He Is Risen!

This is a special time of year to reflect on the wonderful story of Easter.  Growing up, our children were always taught, yes, the Easter bunny will bring baskets at Easter and that is so cool.  We would dye eggs every year, have egg hunts in the back yard or we would go to an Easter egg hunt.  I have all kinds of Easter decorations, lots of bunnies and Easter eggs and spring decorations.  There was lots of excitement in the air for those fun things to be had, but we always made sure that our kids knew it was not about the bunny.

Easter is about the trial, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all things He went through so that those believing in Him will be saved and live in everlasting life.  The following video presents the price paid by Jesus for our redemption.  (Click the following link if you cannot see it on your tablet or smartphone, "Redeemed by the Blood of The Lamb")

The decorations that mean the most to me are the clay figurines of Jesus as he came out of the tomb on Easter morning.

The stone was rolled away! Mary, Jesus mother, and Mary Magdalene are outside of the tomb.  Roman guards are standing to the side and there also stands an angel.  At the top of the hill is an empty cross, that says "He Is Risen!"

It was on a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby with my two girls that I found these favorite Easter pieces.  They are nothing fancy, but they say all about Easter that we need to know.

There is another superb video below that I hope you all take time to watch.  It also describes what Jesus went through.  Listen for the part about Peter denying he even knows Jesus, just as many in our world do today.  The message of Easter, again, is that by His death we can be forgiven if we believe in Him.  He is alive for me and my family.  He is alive for you too, if you believe in Him.  For those of you who cannot see it on your tablets or smartphones because they need to be equipped for flash videos, click the following link, He's Alive!

 

The truth of scripture is something we took very seriously in our home.  The Bible counsels us to teach them diligently to your children, and talk of them when you sit in your home, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:7).  Sometimes, as adults grow older, it is harder for them to accept the simplicity of the gospel.  That is why the Lord counsels us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

One thing I always remember as Easter comes around is that we, almost every year, had an Easter program at church.   For many years I had the privilege of directing the children's program which usually had many songs in it as well as speaking parts.  I particularly remember one year we were serving in a country church in Virginia.  There was a little girl in the choir and her name was Jenny. Her one line for the program was the scripture, "He is not here, for He is risen as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay." (Matthew 28:6)  That was over 25 years ago and I will never forget the country twang, but the genuine sincerity with which Jenny would say her verse.  You see children just believe.

The thrill I see as a mom is that both my daughters and my son and His wife decorate with much emphasis on the cross of Christ.  We sing the old hymns like "The Old Rugged Cross" & "He Arose", along with many others.

Yes the "Easter Mantle" one of my daughters put up in her home reminds everyone entering her home where her and her family's heart is.  Make sure family, friends and guests always see Christ in your life and sense His presence in your home.  That can be a great witness for the One who gave His life for us!

Thank you all for the opportunity to share this Easter message with you.  May the Lord guide you and keep you and your family all the rest of your days.

Beautifulicious Banana Bread

A friend of mine went to Walmart the other day with a craving for bananas.  No, they don't drag their knuckles when they walk.  Now, my friend is not what you would call a power shopper, especially for fruits and vegetables.  But, the tickler sign saying $15.60 for 40 pounds of bananas got their attention.  "What a deal!" they thought.  At $0.39 per pound, it was just too good to pass up.

It cracked me up when they told me a couple of weeks later that they had to throw half of them away because they turned black.

Ickey-yickey!

They admitted that their stomach was doing their thinking when they were shopping.  But, seriously, we have all had bananas turn black on us before we could scarf them down.

As I was gently laughing with my friend, I told them how I never had to throw blackened bananas away.  "Really?" my friend asked in an unbelieving tone.  "Straight-up," I said.

There are a lot of things you can do with bananas.  (Checking this place out will make you think you are the Forrest Gump of Bananas: 100 Banana Uses).  I can save them for when I am ready to use them by putting them in a Ziploc bag and freeze them if and when they do turn black.

My favorite thing to do with bananas I don't outright eat is to make Banana Bread.  When you have 4 frozen bananas, just thaw them out and make a loaf of Banana Bread.  Freeze a bunch of bananas and you can make a bunch of Banana Bread.

I have been using the same Banana Bread recipe for over 35 years.  It's in a homemade recipe book my sister made for me. I put it in a folder so that recipes can be added to it. This recipe has been in our family forever and I wonder how many bananas have been saved and enjoyed because of it!  Here is the recipe:  

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
4 overripe bananas

(I use self-rising flour, therefore I never use salt and soda)

Here are the ingredients:

Thaw out the bananas if they were frozen.  Then, mash the bananas in a bowl.  Don't forget that four bananas make a loaf.  And with a little music or imagination, you can do the mash banana while you do, just swing your hips as you mash (insert "banana" for "potato" and click this link to do the latest dance craze as you cook, The Mash Banana!!!!!:>):

In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar, and add eggs and beat and mix well

Then, sift flour, salt and soda and bananas and mix well:

You can see that I am using my hand mixer, but you could use a stand mixer as well.  By the way, Amazon has a hand mixer you can get for under $9.00 and a hand & stand combo mixer, normally $32.49, that can be had for under $20.00.

