Sugar Cookies

I see 250 star shaped sugar cookies in my future. This was actually a good idea that took a wrong turn.

I thought for sure that a local grocery store would be able to make me 250 star shaped sugar cookies. Not the case--most of them have their cookies shipped in now. They don't actually make them in the store they are made at their store's headquarters. Then I called the independent bakeries all over town, some as far as 30 minutes away, everyone wanted .75 to $1 for a cookie! Some offered a 15% discount...that's still $200 bucks.

So, what are they for? We are doing "stars of thanks" at my daughter's elementary school. Originally, we were going to randomly select 100 students and asked them what they were thankful for about their school, teachers, etc. (In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme for Nov.) Then I was going to string the stars up in the teacher's lounges and put star shaped sugar cookies on a platter with drinks to the side. But when I pitched the idea to the Principal, she decided she wanted each student to participate! That's over 1,000. Good thing the school is going to handle the paper star part, and we just have to handle cookies and beverages.

Think I am going to need to find my "inner baker" for this project! And my Mother in Law just volunteered her kitchen and double oven for baking. So this may turn out to be a bunch of fun.

Change.

So, this is not necessarily a blog entry on hospitality or a recipe to share.

I have a bunch of friends going through various changes in their lives at the moment. Some of these changes life altering--health changes, family changes, gaining perspective, moving around town and abroad, caring for elderly parents and realizing they're getting older too, budget changes (like actually having one), trying to figure out how to best love their children, career changes, learning how to cope with the loss of a loved one and some who are ending hard habits to break.

Change just seems to be a topic at that moment we keep hearing about in the news with the elections, job losses, an unstable economy and health insurance woes.

One thing that doesn't change is God's love for us. I was helping my husband pick out the music for church last week and everytime I thought about this one verse, my friends kept coming to mind.

"For you are timeless and part of a puzzle.

You are winsome and young as a lad.

And there is no disease or no struggle,

that can pull you from God, Be Ye Glad."

and then the chorus

"Oh, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Every debt that you ever had

Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord,

Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad."

I love being referred to as timeless--you hear that term used when talking about great works of art or in fashion. And part of a puzzle, that is just so true! We may not always understand how we fit into the bigger scheme of things, but we are a part of something, we have a place in God's heart.....

So sweet friend, dear reader, ...I hope you know you can ask God for help, to walk through whatever the change may be. I think you'll find that He is good company.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is one of my favorite charities. My 8 year old daughter remembers the first time we packed a shoebox several years ago and looks forward to it every year. This year, she and a few of her friends asked me if they could be in charge of Operation Christmas Child for our church. How could I say "no, I won't help you?" They wanted to do something for other kids.
So, I encouraged one of them to write the Pastor to make sure he was on board, of course he said "YES!"

So, today my 8 year old and I shopped for about $15 worth of goodies to pack in a shoe box. Then she wrote a note, enclosed a picture and $7 for shipping costs. She'll show this box off at church in hopes that others will want to participate.

If you don't know OCC basically it is a program run by Samaritan's Purse out of Boone, NC. You take a shoebox, wrap it and it's lid in Christmas paper, decide boy or girl and what age, go shopping for toiletries, school supplies, lollipops, flashlights, toys, etc. Pack them up, write a note and drop it off at a location collecting the shoe boxes. They'll take it to a place where children are living in poverty. Give the boxes out and if the children are interested, they can attend a Bible class at later time.

Mostly it is just loving those who are born into circumstances that are beyond their control. One child said, " I believe that nothing is impossible to God. I believe Jesus loves me and poverty is not a hindrance to my dreams...Jesus is with me!" How sweet is that?

If you want to check it out, follow this link....http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

How To Save Electricity

I am still on my save money, save the environment kick. I read these tips on saving on electricity in Real Simple:

Don't overload the fridge. Space in the fridge helps the cold air circulate better, which maximizes efficiency. Opposite for the freezer, the tigher it is packed the better. It uses less energy this way. You can use bags of ice to fill it up.

In the fridge keep thing covered. The refrigerator has to work harder when pitchers don't have lids on them. I guess it is harder to keep them cool.

Unplug electronics when they are not in use. They draw power even if they are off.

Keep clean filters in your electric heating system or air conditioner systems.


I think it is ironic that I am posting about saving electricity and I just looked up and every light on in the house is on. Reminds me of an old country song, "Every light in the house is on, the back yard is buring like the crack of dawn. Front porch looks like runway lights...blah, blah, blah"
I know cheesy, but it popped into my head.

Recycling

I have so much I want to post on today. Mostly b/c I've been thinking about a bunch of stuff and just haven't had the time to pound it out on the computer.

I've been thinking about recycling a lot. Earlier this year our town switched our recycling bins. We went from these small green boxes to big bins on wheels about 1/2 the size of our large wheeled trash cans. It's kinda cool.

I feel like if I am not filling up that recycling bin every week, then I am not doing my part. I have found that I have gone from 3-4 trash bags in my garbage to 1-2 garbage bags and a filled to the brim recycling bin! Visible proof that the recycling program in our town works.

Which leads me to my next thought. Real Simple Magazine (my favorite mag.) has had articles the last several months on how to recycle. Crocs can be recycled. Tennis shoes. Even unused prescription medicines. These are not traditional recyclables, but the kind that the companies recycling these products send you postage and then recycle them for poor people through out the world.

