Thinking more about a little Christmas song

Oh you better watch out

you better not cry

you better not pout, I'm telling you why

Santa Clause is coming to town.



He sees you when you're sleeping,

he knows when you're awake.

He knows if you've been bad or good,

so be good, for goodness sake.

Yes, it's the lyrics to a popular song we all know and sing at Christmastime, Santa Clause is Coming to Town. And while singing it with my little handsomes one day, the thought came to me that we encourage kids to be good so that Santa will bring them toys, (even using an Elf to sit and watch so that he can report back to Santa....I am not saying that it is wrong, so please don't take it that way!), but do we spend enough time teaching them everyday of the year about a greater man who will be coming to town one day! A man that came as a baby but died and rose again to save us from our sins! A man that loves you and me, and has prepared a place for us in Heaven if we choose to accept and know him.

John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosever believeth in him, shall not parish, but have everlasting life". God sent his son for us because he LOVES us! And he knows all about you, and me! God is omniscient, which by defintion, means all-knowing.  Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."

In Psalm 139:1-2, David says "O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off." He knows EVERTHING about us....when we go to sleep, when we wake up!....our thoughts! In reading the entire chapter, you see David praising God for His greatness, knowing and creating him. He then asks for guidance: searching his thoughts, and leading him.

Psalm 139 ¹O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. ²Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. ³Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. ⁴For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. ⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. ⁷Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? ⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. ⁹If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; ¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. ¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. ¹²Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. ¹³For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. ¹⁴I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
¹⁵My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. ¹⁶Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
¹⁷How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! ¹⁸If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. ¹⁹Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. ²⁰For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. ²¹Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? ²²I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Should that not be our prayer too? Praising God for who He is! And asking him to guide our steps everyday! Again in Psalm 51:10, David ask "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." I want to live a life of praise that is pleasing to Him! He knows when I do right, or if I do wrong.

And as promised, He will return for His people. In talking with His disciples, Jesus says in John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 " For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Are you ready? Are you watching? In the parable (Matthew 25) about the ten virgins waiting to meet the bridegroom, five were prepared with their lamps, and oil. However, five were not prepared, as they did not bring their oil. As they waited, the lamps of the foolish, with no oil to keep them burning, went out.  "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" Matthew 25:13. Again in Matthew 24:42, Jesus says "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."

Christmas was wonderful! A time to spend with family and friends, and a time of celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And everytime I heard that song, I couldn't help but think about the risen King who will one day return for his people...he sees us when we're sleeping, he knows when we're awake. He knows if we've been bad or good! We better watch out, Jesus is coming!!

Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas! And blessings to you during the New Year!

-Cindy

Cinnamon Ornaments

We decided to do the traditional cinnamon ornaments for our homemade family ornament this year. There are lots of recipes out there, including this one from Martha Stewart. In my true fashion, I didn't really go exactly by the recipe, but it was very close. If I can remember correctly, I tried to use a little more applesauce than glue (since some recipes omitted the glue altogether).

My little handsomes loved getting ALL their cookie cutters out to cut the dough. This is most of the ornaments, but I moved some of the non-traditional to another pan. :)

There are two methods for drying: in the oven for a couple of hours, or just leaving them out for a few days to dry (turning as needed to keep edges from curling up). I chose to put mine in the oven for quicker process, but then I also allowed 1-2days for complete drying.

Then came the painting.

And then putting them on the tree.

Fun ornament making day with my little handsomes! And a cinnamon smell for the house too.

-Cindy

Christmastime

We have been enjoying so many special memories all month...making cookies, enjoying hot cocoa, Christmas movies, singing Christmas carols, and of course decorating and enjoying our tree that we put up the week before Thanksgiving. My little handsomes were so excited, asking everyday, so we put it up early. :)

I snapped this picture while sitting on the couch one night with my little handsomes, while we watched VeggieTales St. Nicholas Christmas movie.

I love it (just wish that fan wasn't in the mirror's reflection! oopsie!) :)

My little ones helped decorate the around the fireplace. Yes, I let them pick whatever they wanted to put there. They liked doing it, and I think it's sweet!

Love the "Nativity" print on our mantel, and our little personal touches too.

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas festivities all month too! But let us remember the real reason for the season all month long! (and everyday of the year too!)

-Cindy

Christmas Ornaments

I have been thinking of what I want to do with my little handsomes for our Christmas ornament this year. Last year we made Snowmen Ornaments with our fingerprints!

It was so much fun and I want that to be a fun tradition we continue. They are hanging on our tree now (yes we did put it up last week! and made a special night of it with a special dinner, hot cocoa and cupcakes, music, and movie! we are still working on the other decorations though) ;)

So what shall I do this year?

I saw this ornament at Target last week, and thought it might be fun to make.

Each could use fabrics they like (in reds, greens, whites/cream) and make a little mini wreath. How cute would this be for my little handsomes with an owls or reindeer fabric.

