This post is dedicated to David... a Yankee who walked into my life on a snowy day and changed it forever.
Thumbprints.. because people leave their mark on our life helping us become our self.
1/4 cup soft shortening
1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour (plain)
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg white... (you knew I would not waste it!)
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
happy thumbs
Cream together the first three ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl sift the flour and salt. Mix the two bowls together. Beat the egg white slightly with a fork.Roll walnut sized balls of dough then dip them in the egg white. Roll the ball then in the nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove and gently imprint each with a thumbprint. Place back in the oven for 8 minutes more. When they are cool you can put jelly or other filling in the thumbprint if you want to. It's your imprint... do as you wish!
Today is the eve of the most holy day the year. It is the day set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Everyone celebrates it in their own way. In our home it is a double celebration. Twenty-six years ago my Yankee and I stood inside a little chapel in North Carolina and promised to love each other forever... in good times and bad, sickness and health, richer or poorer... forever. It was a quiet, private ceremony just for us with only the minister and two witnesses followed by a quiet walk on the beach. We had a more public ceremony for family and friends on January 7 with Marine dress blues, flowing white lace and red roses. We actually celebrate both days... this one quietly privately holding in our hearts what an honor it was for our love to be blessed on this Holy night. Our night on the town will come later.
Happy anniversary, my hero, friend and love... and Merry Christmas to all of you. May you always know that life is a celebration for all of us and sometimes when we start a new chapter in life... it is nothing like we scripted it to be. That has certainly been true for us.
Job 8:21 He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
Love,
Nana
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Gluten-free German Chocolate Cake and The Balancing Act
This recipe is from C.J. He is 16 and likes to cook! It is dedicated to teenagers and young adults who are seeking balance in their life.
German Chocolate Cake
Using rice flour makes it really cheap. :) I don't know if I remembered to tell you, but you can find rice flour in the oriental section of most grocery stores, or grind it yourself at home using regular rice.
Ingredients:
4 ounces sweet German chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
6 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups rice flour
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
Preparation:
Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cool.
In small mixing bowl beat egg whites until frothy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and heat until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
Using large mixing bowl, cream butter with remaining sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Blend in chocolate.
Sift flour with cornstarch, baking powder, soda and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate mixture, beating after each addition until smooth. Fold in beaten whites.
Pour into three 8-inch or 9-inch layer pans lined on bottom with paper.
Bake at 350 degrees F., about 30 minutes or until done. Cool. Frost tops only.
Life is about balance and that means we can't be everything to everybody all the time. The high school years and the first years of when we step into the world can be confusing. Sometimes people are going to love us... while others reject us. Our hopes are high only to be dashed by the difficulty of getting that first job or building relationships. Things that seem to come so easily to others.When we are hurting our life is out of balance and the only way to get back in balance is to release that which we cannot change and accept that even when we fail life goes on. Remember the "Serenity Prayer"? "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference". If we truly live by that prayer... we will have perfect balance in our life.
Isaiah 40:31 "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Love,
Nana
German Chocolate Cake
Using rice flour makes it really cheap. :) I don't know if I remembered to tell you, but you can find rice flour in the oriental section of most grocery stores, or grind it yourself at home using regular rice.
Ingredients:
4 ounces sweet German chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
6 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups rice flour
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
Preparation:
Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cool.
In small mixing bowl beat egg whites until frothy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and heat until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
Using large mixing bowl, cream butter with remaining sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Blend in chocolate.
Sift flour with cornstarch, baking powder, soda and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate mixture, beating after each addition until smooth. Fold in beaten whites.
Pour into three 8-inch or 9-inch layer pans lined on bottom with paper.
Bake at 350 degrees F., about 30 minutes or until done. Cool. Frost tops only.
Life is about balance and that means we can't be everything to everybody all the time. The high school years and the first years of when we step into the world can be confusing. Sometimes people are going to love us... while others reject us. Our hopes are high only to be dashed by the difficulty of getting that first job or building relationships. Things that seem to come so easily to others.When we are hurting our life is out of balance and the only way to get back in balance is to release that which we cannot change and accept that even when we fail life goes on. Remember the "Serenity Prayer"? "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference". If we truly live by that prayer... we will have perfect balance in our life.
