12/2/08 Recipes, Kitchen Tips, Adopt Soldier, Sharing Love, Last-Minute Gifts, Invisible, Chosen
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love by Lois Breneman
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12/2/08 Recipes, Kitchen Tips, Adopt Soldier, Sharing Love, Last-Minute Gifts, Invisible, Chosen
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTERS
HOW ONE MOTHER IS USING THE "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS" CAKE
CRANBERRY-PINEAPPLE SWEET POTATOES (Two Recipes in One)
FRESH APPLE CAKE
WONDERFULLY RICH STOCK FOR SOUPS
KITCHEN TIPS
CHRISTMAS TIPS AND IDEAS
A GREAT CHRISTMAS PROJECT - ADOPT A SOLDIER
SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS WITH NEEDY CHILDREN
OUR FAMILY'S 2008 THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
LAST-MINUTE HOMEMADE GIFT IDEAS
WHEN CHOOSING TOYS, CONSIDER THIS
CHRISTMAS, COUGHS AND A FAMILY CONSTITUTION
INVISIBLE MOTHER
CHELSEA'S STORY
ANOTHER WAY TO TEACH KIDS HONOR
CHOSEN ONE
A NEW BABY
BILLY GRAHAM'S PRAYER FOR OUR NATION
To make the cranberry-pineapple relish, chop fresh cranberries in a food processor, using the pulsating switch. Blend cranberries with drained crushed pineapples, 3 Tbsp. of juice, applesauce, and tiny amounts of Stevia until sweet enough. A little goes a long way. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
When ready to bake, spread cranberry-pineapple mixture over sweet potato slices. Just before baking sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds. Walnuts or pecans would be good as well. Bake until heated through.
Every single time I bone a turkey or chicken, I think of my dad, because he always offered his loving service to do that job at home! I remember my mother making stock for soups in this way and I've done it a few times, but plan to do this more often. The next time you roast a whole turkey or chicken, or even a turkey breast, use the bones and meat still hanging on to make a flavorful stock that will enhance your soups and casseroles. Add celery, carrots, onions, and herbs if you wish, to bring out more flavor in the stock. Or cook the stock plain and add flavors later when you make soup. Many brands of canned chicken stock on grocery store shelves contain MSG, and most of those that don't cost more. Just follow these instructions to make your own:
KITCHEN TIPS
Baking Tips from http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--633/kitchen-tips.asp
- When baking cakes or bars, place them on the middle rack in the oven.
- When baking cookies, place them on the top rack of the oven. If baking two sheets of cookies at one time, place them on different racks at different angles to allow proper air circulation. Switch racks about half way through the cooking time.
- Cookies will burn less easily if they are baked on a light silver cookie sheet rather than a dark colored sheet.
- If the outer edges of the cookies are getting browned and the center is not completely cooked, reduce the temperature 15 to 25 degrees. Your cooking time will increase slightly. Increasing the baking temperature would only brown the outer edges faster and the center of the cookie would still be underbaked.
- Allow cookie sheets to cool in between batches to kept cookie dough from melting and becoming too thin at the edges.
- Test doneness of bars, cakes, muffins, and quick breads by inserting a toothpick in the center of each. If they are done, the toothpick should come out clean or only have a couple of crumbs on it.
- If you have difficulty removing muffins or cakes from the pans, place the hot pan on a wet towel and then remove from the pan.
- To help phyllo dough cups keep their cup shape when baking, place approximately two tablespoons of baking stones or beans on a piece of aluminum foil, pull up the corners of the foil and twist together to form a small pouch. After placing the phyllo dough in the muffin cups, place a stone pouch in the middle of each one and then bake the dough. When done baking, remove the stone pouches and store to reuse.
- To eliminate messy hands when greasing a baking pan, use a small plastic bag to cover your hand. Place your hand in the bag and scoop out a portion of the shortening with the covered hand and spread the grease on the pan. When finished remove the bag and throw it away. Your hands should be free of any shortening.
- For golden brown, flaky pie crust, use a lightweight aluminum pie tin like the old fashioned type.
- When making candy that is cooked to a high temperature, be sure you have a surface that can take the heat without causing damage when it is poured out of the pan. A large cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil works well. Once the candy has cooled, the foil can be removed.
- To foil line a baking pan or sheet, turn the pan upside down and mold the aluminum foil to the bottom of the pan. After the foil is molded to the pan's shape, slip it off and turn the pan over. The molded foil should slip right into the pan and fit perfectly.
Do you like to have fresh greenery in your home for Christmas? Go to any place that sells Christmas trees (tree lots, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, etc.) and ask for the branches and cuttings that have fallen off. They are usually glad to get them off of their hands since they're just going to throw them away. Besides using them for decorations, try tucking them in and around your artificial tree to give it that fresh tree smell. (We sometimes go to a local park after a windy day and collect freshly fallen evergreen boughs.)