Pour the well-mixed batter into a well-greased, floured loaf pan

Place on the center over rack and bake in 350-degree oven for one hour.

It is ready when the loaves are golden brown.  You can also stick a toothpick or a small knife in it, and if it comes out without batter sticking to it, it is ready.

If you are using the smaller loaf pans pictured, they only need 20-30 minutes to bake in 350-degree oven.

They're all ready.  That wonderful banana smell makes me want to lick my lips.

Now that is Beautifulicious!!!!!!!!

Optional ideas: You may put walnuts or pecans in the batter. Also you can put butter on top of the bread after baking and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar. Another idea is to spread a layer of butter cream or cream cheese icing after it has cooled. Some like to spread cream cheese on a slice of the bread. I like it warm with butter (Whatever your tastes prefer). The sky is the limit!!

My two daughters and my daughter-in-law love Banana Bread and they know many loaves have been baked in our home by me or them. It has been a joke with them through the years. "Mom would you be sure and save us some?" The little loaves are just a fun thing to pass around! Yes, I do always try and save them some.

Banana bread loaves freeze really well. And it's a great thing to pull out and defrost if you find out at the last minute that company is on their way. Just put on a pot of coffee and they will think you have been baking all afternoon! 

You can also make the small loaves and make a little basket to give to a friend for a birthday, give to a shut in, a neighbor or if you have a relative or friend stop in and you just want to give them a treat. It's a very nice way to show a little bit of tender love and kindness!! Enjoy!!

I love the wonderful memories these recipes bring to mind. Let me know how how you liked the recipe if you try it, and of course share any new twists and ideas you have about this or other recipes.  I'd love to try yours too!

Did Somebody Say CAKE!!!!

Great Idea janicemr!!!!

Here is janicemr's Comment of an idea to turn the Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe into a Chocolate Chip Cake.  And because of the pics you sent me that go with the great idea comment, I am turning it into a post for all to enjoy.

I enjoyed making the chocolate chip cookies and thought of extending that to something else I wanted to share.

I doubled the recipe for the chocolate chip cookie recipe to make a Cookie Cake which I also decorated after it cooked for my son-in-law’s birthday.  You can use the same cookie pan mentioned in the cookie recipe, but I kind of think of a cake as being round.  So, basically I made a real big round cookie by filling a pizza pan with the chocolate chip cookie dough about ¼ inch thick.

This is before it goes in the oven.

The dough will rise and spread a little bit, so leave about an inch of room around the dough.  And of course you can make it thicker, but then you need to make sure the center cooks as uniformly as the edges of the cookie cake.  Here is what mine looked like after about 12 minutes in the oven at the same temperature as called for in the cookie recipe.

I love homemade icing.  But, I was pressed for time and used some Cream Cheese icing out of a can that I already had.

The fun stuff came next.  Decorating the cake is where I can bring smiles to everyone’s faces; in fact I usually have a constant smile on my face while I am doing it.

I could have used M&M’s to decorate.  But the cake had enough chocolate in it, so I had some Skittles lying around and used them for the eyes and nose and mouth.  I added some plastic balloons and a happy birthday sign!  I topped it all off with Pretzels for spikey hair with green sprinkles under that!

And many more ... to a hundred and four!

Here is my son-in-law, spikey hair and all saying, Let's Eat!

Pinky Thingy: Spring Cleaning Game Changer

Do you ever feel that you are stuck in a rut?  The weather has you down, perhaps.  The harsh winter we had this year sure was a bummer.  Or maybe you are just bored.  I think lasting ideas mothers can pass onto daughters include how to literally transform household attitudes by announcing their own change in attitude.  It is basically like saying, “Prepare for a new Day!”

Spring time to me is always a sure sign of new beginnings! The trees and flowers bloom so beautifully and there is a kind of freshness in the air that literally puts a "spring in your step!"

As for me, I even like making some spring time changes to the house. Spring cleaning, some new ideas of creativity! Just a freshness that says winter is finally over for this year!

I chose one very simple change to the top of my fireplace.  Call it a "Game Changer," this one is also known as (a.k.a.) "Pinky Thingy."  Can you notice my excitement coming through what I created?