Isaiah 40:31 "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Love,
Nana
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and Angels of Mercy
This posting is dedicated to Abigail who shared her cookie recipe and who shares my Little Guy with me whom we both love dearly.
Peppermint Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies---makes ~4 dozen
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine softened (not melted)
1 cup raw cane sugar (I have found it at Walmart, Trader Joe's, and
Fresh and Easy)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups chocolate chips
1. Cream butter and sugars
2. Add rest of ingredients, mix well
3. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet
4. Bake @350 for 11 minutes
5. Pour a glass of milk and enjoy! :-)
Angels of Mercy is the name given to nurses. After many long hours of study and many years of longing to be one of these special people, Abigail got her RN in May. We love her and are very proud of her.
1 Corinthians 12:4,9 There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit... to (some are given) the gifts of healing. May God bless Abigail as she continues to bless and be a blessing to us.
Love,
Nana
Peppermint Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies---makes ~4 dozen
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine softened (not melted)
1 cup raw cane sugar (I have found it at Walmart, Trader Joe's, and
Fresh and Easy)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups chocolate chips
1. Cream butter and sugars
2. Add rest of ingredients, mix well
3. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet
4. Bake @350 for 11 minutes
5. Pour a glass of milk and enjoy! :-)
Angels of Mercy is the name given to nurses. After many long hours of study and many years of longing to be one of these special people, Abigail got her RN in May. We love her and are very proud of her.
1 Corinthians 12:4,9 There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit... to (some are given) the gifts of healing. May God bless Abigail as she continues to bless and be a blessing to us.
Love,
Nana
Yummy wings and M*A*S*H*
This post is for Tim who has been willing to persevere under seemingly impossible circumstances and Dave who accepted my shattered heart and all that goes with it.
Pineapple Chicken Wings
2-1/2 lb. split chicken wings, tips removed
2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple tidbits in juice, (don’t drain)
1 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
PREHEAT oven to 400°F.
PLACE wings in greased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 30 min.
DRAIN pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Mix barbecue sauce, pineapple and reserved juice. Add to chicken; stir to evenly coat chicken.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done and sauce is thickened
Makes: 6 servings
There was a television show that we enjoyed watching which was a spin-off of one of the most successful movies of the 70's...M*A*S*H. This depiction of a field hospital in Korea was a hit because it had a touch of humor, romance and only a small fraction of truth of the difficulties that doctors and nurses face as they care for the wounded. Those of us who have never felt the kind of pain the wounded and the doctors faced only "got" the part about the romance and twisted stories but recently Susan learned the truth about field hospitals and was devastated as she talked to me about them. It brought back old memories and some fresh ones too of how sometimes, as difficult as it is to imagine, those who need the most healing are left alone.
A M*A*S*H hospital is not really equipped to handle the most severely injured. We like to think that the most "hurt" get priority attention but, as Susan pointed out to me, in the movie Pearl Harbor the wounded were sometimes marked by nurses and doctors according to their chances of survival. Those who can be quickly attended to such as stitches or a broken bone get immediate medical care as so they can go back to battle but those with more serious injuries sometimes are left because they may not survive anyway. To spend time with those soldiers would mean those with less severe injuries may become critical. It is a very stressful situation. This is very real to me. Jimmy stepped on a mine in Viet Nam on December 19, just 12 days before his 21st birthday but he was not taken to surgery until December 24 when he was flown to Japan. Sound incredible? There were others... many others that the doctors could take care of quickly... he needed more care than they could give. He needed a more skilled surgeon and would be taken there if he survived. He was a fighter and GOT that medical care and was flown back to the States on his birthday, December 31. It was a time of great celebration. He never was bitter about seeing others come in and go out of the hospital as he lay with minimal care. He told me he later... he desperately wanted to live but was willing to die if he had to. He trusted God's plan for his life and he was fighting for freedom.
We all deal with times of being left in pain while others move on to things that are easier for them to handle and circumstances that require only a "quick fix" so they can return to the battles of life. Sometimes those wounded are ones very close to us.
We all have times that seem so hard and we reach out to those we think can help take that pain away... but like the doctors and nurses of these field hospitals, they put us on the sidelines and tell us to "wait". They have no time or means of healing us now. That does not mean they don't care... they just can't look upon our pain because if they do, they might not be able to take care of the immediate things of life they CAN fix. Like the wounded in the hospital the best thing for me to do is live this day and know that God knows not only my failings but what is best for ME in my pain and YOU in yours. He is the great physician and sometimes we have to wait upon Him and trust that His plan is perfect.