A GREAT CHRISTMAS PROJECT - ADOPT A SOLDIER
By Eileen Rife, Editor of Lifetime Growth News, http://www.iwanttomakemymarriagework.com - Used by permission
It takes about two weeks to arrive in Iraq. Our adopted soldier urged us to remember the true purpose of a care package: to show support and to give the soldier a piece of home.
(Note from Lois: If you don't know the name and address of a soldier overseas, check with your church, or ask me.)
Awhile back, our couples small group decided to focus on ministry to a husband/father who was deployed in Iraq. His wife was alone rearing three daughters, all under the age of five. With the wonderful world of web technology, we easily stay updated on this young soldier through his blog. We emailed asking him what items we could include in a care package. Here are some of his suggestions based on military recommendations.
Daily devotionals such as Daily Bread Beef jerky
Chick tracks to hand out to soldiers Snack mixes
Sermons/books on CD Sunflower seeds
DVDs (our group enclosed a copy of Facing the Giants) Chewing gum
Long-distance phone cards Nuts
Cookies in individual packages (big bags often fill with dust if not eaten right away)
Dominoes Ziplock bags
Microwave popcorn Drink mixes
Disposable shower towels Jaw breakers
Cereal bars/granola bars Music CD's
Hot cocoa mix Newspapers and magazines
Soup mix AA, AAA, D batteries
Chapstick Canned air to blow dust out of electronics
Pictures of you and your family Sewing kit
Letters about your day-to-day life Ink pens and paper/envelopes to write letters
Box of holiday cards for the soldier to send home Word puzzle books
Deodorant Icy/hot patches
Candies that wont melt such as Jelly beans Air activated heat wraps for sore muscles
Prepackaged snacks such as Rice Krispie treats or Little Debbies snacks Vitamins
Altoids/mints Paperback books
Items should be resealable to keep the sand out.
During one of our small group meetings, we passed the list around for members to check off items they would bring to the next meeting, at which time we collected the items and placed them in a box to be shipped to our adopted soldier. Members also contributed funds for postage. It takes about two weeks to arrive in Iraq. Our adopted soldier urged us to remember the true purpose of a care package: to show support and to give the soldier a piece of home.
SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS WITH NEEDY CHILDREN
You may personally know a family you could bless this Christmas, but if not here are just a few ways to bless others in need.
http://www.angeltree.org
http://www.savethechildren.org
http://www.toysfortots.org
OUR FAMILY'S 2008 THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Our family celebrated Thanksgiving last Friday, so one of our sons, James, and his wife could have Thanksgiving with Emily's family, since her brother would be leaving home soon after joining the Air Force. It worked better for other family members as well, so they wouldn't need to be on the road on the busiest travel days. We enjoyed having portions of our family here over a six day period, as all of our children and their families, including a good friend of Emily's came home for a visit. It was a wonderful time being together. We always have our family Christmas the next evening while we're all together, so that was a lot of fun, food, excitement and celebration packed into a few days!
For our busy little sixteen month old granddaughter, Ryan Elizabeth, my husband made a sweet little doll bed with a scalloped headboard and footboard. It was such fun to watch as she put her doll to bed on a candy stripped mattress, gave her doll a kiss and covered her with a soft pink blanket. She especially loved the little tea set we gave her, and she delighted in drinking peppermint tea from a teacup. My husband painted the doll bed white and I painted little flowers on the headboard to match her bedroom (pink, mint green and periwinkle), simply using dots of paint, by dipping the wooden tip of a small paintbrush handle into the paint and onto the headboard for each dot. The flowers were pink and periwinkle with yellow centers, and a scalloped row of mint dots was painted just above the flowers.
It was such a special joy to have our three children, their spouses and grandchildren here together, with a new grandson, Daniel Joel, enjoying his very first Christmas! Justin, who is five, loved playing games with each of his aunts, uncles and his brand new adored friend, Jen. He was so sad when she left!
After we opened all the Christmas gifts, we made a family call to Grandma Breneman, who is 92 years old. The phone was passed around the room as we each talked to her on a speaker phone. That was a special treat for her as well as for us. She doesn't know it yet, but we each also wrote little messages (memories of times spent with her and Grandpa) on colorful sheets of paper which I will be sending to her. All the spouses of our children had met and visited with her before, so they had things to say too. Even our guest, Jen, who had never met her, talked to her on the phone and wrote a sweet note to her. All the grandkids loved playing with Jen too!
LAST-MINUTE HOMEMADE GIFT IDEAS
Jar of Memories ~ Find an attractive jar and cut lots of colorful note-sized pieces. Write a single memory you have about a special person on each piece and place it in the jar. Fill it full of special memories! Tie a pretty ribbon around the jar for a priceless jar of memories for a special person. Wouldn't an elderly parent just love a gift like this? Sending the notes in the mail would make it a special joy to receive as well.
