt 6 cubes of bark chocolate in microwave  for 1 min in glass container or measuring cup, remove, stir to break up cubes, return to microwave & do 30 seconds at a time until chocolate is completely melted & creamy. Carefully roll 1 marshmallow at a time in chocolate, coating all sides (toothpicks are great help here). Sprinkle or dip coated marshmallows in crushed candy & then place on foil or wax paper to set. **Note - I used Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate as none of the coating chocolates were peanut/nut free.

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies (Amy Hengst from education.com)
2 ¼ c. flour
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp fresh, grated ginger (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
¾ c. margarine, softened
1 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
¼ c. molasses
2 Tbsp. white sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix Flour, dried ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves & salt in bowl. In another bowl, cream together margarine & 1 cup sugar until light & fluffy. Then beat in egg & stir in water, fresh ginger & molasses. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until creamy & well mix. Shape dough into walnut sized balls & roll in 2 Tbsp sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet & flatten slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes. For softer cookies, take them out earlier. For crispier cookies, let them bake couple of minutes longer. Store in airtight container.

Twitter Thankfulness Project

So over the Thanksgiving week, I twittered a series of tweets that expressed things I am thankful for. So I thought I'd post them all here in my blog for those who are not on twitter. So here goes...

1. I'm thankful for good tires on our van as we travel in cold, rainy weather.
2. Thankful for music & a family that loves it. Nothing like playing RockBand together or singing in the van together
3. Thankful for my Hubby. He's great provider, hubby, dad, trainer, caretaker, computer geek & lover! He isn't perfect, but he is the best!
4. Thankful for my oldest girl. She is so smart, remembers everything, loves to talk. Anything she sets her mind to, she will accomplish!
5. Thankful for my boy. He loves outdoors & doing boy stuff! But his tender heart is something I pray he never loses! He gives best hugs!
6. Thankful for my baby girl. She's very dramatic, full of life, loving & carefree! Don't be surprised if you see her on big screen someday!
7. Very Thankful for my in-laws. They are best any girl could hope for. They've always treated me as part of family & love to take my kids!
8. Thankful for warm clothes & warm house in midst of cold weather! So blessed.
9. So thankful that God has given me ability to bake/cook wonderful desserts. I love the joy I see on the faces of those who eat my goodies!
10. Thankful for men/women who are/were willing to fight for freedom. They are true Heroes! Don't forget to thank military people u know!
11. Thankful that the ground is warm enough to melt the freezing rain we are having!
12. Thankful for time spent w/family sharing stories & enjoying each others company. So much fun.
13. Thankful for my health. Even though I have chronic problems, it could be much worse! I can get out of bed & function fairly normal!
14. Thankful Jesus came to earth to die for my sins & rose again so that I might live w/Him forever. Such Grace/Mercy that I don't deserve!!
15. Thankful for DVDs in van & DSs. Without which I'd have to listen to fighting & arguing all the way home!
16. Thankful for lifelong friends who I've known forever & don't let time/distance stand in our way! They are like siblings to me!
17. Thankful for my church family. They love, support, encourage, & pray for me & my family. You are what a church family is supposed to be!
18. Thankful for my Internet friends, many of whom I've never met! You've encouraged me, cheered me on & kept me company on sleepless nights
19. Thankful for @CSunset! Even though we've never met, you've become a bestfriend who has encouraged me & held me accountable at times! TY!
20. Thankful for my brother-in-law Neal! I love his handshakes & watching him spin anything! Can't wait till we get to Heaven & can really talk!
21. Thankful for our treasured friends @Showfam5. What started as Jeff & Jeff turned into full family friendship. Can't wait till NY eve!
22. Thankful for freedom to display a nativity on our front lawn & to celebrate Christ's birth w/o fear of government persecution!
23. Thankful for police officers & firefighters who put their lives on the line daily to protect & save us!
24. Thankful for my parents who've always loved me, supported me & shown Christ's love to me, been awesome grandparents & in-laws to hubby!
25. Thankful for my meds & TENS unit that help keep my fibromyalgia under control so I can be the wife/mom I need to be.
26. Thankful my Hubby has been home so much this month & will be home over 1/2 of next month! Loving that he can tuck kids in at night!
27. Thankful I can get out of bed this morning & cold rain has not made me too achy. Pain is there but manageable today.
28. Thankful for a day that I get to spend with my extended family!
29. Thankful for my Mamaw! She loves the Lord. She loves me! She taught me her love of crafting, sewing, quilting & other handiwork!
30. Very thankful our families understand seriousness of J's peanut/treenut allergy & keep nuts away from our celebrations to keep her safe!
31. Thankful for paved roads. Without them we probably would be staying home or be stuck somewhere on a muddy road!
32. Thankful for freedom to be able homeschool my kids & provide them an education based on Biblical world view not evolution one!
33.Thankful God has turned my inadequate attempts at parenting into good results. My kids have tender hearts, love God, are polite & loving.
34. Thankful for all my wonderful family & all the good conversation & laughs.
35. Thankful for the beautiful world God created, including rain! My God is so creative! Can't imagine how awesome Heaven will be!
36. Thankful for my Hubby. He's my soulmate, bestfriend, husband, protector, provider, encourager & lover. God provided perfect man for me!
37. I'm thankful over 1/2 of cherry delight was eaten b/c I'm only one in this house who likes it. Now maybe I won't make myself sick on it!
38. Thankful for all the years of safe travel God has blessed me with.
39. Thankful for ears that can hear the sound of my kids' laughter. That brings joy to my heart!
40. Thankful for another get-together that has passed w/o my oldest having reaction to peanuts/tree-nuts! 7 years w/o serious reaction!
41. Thankful for crazy hubby who loves his kids so much he's willing to stand in line at ToysRUs in order to stretch our Christmas budget!
42. Thankful for Facebook. Because of it, I can keep up w/friends, catch up on old friends I haven't seen in ages & share my life w/you all!
43. Thankful for indoor toilets. Can't imagine having to go out in cold & dark to go!!
44. Thankful for McDs SweetTea & my wonderful Hubby who brought me some in midst of his Black Friday shopping. I think I'm addicted to both!