Isaiah 40:31 but they they wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
Love,
Nana
Pineapple Chicken Wings
2-1/2 lb. split chicken wings, tips removed
2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple tidbits in juice, (don’t drain)
1 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
PREHEAT oven to 400°F.
PLACE wings in greased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 30 min.
DRAIN pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Mix barbecue sauce, pineapple and reserved juice. Add to chicken; stir to evenly coat chicken.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done and sauce is thickened
Makes: 6 servings
There was a television show that we enjoyed watching which was a spin-off of one of the most successful movies of the 70's...M*A*S*H. This depiction of a field hospital in Korea was a hit because it had a touch of humor, romance and only a small fraction of truth of the difficulties that doctors and nurses face as they care for the wounded. Those of us who have never felt the kind of pain the wounded and the doctors faced only "got" the part about the romance and twisted stories but recently Susan learned the truth about field hospitals and was devastated as she talked to me about them. It brought back old memories and some fresh ones too of how sometimes, as difficult as it is to imagine, those who need the most healing are left alone.
A M*A*S*H hospital is not really equipped to handle the most severely injured. We like to think that the most "hurt" get priority attention but, as Susan pointed out to me, in the movie Pearl Harbor the wounded were sometimes marked by nurses and doctors according to their chances of survival. Those who can be quickly attended to such as stitches or a broken bone get immediate medical care as so they can go back to battle but those with more serious injuries sometimes are left because they may not survive anyway. To spend time with those soldiers would mean those with less severe injuries may become critical. It is a very stressful situation. This is very real to me. Jimmy stepped on a mine in Viet Nam on December 19, just 12 days before his 21st birthday but he was not taken to surgery until December 24 when he was flown to Japan. Sound incredible? There were others... many others that the doctors could take care of quickly... he needed more care than they could give. He needed a more skilled surgeon and would be taken there if he survived. He was a fighter and GOT that medical care and was flown back to the States on his birthday, December 31. It was a time of great celebration. He never was bitter about seeing others come in and go out of the hospital as he lay with minimal care. He told me he later... he desperately wanted to live but was willing to die if he had to. He trusted God's plan for his life and he was fighting for freedom.
We all deal with times of being left in pain while others move on to things that are easier for them to handle and circumstances that require only a "quick fix" so they can return to the battles of life. Sometimes those wounded are ones very close to us.
We all have times that seem so hard and we reach out to those we think can help take that pain away... but like the doctors and nurses of these field hospitals, they put us on the sidelines and tell us to "wait". They have no time or means of healing us now. That does not mean they don't care... they just can't look upon our pain because if they do, they might not be able to take care of the immediate things of life they CAN fix. Like the wounded in the hospital the best thing for me to do is live this day and know that God knows not only my failings but what is best for ME in my pain and YOU in yours. He is the great physician and sometimes we have to wait upon Him and trust that His plan is perfect.
Isaiah 40:31 but they they wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
Love,
Nana
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Heart to heart
Just a quick note to explain my blog. My son and daughter-in-law inspired me to write with their blogs filled with their thoughts, dreams and sometimes pain. I started to write too when I was healing from a broken foot and broken heart but found God brought to my mind times that were hard that He used for good not just for me but for others.
A few weeks ago I was asked to work on Sunday. I did not want to miss Church and went to the early service. I did not want to be late so I was in a slight rush went I got to work. A lady stopped me as I entered the door. I knew her but this was the first time I saw her using a walker. I touched her hand and told her she looked tired today... she took my hand and thanked me for the kindness I showed her and her husband. Two days later when I went in to work, they told me she died that night. The last words between two friends passing were words of kindness.
This year I lost a sweet friend to breast cancer and it brought to mind the days I held my mom's hand before this disease took her away. Another lost her only son in a car accident at the tender age of 24. I remember Amy's sweet smile and courage;the way she made a room light up just being there and I miss her. I think of the day that Matt was born in Havelock, N.C. and remember holding that little precious baby who grew into a young man and my broken heart seems like a scratch; my worries so small.