Night Light Lamp Shade ~ http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/nightlight-lampshade/index.html
Fridge Frame Magnets
Handmade Gift Tags
Christmas Ornament Crafts
Fresh Ideas For Making Dazzling Holiday Decorations In A Snap! - http://www.BHG.com - Enjoy these 14 videos of things to make for your home the holiday season or to give as gifts. My favorite is the first one - how to redo old ornaments!
WHEN CHOOSING TOYS, CONSIDER THIS
This year's most dangerous toys
How to choose safe toys for your toddler
Which toys are perfect for your child's age?
Parents share great gift ideas
Information from Focus on the Family Action - http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000008670.cfm
Find out which stores are naughty and nice!
You will find lists of retailers in each of these three groups:
Learn how to differentiate between a Wet Cough, Dry Cough, Whopping Cough, Croop Cough, and Stridor Cough.
http://health.kaboose.com/features/cough-decoder/?source=newsletter
A family constitution can foster unity by giving everyone a clear set of expectations.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously , not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're going to love it there!'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOMS!
By Janelle Burkholder, a Heart to Heart friend in Pennsylvania.
Now as I think about Chelsea in Heaven I often remember how, just about four weeks before her death, she told me that since she goes to the hospital a lot she might die, and that when she goes to Heaven she is going to play with Collin, a little boy who also died from cancer. Before Chelsea died she said that she saw people up there and people in Heaven. Although she was not able to tell us more about what she experienced at that point, we believe that Collin must have been there to welcome Chelsea into Heaven and join her as she met Jesus face to face!
Dear Mom
This parenting tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. For great parents tips: http://www.biblicalparenting.org - Used by permission
One of the ways that parents can teach honor to children is to include it in the instruction process. You might say, Id like you to obey me by setting the table, then I want you to think of something extra to do to surprise me. Thats showing honor. You choose; its up to you. Report to me when youre done and Ill check your work.
Surprising parents delights them and focuses on something they want or need. Instructing children to surprise you by doing something extra teaches them to think about your needs and desires not just getting away with the bare minimum. When your child does an extra task, its like giving you a gift. Receive the gift with delight. This can be a fun way to teach honor.
Honor involves doing more than what's expected. All family members need to learn honor and children can learn it when parents teach it. So look for ways to teach kids to do more than what's expected in daily life. It will not only make family life better now but it will also help kids be more successful as they get older.
CHOSEN ONE
Copyright 2008, Stacy R. Miller - Proverbs 31 devotions - My blog - Used by permission
The only good memories I have of school are from the very early years. Once I reached middle school, everything changed. I remember feeling so confused because I was intelligent and very outgoing.
I quickly discovered that in middle school, it wasn't cool to be smart, unless we were doing a spelling bee. I was always the first one chosen for those.
In gym class, however, my mastery of spelling didn't help me. Whenever they would pick teams, I was always one of the last three chosen. It was humiliating. I remember the jeers and taunting I would face every time I had to go to bat. I would purposely strike out just so I would be off home plate quickly, allowing my classmates to pick on their next victim.
It was a very difficult time for me. I wasn't chosen unless my peers could somehow benefit from my presence. I was never chosen to be friends with the popular crowd.
I remember how I would wait for the bus in the mornings, fearing that I was going to have diarrhea, all because of the fear of the awaiting torture by my peers.
Yet, there is One who did choose me -- Jesus. He chose me to go and bear fruit. (John 15:16) He chose me before the foundation of the world, and in His love, He adopted me and takes pleasure in me. He has redeemed me, lavishly pouring God's grace upon me. The God of the universe has even made known to me the mystery of His will. My Creator has a plan and purpose for my life, and it is to bring glory to Him. (Ephesians 1:4-12)
As much as it hurt to be rejected by my peers, I believe all of the pain helped to lead me to God's magnificent grace and bountiful love. I realize now that while many are invited, few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)
Aren't you glad that you are one of the chosen?
Evan Ryan Flack, the first child of Ryan and Kristen Flack was born on November 7, 2008. Evan is the seventh grandchild of his proud grandparents, Tim and Debbie Flack. Both families are living in Virginia.
BILLY GRAHAM'S PRAYER FOR OUR NATION
Thanks to Debbie Flack in Virginia for sending this!
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer by Billy Graham on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.' May the church of Jesus Christ become a true reflection of Jesus Christ in love and humility as we find our footing on the Rock of who He is during these uncertain times. May difficulties work good in all of our lives and turn our hearts toward trusting God in a deeper way than we seem to experience in times of ease. Jesus told us ahead of time about many things to prepare us for these times and said for us to lift up our heads. He is in control and He is perfect. We can walk through uncertainty as long as we hold to the hand of Him who is certain and trust Him.
''Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed t he time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!''
HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you (dear ladies). - Phil. 1:3
So many ladies are going through very tough times and need our prayers!
Pray each day for the protection of our troops, as well as for their families left at home!
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