Or I have thought about doing the traditional cookie cutter ornaments that are baked, just like I did as a little girl! My aunt still has the ones she made with her boys almost 20 years ago hanging on her tree. I think that is just great! They could even do one with their handprint.

I am not sure what we will choose for this year, but I am sure we will have fun doing it!

Happy Thanksgiving week!!
-Cindy

Christmas Mantel

Can you believe my husband ask me last night if we wanted to put up Christmas decorations!! I had to say no, simply because we couldn't do that in the few short hours at night that are usually consumed with cooking, cleaning kitchen, and getting our little handsomes in bed. But at least that let me know that he would be okay with me putting them up soon!

I saw a couple of cute ideas from Better Homes and Gardens for our mantel this year. Really liked this mantel too! Completely my style! Our stockings are very similar to those pictured too!

credit

Hope you find some inspiration too!

Happy Saturday!

-Cindy

Turkey craft

I love craft time! And I love my little handsomes!! So what could be more fun that a little Turkey craft with them to celebrate November and Thanksgiving time.

My sister found a template for a very easy and quick turkey. We altered it a little so that the boys could create their own feathers. And what a cute little turkey they made!!

Happy November!

-Cindy

Lemon Basil Spinach Risotto

I had a friend request a few milk-free recipes, so this is for her! ;)


At our house, my summertime risotto is a hit! Everyone loves the perfect blend of arborio rice and sauteed veggies (zucchini, squash, carrots, tomatoes) with Italian seasonings. Yes it may be a little different than the mushroom risotto you are used to, but I think different is good...sometimes better!

So on the menu tonight was risotto again. This is a little different with the veggies and seasonings, but the cooking method is the same as my zucchini and squash risotto.

Pumpkin Granola

I made another batch of the pumpkin granola last week! I used this recipe as a guide. If you like granola, you will like this. It is perfect for fall, using it as cereal, over my cooked apples (which then tasted like apple crisp), or as a snack. I even added allergy friendly mini chocolate chips for a sweet treat. Yummy!

Busy!

Everyone has busy lives, and we are included! We've had a few very busy weeks, but I am trying to catch up the best I can! ;-)

I have been meaning to make another batch of some pumpkin granola that I tried a couple of weeks ago. Soooo good! And I wanted to share it with you! That is on my to-do list for this week, along with some pumpkin creme pies or some muffins, or something along that line.

So stay tuned!

In the meantime, here's a little something making me smile...I love his expression!!

-Cindy

Chicken Pot Pie with biscuit topping (dairy free too!)

Nothing says fall like comfort foods! And tonight for dinner I whipped up a super quick and easy supper. I had planned on making something else, but last minute changes led to this wonderful comfort dinner!

Fun times!

Kids eating=messy kitchen floors! :)

So, while wiping up the floors today (on my hands and knees....I know, the broom might be easier to some, but this way is just quicker and easier for me...it's the way I've always done it), my littlest handsome comes over and climbs on my back for piggy back ride. He's laughing, and I'm stuck under the table because I can't get him to climb down. :) He loves it!

You can see just how much fun he was having with his pappaw during a recent visit.

Cooked apples

Fall like weather here (in 50s and 60s) the last two days and I keep thinking about apples and pumpkins! These are two of my favorites in all my cooking for fall!

So today for lunch I made some cooked apples. I wish I had a picture of them, but we ate every last one! But they were the best apples I have ever made, and will probably be the only way I ever fix them again!! Really!!

Tomato Preserves

Yes, you did read that right...tomato preserves! You know, like strawberry preserves or any other fruit preserves you may like. I don't know many people who've had them, but my Dad's family grew up making them and his mom, my grandma, taught me how when I was a teenager. It's really not hard, just takes a while.
Our garden this year has produced a lot of yellow/orange tomatoes...perfect for making tomato preserves because of their lower acidity, and they look pretty too.



Now, I'm not going to use the red tomatoes, but they were just sitting there after being washed.

Long sleeve to sleeveless makeover

End of season sales are always fun. I usually stock up for my boys and sometimes even find something for myself. Earlier this year, I found these long sleeve turtleneck tees at target, one in black and gray, and one in gray and white. I think they were less than $3 each! If I did nothing but wear them around the house in the winter, they were worth that!

But this summer I had the idea to turn one into a summer shirt (the gray and white), and keep the other (black and gray) for lounging in the winter. (the above picture was of the black and gray).

Plumeria

We have a plumeria plant that we bought in Hawaii 7 yrs ago on our honeymoon. :) We planted it in a large pot that sits on our patio. While it goes dormant every winter, summer brings flowers are always a treat. Every time I smell them it takes me back! Ahh...

Well, my little boy picked me one today....it smelled great.