Also, I just read that most recycling locations do not recycle milk caps. (The plastic takes to long to melt). That is even more incentive for me to shop at Harris Teeter for my milk. They will donate 5 cents back to my child's school for every Harris Teeter brand milk cap (one with an H) that they get back. So I can recycle the jug, the milk cap, make money for my school and they have pretty competitive prices on their milk.

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1835098,00.html

I've also given my 3 year old the job of putting the recycling items in the bin. I put a bunch of them by my door to the garage everyday and say, "Help! Help! I need someone to do the recycling!! We gotta take care of the earth." I know... such a dork I am...but she loves it!

I have a friend that actually bought a new trashcan just for recycling and she keeps it in her kitchen and then empties that into her bigger bin.

Think about it. The situation with pollution and the environment won't get better unless we start making changes. Listen to me, I sound like such a tree hugger!

Moving Furniture Around

So, if you don't have "moving men" or furniture slides, get some. I move my furniture around all the time. Mostly b/c I have an oddly shaped living room and we have gatherings at our house and well, we need to maximize the space.

Last night I set my living room up 4 different ways. We set it up the way my husband wanted to try, the way my 8 year old wanted to try and the way my mother in law wanted to try it. We haven't succeeded in find just the right set up yet, but we are working on it. As I sit on my couch today and write this blog, I am amazed at how moving your furniture around makes the place seem brighter.

I guess we all need changes from time to time.

And I haven't forgotten about posting about why God is my closest friend. I have not chickened out because I am afraid of what you'll think of me....if I tell you how I feel about the whole Jesus thing. It's just I want to say it well. So, stay tuned...

Cool Weather, Costumes, Carnival Games and Chili

Cups were for our Chili tasting contest. Each chili was assigned a number and couples shared cups to cut down on expense and trash.

We had some fun with our neighbors today. This is totally something that you could do with your neighbors.

So we decided to have a carnival theme. We decided to wear costumes, adults and kids. We decided since everyone has a chili recipe they like, maybe we could have a chili cook off. And we wanted to make this about the family/kids having fun, so we had carnival games.

But, we also had G&A, our fun-loving, friendly neighbors who hosted, decorated and really had fun with this!!!

So, here is what we did:

Chili contest- everyone tasted chili and voted on their favorite.
Carnival Games for the kids (ring toss, fishing, golf, been bag toss, pin the nose on the jack-o-latern)
Adult Costume Contest- A prize for the best guy and best girl.
Yummy desserts cupcakes for the kids and carrot cake for the adults.
And of course we had football to watch.

We numbered the chili randomly, but had a master list, so if you wanted more of a chili you liked, then you could dive in. I think people who didn't make a chili had the best time, particularly the single guys!

Mostly we had a lot of fun and a lot of good food!!

Breakfast For A Crowd

Friday I organized and headed up a PTA breakfast for the staff at my daughter's school. I've never been in charge of a meal where I had to feed 125 people and depend on over 30 other people to do their part and show up with their stuff. That was hard for this perfectionist. I think that I probably only got 3 hours of sleep b/c I was just so worried about it coming together. I finally had to get up from my bed, frustrated b/c I knew I was tired and nervous about the meal and tell God I was sorry for being such a stress case.

So here is the thing, the whole point of serving in your community is to show care and kindness to others. And I think I nearly missed the point and joy in serving, because I was so worked up!

But here is what I learned:

1) Hashbrown Casseroles, quiches and breakfast casseroles were a hit!
2) Fresh fruit is essential
3) They didn't eat donuts
4) Coffee Cake went over well
5) Good coffee is so important

I think the main mission of the breakfast was achieved: Show the teachers and staff we appreciate them. And I think they felt appreciated.

I have a friend that has just launched a local floral business. She made the flower arrangement at the top of the page. Isn't it gorgeous? Fresh Flowers made the event even nicer.

All Those McDonald's Happy Meal Toys

Okay, so this isn't as much about hospitality as it is just a tip for people who have lots of little McDonald's Happy Meal Toys, extra party favors from kids birthdays, Polly Pockets and Matchbox cars sitting around that aren't getting used.

Bag them up! Drop them off at the front desk of the local elementary school. They'll give them to the teachers as prize box goodies. This makes space for you at your house, gives back to your community, helps teachers save money and if you've ever seen a little kid looking through a prize box-it really brightens up their day!

Just something to think about.

So, much to do!

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. I've been on vacation.

As soon as I recover from my vacation to Disney, I'll start posting some good stuff again.

Homemade Cakes!

Okay, first of all- I can't take credit for this. My friend Laura did this. She is quite talented as you can see. It is inspiring though. It kinda makes me want to venture or dabble in cake decorating a bit. My Grandma (Mimi) used to do cake baking and decorating as a ministry to others who couldn't afford elaborate wedding cakes.

One of my favorite Mimi cakes ever, was her Easter cake. Oh, it was fabulous. A basket and bunny shaped cake, with easter egg shaped cupcakes. Oh, those were marvelous! Once there was time Mimi made a girl scout cake fore me shaped like a little girl in a brownie uniform. I see pictures of it now and remember how special I felt.

My sister is the only one who has her cake recipe. Every once in awhile my sis will bake Mimi's recipe and I'll bite into the cake or cupcake and tears will just well up in my eyes. It is just like Mimi is there with us, a piece of her for us to cherish and remember.

What's so neat about Laura's cake is first of all it is Pablo from Backyardigans!!! 2nd of all it looks way professional. But most of all, her son will be able to look back at this picture and say, "My Mommy did this for me." And that'll be a memory he'll get to cherish.