I always like to put my touch on arts and crafts projects like this.  In this case, I chose to celebrate by announcing the coming of spring.  Obviously, there are an infinite number of changes you can make.  But, I’ll share with you how I spruced up my living room and expressed my excitement that better weather was on its way.

I started with some basic things that can be purchased at a zillion places.  I had a candle sitting on a candle holder with a glass topper over it.

I decided it was time to transform it into something more memorable!

I found 3 separate bundles of battery powered lighted branches left over from my daughter's wedding.

They were fairly inexpensive at Big Lots. I'm sure you could find them at any craft store and even Amazon if you enjoy shopping online as much as I do.  Any way, while the store bought branches may come a little tall, you can trim them as you need.  But they already have lights wrapped around them and batteries.  So, instead of the candle, I put the glass topper back on the candle holder and placed the branches carefully in the topper like this.

This was pretty on its own, especially when lighted.  But, there are batteries on the bottom of the branches and you can see them through the topper when you examine it more closely. 

That played right into my artistic affinities.  “What could be better than to set my “SPRING” sign in front of it?” I thought to myself. 

This perfect self-expression of my style and nature came to me already crafted and painted (probably by hand).  But, it could be pieced together from materials found at an arts and crafts store.

Essentially, the unpainted wooden sign “SPRING” is already cut out.  Each letter is probably hand painted a lively color and can be sprinkled with glitter as desired.  While the sign could be fastened to a wooden base using a glue gun, this one was fastened using two wood screws through the bottom of a wooden base, which is also painted a desired color.  There are many, many optional accents that can be added as desired.  This sign came with painted butterflies on wires that were thick enough to penetrate the wooden base.  But, I guess an alternative to a wooden base might be Styrofoam that is also available in different sizes and shapes at many arts and crafts stores.

Next, I rummaged through my old left over material box and found a piece of pink ribbon-like material about two feet long when folded in half to match the living room decor. I did not sew it or anything. I folded it and wrapped it around the top of the glass topper.

My spring decorative project was starting to come together just the way I wanted it! With the candle out, the branches in, and the pink material folded and wrapped around the top, the only step left was... you guessed it, turn on the lights!

It looks great in the day and it will be even greater when it gets dark outside! And it is so refreshing to see something new sitting on top of my fireplace!

There are so many simple, inexpensive and wonderful things you can do to cheer up a certain spot or a complete room. Actually, my next goal is to recover the throw pillows on my couch, and use the same material to tie around the glass topper and make some new dollies for the end table. All with the same material! I love simple and inexpensive perk-ups to the house! It's fun and it can brighten up a room in a very short time!

Enjoy being creative! Look around one room and say, "What would I like to change?" Pull out the old material box, look for some helpful pieces you can use, and with just a little imagination, you can change attitudes, brighten the days to come and convey your feelings about the future in living color!  That indeed is a Game Changer!

Have fun and enjoy your craftiness!!  Let me know how you enjoyed it.

I Scream-You Scream-We all Scream for-Snow Ice Cream!

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for SNOW ICE CREAM Snow Cream!  It’s like ice cream without the churning, grinding or processing.

 

 
As a child growing up, both sets of my grandparents lived about 15 minutes from our house. Winter was always one of my favorite times of the year. Living in Kentucky, I can remember we use to have a lot more snow than they seem to these days. Or maybe it just seemed like it as a young kid! Whatever, when the snow came down I could just imagine that my granddad was probably in the middle of stirring up many different batches of snow cream.

He made so many flavors. Chocolate, strawberry, banana, and vanilla are the ones I remember the most! He and Granny had a large freezer, so there was plenty of room to keep it on hand! We would load up and go for a visit, after the roads had cleared and every snow, without fail, my ice cream dreams came true at granddad’s and granny's house! My family would arrive at their house; take off the coats, boots and gloves and into the kitchen we would go! The first thing granddad would say is, "what flavor of snow cream do you want?" Well it was just like walking into an ice cream parlor. The question I had been waiting to hear was music to my ears! I just thought it was like a magic trick! I could never figure out how he made all that flavored snow cream happen!

Well we would laugh and talk away the day! I could always tell it brought him "so much joy" as he served it up! My mom did the same at our house. With every snow she would make a big mixing bowl of snow cream, but just one flavor, vanilla! It was delicious! We all sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed every bite, straight up!  Here are the ingredients; pretty simple, huh:

I moved from Kentucky to go to school at the age of 19, and I had snow cream many winters up until then. But, the majority of my life I lived in Florida; no snow!  Now I have moved to Virginia. Well, guess what? Maybe there was no snow in Florida, but there sure is snow in the winter in Virginia! So, with much excitement, when the snow is freshly fallen, I can never wait for the first batch of snow cream.