They are so sweet smelling! If you've ever been to Hawaii, then you know plumeria trees are everywhere! Beautiful! And you could probably appreciate the beauty of having a plumeria flower to put in your hair, even if you are hundreds of miles away! :)

Happy Saturday!
Cindy

Baby dress

I made a baby dress! Something new for me since I have boys, but I love the way it turned out. (this is for a family friend).

I didn't have a pattern, but knew she wanted an open back dress similar to something her daughter wore as a baby.  So this is what I came up with...

Front

Back

I am planning to make another just to keep for myself (since it is my first little dress), and this time I might try to make a pattern. And I think I need to make bloomers to go with it! Not quite sure how to do that, but can sure try! What a cute little outfit for these hot summer days!!

Cindy 



Letter Blocks

Today I am going to show you the letter blocks that are sitting on my mantel. I needed something small to go under our family picture, so I asked my husband to cut some of our scrap wood into little blocks. The blocks have FAMILY on one side, and our last name (since it had six letters as well) on the other side. Two sets in one! Gotta love that!

I really need to get better at taking pictures "during" my projects instead of always at the end. So I do apologize that I don't have the before and during pictures. I will work on that!

You want a set? Choose your wording....love, home, or a child's name. I have lots of ideas for similar future projects myself. You will need 4x4 blocks. I think you buy some precut at a craft store. However, we went the cheaper route and just cut ours from leftover scrap wood we had. The wood was not perfect, but it fit the look I wanted. "antiqued and country".

Sand and spray paint you base color. (I chose creamy white). Let it dry and spray your top coat. (mine is black). Distress the sides.

Choose your scrapbook paper. For this particular project, I wanted it to be neutral, so it's a cream and tan damask print. Glue on your blocks. Lastly, I hand panted my letters onto the paper and distressed my paper a little too.

Now, if you have a stencil or craft stencil cutters, you could easily have perfect letters to go on your blocks. Since I had neither, I just went the old fashioned way. But you know, I really like it! It looks good on my mantel. I didn't take a picture of the whole fireplace, but trust me, it fits perfect with our big canvas of the family and pictures of my little handsomes. (And by the way, don't you love that you can see my littlest taking his sock off in the picture. Yep, that's him...can't ever keep the socks on! And it made the picture that much better!!)

I enjoyed making it, and will probably make more in the future (well, not exactly the same, but same idea) ;)

Cindy

Memories of my grandmother

I couldn't help but think about my grandmother today as I sat on my couch, watching my boys play while I was breaking beans (fresh green beans from the garden!). Their little hands quickly dug in to 'help'. So, I showed the oldest how to break the ends and get the string off the bean. He did pretty good, but better at just breaking the bean in half :)...you know, without breaking the ends or stringing it. He was so cute!

I just love moments like these! And like I said, it made me think about my grandmother. You see, we stopped in to see them almost everyday when my mom got home from work. And everyday, they [Ma and Pa] were doing something--cooking or eating a home cooked meal, quilting, garden work. I remember all these things so well! And they are wonderful memories.

Lots of times, Ma would fix us a plate of her good home cooking (even though Mom would say we could eat at home). My vivid memory of her mashed potatoes makes my mouth water--perfectly whipped potatoes in the big bowl, with a pat of butter right in the center so that it would melt, and pepper spinkled on top--they were good! Mom, my sister, and I couldn't resist, so we would sit down with them lots of nights. (and then she would send a to-go meal for Dad so that he could it enjoy it too when he got home from work.)

Quilting! There always seemed to be a project she was working on, whether it be a quilt or quilted pillow. I loved sitting next to her watching her stitch pieces together (handquilting! wish I could do it like her). Pa would have his western on while Ma sit on the couch sewing. Sometimes Pa would pop us popcorn in his popcorn maker while we all sit in the living room enjoying time together.

Garden work! They lived on a farm, so there was always a garden. Some of my best memories are sitting on the back porch cutting the corn off the cob so that we could freeze it to eat in the winter! And then of course, breaking the beans part!! She and Mom sat on the couch trying to teach me the same thing I was teaching my son today! I probably wasn't that good either, but they let me help. And Mom would probably tell you today that I am still not the best at breaking beans. But I do try! She actually had to take the rest of my bucket home with her tonight to finish them off. (Thanks Mom!)

All of the things I remember most about my grandmother, are actually the things that I enjoy doing the most--cooking, sewing, and working hard at home everyday with my boys--because I LOVE doing it for them! Now I can't say that breaking beans is my all-time favorite thing to do, nor is waching dishes, but I do enjoy just being a mom and all the things that come along with that! Mom just told me last week as I was sewing her curtains for her (she does know how to sew, but maybe just doesn't have the love-to-sew sewing gene) that Ma would have been proud to see me today. She would probably be right there beside me and my sewing projects.  :)

So today, I thought about my grandmother....as I was able to play outside with my little handsomes, sew a couple shirts for them, break a few beans, cook a great breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert (my grandmother always had a wonderful dessert or treat at her house too!!), and laugh, sing, and read with them! There is nothing I enjoy more! I am blessed to have a Godly heritage and a loving and wonderful family! Love them lots!!!!