45. Thankful for great Bible study books we have access to here in US to help us study God's Word!
46. Thankful for easy to fix foods like Tv dinners, pizza, pasta, cereal, etc. They've helped me feed my family when my fibromyalgia flares!
47. Thankful for video games my hubby & kids can play together! Yes, I have a house full of Geeks!!
48. Thankful for hot water for showers b/c it helps my fibromyalgia!
49. Thankful for a God who is all-knowing & all-powerful. He knows all that happens on this earth. Far beyond what we know & understand.
50. Thankful that God's Mercies are renewed daily. I don't have to be perfect, just humble & repentant.
51. Thankful for my Savior that I can run to when unthinkable things happen knowing that He knows the truth & gives peace to those involved.
52. Thankful that I serve a God who answers Prayer!!
53. Thankful for a pastor that preaches the Bible, even the difficult, convicting things.

This list is only the tip of the iceberg of all the things I'm thankful for!!

Reason I'm Thankful I Home School!

As public school starts back, I've been reminded over & over again why I'm glad I home school! So I thought I'd share a few of those reasons with you!

I'm glad I homeschool because:
1. I don't have to send my kids away every day. I actually enjoy having them around!
2. I don't have to schedule our day around the school's schedule. We get up when we want. We stay up till we want.
3. My kids don't have to spend 6 hrs in school followed by 2-3 hrs of homework. Usually 3-4 hours of solid school work & we are done for the day.
4. I don't have to deal with school bus problems whether that be bad drivers, unsafe bus stops or whatever.
5. I don't have to listen to my kids whine that they don't like their teacher. If they don't like me, then we have a problem.
6. I don't have to explain to my kids that behavior they learn from their "peers" is not socially appropriate. They have enough ingrained bad behavior without learning more from their "peers".
7.I don't have to repair damage done to their faith after being taught creation is a lie & that they evolved from goo! We discuss evolution, but they don't have it forced fed to them!
8. We can go on field trips when places are empty because everyone else is in school. Hitting the zoo with less people is fun as is other field trips.
9. We don't have to get up at 6am to get ready for school. Only 1 of my kids is a morning person, so we adjust our days to fit our personalities.
10. We can do school in our PJs. No need to have struggles over what to wear.
11. We can stray from our lesson plans to answer questions & do research on topic our lessons stir interest in. Kids learn so much better when it is something they are invested in & want to learn.
12. My kids can learn using their learning style, not just by listening to teacher talk. My hands on learner & visual learner do well, not just my auditory learner!
13. My kids have low student to teacher ratio! 3 to 1 - can't beat that ratio!!
14. We can take vacations when places are less crowded not just when school is on break.
15. Learning can be integrated into every part of our lives, not just when school is in session. Learning happens at the grocery store, the park, while watching tv & disussing shows, everywhere, anytime!
16. My kids can work at their own level in each subject. If struggling in math they can be a grade behind. If excelling, they can be one or two grades ahead.
17. We can travel with Hubby & not miss school but also not miss fantastic learning opportunities. School in hotel room & then going to museums & historical sites has been a blessing plus having more daddy/kid time!
18. My kids can learn from real books, not just textbooks. Nothing like reading real novels, historical biographies, journals & the like.
19. My kids get to learn life skills (laundry, cooking, cleaning, finances, etc) as well as academic skills. They are going to be very balanced in life.
20. My kids learn how to communicate with people of all ages, not just those their own age.
21. I get to be there when they have that "ah-ha" moment when they finally understand a difficult concept!
22. We have more family time & my kids grow closer together!
23. My kids can stay kids longer! They don't have to act 16 at age 10 because all their classmates are.
24. My kids have time to experiment & play because 75% of their day is not tied up in being at school & doing homework for school.
25. We can fit school into our lives and not fit our lives around school. School is important, but it doesn't have to dominate what we do, where we go & when we do it.
26. My kids work at their level, not at the level the average student is at. So they aren't bored or completely frustrated.
27. My kids have a say in what they study so they are more eager to study it. Yes, some subjects you just have to do, but why not teach "rocks" if they are interested in "rocks".
28. We have time to make Bible study & Bible memory a part of our day.
29. My kids develop critical thinking skills because we teach them to question things they don't understand & research answers. We also discuss shows we watch & thing we see other kids doing.
30. My kids can be themselves & don't have to conform to school's idea of behavior, dress & thinking.
31. I don't have to spend my time going to school meetings & doing fundraising for school. Parent teacher conference for me involves talking to myself & I do that everyday anyway!
32. I don't have to spend tons of money on school books that my kids don't get to keep. I have a friend who's kid has to do homework without his book because he isn't allowed to take it home. That is crazy!
33. I don't have to spend months teaching my kids how to take & pass ISTEP tests! We can learn real life-applicable things & not just how to take a test & pass it.
34. I don't have to spend 4-6 weeks reviewing everything kids learned last year just so we can teach new concepts. We school pretty much year round so a quick review gets us rolling again.
35. I get to spend time with my kids, see them grow & know they are learning to their potential what the need to learn to be successful in life. I get to challenge them to be extraordinary & not just to get by!