Some days this year have been hard for me and for others. My friend Jessi is caring for her mother in her last stage of cancer. Six months ago they told everybody to prepare for her to die in two weeks. She is still with her. They are living life in the present... a day at a time; the holidays will bring memories of past celebrations to help her though these days. Those memories will always be part of who she becomes just as what I write becomes part of who I am. Thank you for reading my blog and being part of my life. They say time heals the broken heart. Pass quickly time... please pass quickly but let me learn life's' lessons from my mom, Amy and others on the way. Even in their darkest hours they brought light into my life with their gifts of love. They forgot their pain in their moments of loving me. Please, God, let me be and do the same.
I Corinthinas 13:1 Thought I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or clanging cymbal... it profits me nothing.
Love,
Nana
A few weeks ago I was asked to work on Sunday. I did not want to miss Church and went to the early service. I did not want to be late so I was in a slight rush went I got to work. A lady stopped me as I entered the door. I knew her but this was the first time I saw her using a walker. I touched her hand and told her she looked tired today... she took my hand and thanked me for the kindness I showed her and her husband. Two days later when I went in to work, they told me she died that night. The last words between two friends passing were words of kindness.
This year I lost a sweet friend to breast cancer and it brought to mind the days I held my mom's hand before this disease took her away. Another lost her only son in a car accident at the tender age of 24. I remember Amy's sweet smile and courage;the way she made a room light up just being there and I miss her. I think of the day that Matt was born in Havelock, N.C. and remember holding that little precious baby who grew into a young man and my broken heart seems like a scratch; my worries so small.
Some days this year have been hard for me and for others. My friend Jessi is caring for her mother in her last stage of cancer. Six months ago they told everybody to prepare for her to die in two weeks. She is still with her. They are living life in the present... a day at a time; the holidays will bring memories of past celebrations to help her though these days. Those memories will always be part of who she becomes just as what I write becomes part of who I am. Thank you for reading my blog and being part of my life. They say time heals the broken heart. Pass quickly time... please pass quickly but let me learn life's' lessons from my mom, Amy and others on the way. Even in their darkest hours they brought light into my life with their gifts of love. They forgot their pain in their moments of loving me. Please, God, let me be and do the same.
I Corinthinas 13:1 Thought I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or clanging cymbal... it profits me nothing.
Love,
Nana
Christmas Punch and Gifts from Baby Boomers
This post is for Tim and my story is about gifts from the Baby Boomer generation.
Raspberry-Orange Sangria Punch
Prep Time:
5 min
Makes:
2 qt. or 8 servings, 1 cup each
1 tub CRYSTAL LIGHT Raspberry Ice Flavor Drink Mix
1 qt. (4 cups) cold reduced-calorie cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup cold orange juice
1 cup cold white grape juice
2 cups cold club soda
ADD drink mix to combined juices in large plastic or glass pitcher; stir until mix is dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
POUR into punch bowl; stir in club soda. Serve over ice cubes.
The Baby Boomer generation is well remembered for the changes that they made in our everyday lives. Such ideas were not so easy for the past generation to accept especially when it came to babies. Disposable diapers and disposable bottles with liners replaced glass bottles and cloth diapers. There were other changes too. There was a movement to change the furniture used for babies for safer products. When we were expecting our first baby, Jimmy and I invited his mom to be with us when a salesman came to our house to sell baby furniture. She was a wise woman and saw right away that his presentation was high pressured and geared toward emotional, young expectant parents. To "qualify" it had to be your first baby and you had to make a decision that night. The products were not sold in stores... "now or never". Sound familiar? Those approaches don't work so easily now for me, but that was then.
The film he showed us was of a baby falling from a high chair on their first birthday and dying. The product... a chair that could not tip over. It was a combination walker, high chair, baby bath and as the child grew older, a table that could be slanted to be a drawing board. You also got a car seat (which was also something not used before)and a netted playpen.
We stepped from the room to talk in private and pray about the decision which "could not wait". My mother-in-law argued with the salesperson about the products. The safety of our child overcame our concern of adding strain to our budget. When we returned with our decision to purchase the items, my mother-in-law was upset that we took on a debt for things she did not think we needed.