Just a few days ago I made a batch with chocolate chips! About a day after that I made some banana snow cream! It was delicious! My daughters did the same! What my granddad didn't know at the time is that he was passing down a wonderful family tradition!!  And I know that would bring him "so much joy!" I would very much like to share the recipe with you! May all your snowy days be filled with the delicious and different tastes of that wonderful treat called..."Snow Cream"!!  Let me know if you tried it, liked it, and if you have different ideas.

 

Momma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

TLC-Mothers and Daughters:

Momma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nothing says loving like something from the oven!  Mmmmm!

 

Mmmm! School was out and I could hardly wait to get home! I knew my Mom would have some kind of after school snack just waiting for my sister and me! Without fail we would walk through the back door and there would be the aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, or some kind of yummy treat just waiting for our arrival!
 
I loved coming home after school! Not just for the cookies or the wonderful snacks, but I knew our Mom was waiting for us! And she was always so happy when we got home! She would have her starched and ironed dress on, and she always wore a very pretty apron when she was in the kitchen! She was full of all kinds of domestic traits and qualities, and our home was always warm and beautiful for the entire family to come home to. Mom was, and still is quite an extremely talented lady! The talent, love and homemaking she poured into our lives are things I want to share with you.

I wasn't that old when Momma began to teach me how to cook, and I loved it! I would make popcorn balls. No, not with microwave popcorn, but the real popcorn you cook on top of the stove and shake the pan until it stops popping, then pour it into a big plastic bowl and cook the syrup on top the stove. When the syrup was done, I would pour it over the popcorn, wait for it to cool, and start rolling those caramel popcorn balls! I could hardly wait for it to cool, and I burned my hands more than once. I got so excited to get them done and put on wax paper. I can taste them to this day! Oh, what a treat!

I liked making the sweets the best, although we learned how to make many things. In the evenings my Mom taught piano and organ lessons in our home. That was always the perfect time to get in the kitchen and get something going, and my Dad loved the surprises as well. I know brownies were always a big hit in the evenings. While I didn't bake every night, the whole family enjoyed it so much when I did!

One thing about our family was we loved being together! We ate supper every night at 5 o'clock without fail! Dinner would be on the table. Favored menus that I'll share with you later included entrees of fried chicken, pork chops, 7-layer dinner, pot roast, chicken and dumplings, or spaghetti, and we had all the trimmings!

We all sat down and ate together, something that is rare for families to do these days.  Our house prayed and ate dinner together. People get so busy sometimes; they just don't make the time to get together. That’s right; we made time to get together! It would have been very easy to simply put a T.V. tray in front of the T.V. every night and never socialize.
Eating dinner together became a very important part of your day! We talked about what went on during the day, and I always remember it being such an enjoyable time. If anyone had a new joke, a great story, or just wanted to talk about their day, that's what we did! It was one of the best parts of the day for our entire family!

I am a southern cook (how could you ever guess, huh?), and my kids were raised on the same recipes my Momma shared with me. Those homemade pizzas were so yummy, and everyone decorated their own! It is so thrilling to me now, as I see our children take the time to make meals together, a special time of the day!

Well I could go on and on about those great times in the kitchen with my Momma. I will share with you more in depth later how she made as many things as I can remember.  For today, however, I'll close with a favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I hope you enjoy with your family.  Feel free to download it and share it with those you care about.

Momma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

Mix thoroughly by hand in a large mixing bowl:
  -2/3 cup shortening (do not melt)
  -1/2 cup of sugar
  -1/2 cup of brown sugar
  -1 egg
  -1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and blend in:
  -1 1/2 cups of flour
  -1/2 tsp. baking soda
  -1/2tsp salt

Stir in:
  -1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

 

Use a teaspoon to drop the mixture in dollops (sized to your desire) about two inches apart on an un-greased baking sheet.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown (cookies should still be soft).

Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Yield: about three dozen

Remember When ....

TLC-Mothers & Daughters 

Building Lasting Relationships in Love & Joy

Remember When .......

What happened to the fun of Mothers teaching Daughters to sew, and why have cooking and baking became a lost art in our modern day? Do you remember these? (If you do not see the YouTube video, click the link left) 

 And what about Randolph Scott? (If you do not see the YouTube video, click the link left)

I know the answer is because so many mothers are working and there is so little time for the family to be at home together. Even sitting at the dinner table and having dinner together at the end of a long day is something a lot of families know nothing about! I'm very thankful for those kinds of memories! Our house was pretty much a "Leave it to Beaver" house growing up; and mother was just like June Cleaver!
(If you do not see the YouTube video, click the link left)

This blog is dedicated to all the mothers and daughters, who long to remember the motherly instruction in cooking, sewing, arts & crafts, and how to grow, live and learn so that they one day could pass on a legacy of experience to their daughters and daughters of daughters.