So these are just a few of the reasons I'm thankful I homeschool! I know homeschooling is not for everyone, but I'm so blessed that God has called us to homeschool & can't imagine life any other way!!

I Don't Belong Here....

I have decided that I don't really belong here! I don't fit in. My thinking is bizarre... I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but here's just a few of the reasons why I think this:

1. I'm happy my kids are home with me! - I hear/read posts from so many of my friends that are so excited that school is back in session & their kids are back in school. Now, don't get me wrong, I do wish at times I had more "me" time. But overall, I'm very glad I'm not sending my kids away for 8 hours a day! I enjoy being around them. I enjoy teaching them. I enjoy having lots of family times! Yes, they drive me crazy sometimes! And there are even times I'm jealous of those who send their kids to school & get to do their home chores in peace. But I'd miss my kids if they went off to school.

2. I love spending time with my hubby! - So many people I know can't wait to be away from their husbands or wives. If I had it my way, I'd be with hubby all the time! He's my best friend! I'd rather go out with him than with the girls. He wins every time!!

3. I'm not a cook from scratch, sew my own clothes homeschooler! - so, this makes me not fit in to the general world because I homeschool. It also makes me not fit in to the homeschooling world because I don't cook from scratch, we don't sew our own clothes, I don't have more than 5 kids, I own a tv, my kids listen to music other than classical & we embrace technology! Now, I know not all homeschoolers do that stuff. And I know that some of the world that doesn't homeschool does do that stuff. But on average, I don't fit in.

4. I'm an older parent - What I mean is this: Most of my friends that are my age (pushing 40) have kids that are all grown up or at least almost out of high school. My kids are 10, 7 & 5. The parents of my kids' friends are mostly in their 20s or early 30s! So, I feel like I don't fit in.

Ok, enough reasons. You get the point. But, I'm not posting this to complain. I'm just excited that for once in my life, I don't care that I'm different & don't fit in. All my life I've not "fit in" for some reason or another (weight, country girl at city church, shy, good girl when everyone else in class smoke/drank, etc....). I've always hated it & let it depress me. But I've finally come to the point where I like who I am! And I don't care what others think of me. The only thing that matters is what Jesus thinks of me! He's my savior & creator! He made me unique! He made me the way I am for a reason! So, I am embracing it!

I am different! I don't belong here! I was made for eternity! So, I will continue being who I am! So, who am I? I'm a Bible Believing sinner saved by grace!  I'm a wife to the best Hubby in the world. I am mother to 3 bright, wonderful, beautiful kids whom I homeschool! I live in Chronic pain so we do things differently in our house because of it. We are a tech-savy, boxed food eating, junk food eating, 80s music loving, travel when we can, Jesus loving, messy house, short-cut taking, Uniquely weird family! And we love it!! Why? Because God made us this way!! So if you want some want to know some unique, weird people who will love you for who you are, then you've come to the right place!!!

Patiently Waiting....

I hate to wait! And lately it seems like waiting on God's timing is my life lesson at this time! I'm realizing more & more that God's timing is definitely not MY timing!

In my timing, Hubby would already have a non-traveling job here and be home every night with us! But it's not God's timing!

In my timing, I would not have sciatica right now! I have lots to do & have responsibility for 3 kids by myself during the week. But that's NOT Gods timing! God allowed my sciatica to happen & graciously allowed my parents to be able to help me! And in my timing I'd be completely better, but in God's timing healing is taking longer.

In my timing, we'd be ahead on bills & debts would be paid off. But in God's timing that hasn't been able to happen yet.

In my timing.... In my timing...

God's timing is not my timing! God has plans for me that I don't understand. Plus, He sees the big picture that I do not. So my timing is nothing. Because God says: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." So I may have plans but they fail in comparison to the plans God has for me! So I must wait patiently on God's timing! Even though sometimes it is very hard!