The chair would not sell today. It was square shaped and cumbersome but it was exactly what we needed. Jimmy had lost one leg in Viet Nam and had severe edema in the remaining one. He had just gotten out of the hospital for phlebitis (vein inflammation) in his leg so standing for long periods was not good. All we could see was a chance for our child to be safe and that Jimmy could sit in a chair if he wanted to give the baby a bath. We used all the things we bought for three children and never regretted the purchase. I told myself I would do better when the time came and not give my children unsolicited advice. We say, do and become what we say we never will.
I am thankful for the Baby Boomers who pushed for safer cribs, car seats and other ways to keep our children safe. I am also thankful for a mother-in-law who loved us enough to be angry when what she saw was someone taking advantage of us. I hope I can love my children enough to be that honest but accept,as she did, when their choices are different than our advice. She is one of the most courageous women I have ever known. She lost her son three times...once to be taken away to war where the boy became a man, once to cancer watching helplessly as the quality of his life declined and finally she lost him in death at the age of 32.
In the span of ten years I became a new bride, a mother and a widow. Those years held more joy and challenges than I can express and I would not change one day of them. It is said that we walk our path in life alone but with the spirits of many brothers and sisters around us. We are surrounded with love, prayers and hope. As you enter the holiday season join me in a toast to all mothers. May we be strong enough to love and courageous enough to let go when we must.
Psalms 61:8 I will ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.
Love,
Nana
Raspberry-Orange Sangria Punch
Prep Time:
5 min
Makes:
2 qt. or 8 servings, 1 cup each
1 tub CRYSTAL LIGHT Raspberry Ice Flavor Drink Mix
1 qt. (4 cups) cold reduced-calorie cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup cold orange juice
1 cup cold white grape juice
2 cups cold club soda
ADD drink mix to combined juices in large plastic or glass pitcher; stir until mix is dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
POUR into punch bowl; stir in club soda. Serve over ice cubes.
The Baby Boomer generation is well remembered for the changes that they made in our everyday lives. Such ideas were not so easy for the past generation to accept especially when it came to babies. Disposable diapers and disposable bottles with liners replaced glass bottles and cloth diapers. There were other changes too. There was a movement to change the furniture used for babies for safer products. When we were expecting our first baby, Jimmy and I invited his mom to be with us when a salesman came to our house to sell baby furniture. She was a wise woman and saw right away that his presentation was high pressured and geared toward emotional, young expectant parents. To "qualify" it had to be your first baby and you had to make a decision that night. The products were not sold in stores... "now or never". Sound familiar? Those approaches don't work so easily now for me, but that was then.
The film he showed us was of a baby falling from a high chair on their first birthday and dying. The product... a chair that could not tip over. It was a combination walker, high chair, baby bath and as the child grew older, a table that could be slanted to be a drawing board. You also got a car seat (which was also something not used before)and a netted playpen.
We stepped from the room to talk in private and pray about the decision which "could not wait". My mother-in-law argued with the salesperson about the products. The safety of our child overcame our concern of adding strain to our budget. When we returned with our decision to purchase the items, my mother-in-law was upset that we took on a debt for things she did not think we needed.
The chair would not sell today. It was square shaped and cumbersome but it was exactly what we needed. Jimmy had lost one leg in Viet Nam and had severe edema in the remaining one. He had just gotten out of the hospital for phlebitis (vein inflammation) in his leg so standing for long periods was not good. All we could see was a chance for our child to be safe and that Jimmy could sit in a chair if he wanted to give the baby a bath. We used all the things we bought for three children and never regretted the purchase. I told myself I would do better when the time came and not give my children unsolicited advice. We say, do and become what we say we never will.
I am thankful for the Baby Boomers who pushed for safer cribs, car seats and other ways to keep our children safe. I am also thankful for a mother-in-law who loved us enough to be angry when what she saw was someone taking advantage of us. I hope I can love my children enough to be that honest but accept,as she did, when their choices are different than our advice. She is one of the most courageous women I have ever known. She lost her son three times...once to be taken away to war where the boy became a man, once to cancer watching helplessly as the quality of his life declined and finally she lost him in death at the age of 32.
In the span of ten years I became a new bride, a mother and a widow. Those years held more joy and challenges than I can express and I would not change one day of them. It is said that we walk our path in life alone but with the spirits of many brothers and sisters around us. We are surrounded with love, prayers and hope. As you enter the holiday season join me in a toast to all mothers. May we be strong enough to love and courageous enough to let go when we must.
Psalms 61:8 I will ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.
Love,
Nana
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