-Cindy

Frozen banana treat

My sister sent me this link today about a single ingredient ice cream. Yes you heard right, one ingredient. I liked this idea, because it is very similar to how I fix ice cream for my little handsomes, so thought I would share.

Now, I have not tried making ice cream with only one ingredient as the author of this post suggested. However, we do make dairy free banana smoothies or ice cream often with only two ingredients.

Here's how we do it for the smoothie:

freeze ripe bananas (if we don't eat them before this stage). Blend a frozen banana with rice milk or soy milk (you could use regular milk if you do not need it to be dairy free). Add liquid slowly to get your desired consistency. And enjoy!

Now for the ice cream:

(good to use if you did not freeze your bananas beforehand.)

Take 1/2 banana and mash well. A Ziploc bag works great and the little ones can squeeze and mash it, because we all know they like to help!  :)

Add 1/2 cup rice or soy milk and mix well. If you want it to be a little sweeter, you could add touch of sugar or another sweetener. Place it in freezer and mash bag to stir every 30 min-hr until frozen. We like to do this at lunch, so that it's ready for our afternoon snack. (makes one serving.)

Enjoy!

-Cindy



Let's eat Zucchini

Our garden is growing. And the zucchini is ready....lots of it! We have been eating zucchini everyday! Zucchini for breakfast, lunch, and dinner....even dessert. I wanted to share this dessert with you today.

Zucchini Brownie Cake (dairy and egg free)

1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups zucchini (shredded)
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 water
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (allergy friendly. We use Enjoy Life brand.)

Combine flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in zucchini.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients with a fork. Mix into zucchini mixture.

Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 until a toothpick comes out clean (35-40 minutes). (Mine has been more like 40...just test it to get your cooking time)

Yield:  a moist cake-like brownie

Curtains are done--and have been for a while!

Ok. I know this is wwwwaaaayyyy over due!! My sister reminded me a few months ago. But we have been pretty busy around here, and since the only people who read my blog right now are my mom and sister (and since they have already been to my house to see the curtains), I just didn't get around to posting.

So without waiting another minute, here are the finished curtains.

(you can even see our art in the window too :) weekly paintings get displayed here)

I think they turned out great. Hope you may be inspired to try something for your window treatments!

Flowers

Beautiful weather the last several days. Highs in the 70s, maybe actually getting up to 80. Sunshine.

Awww....so nice. We enjoyed some time outside playing on the deck, playing frisbee, wagon rides, and picking flowers. So nice to have my sis and nephew visiting and enjoying the time together too!

Our first flower picking of the year! They made the kitchen feels so spring like sitting there on the bar. All my vases were too big, so we just made our own--a baby food jar! And here they are...the flowers that my little handsomes helped pick and carry back to our kitchen! :)

Kitchen Curtains

I looked and looked for kitchen/dining area curtains...not too fancy, not too simple....but kind of a country chic look. The look that I was trying to achieve was not available at any store or online site I browsed. So I figure why not just make them!

Sorry I don't have pictures for the whole process, but here's what I have accomplished so far.

This is the dining area before. Just blinds. (halfway up so that my little one doesn't get his hands on them) :)

I sewed four panels...one for each window. And am in the process of sewing the ties. No, I'm not quite finished. But we can kinda get the idea of what it's going to look like.

Here's a sample of one panel hanging on a window in my craft area. Testing the length of the ties.

Final project completion is very close. Will post pics when they're up!

Something New for Lunch

Lunch around here is usually something pretty simple or leftovers from the night before. Yet today I fixed my little handsomes something new, even for me. We love couscous--for its fast cooking and nutritional value. However, the big container of couscous I usually buy was all out on my last grocery trip, so I opted to buy quinoa. Quinoa noodles are also available, and we have had those on numerous occasions. But the actual quinoa, never had it! So, thought we would give this "super grain" a try.

Quinoa looks like tiny seeds, and you cook it just like rice. (Thus the nice quick convenient cooking I like for lunches or even supper.) Very nutritious! Lots of protein and fiber, easily digestible, low-glycemic index grain for diabetics, and more. You can read about more health benefits here.

I cooked the quinoa, added avocados, tomatoes, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and a little garlic and basil (really just anything I thought might taste good). I didn't have a recipe or anything for this lunch today, but instead just kinda added things to taste. And you know what, it tasted great. Both boys gobbled it all up. With fruit as a side, I thought this was a quick and tasty lunch! And good for us too.

Next time you want rice or any other grain, try some quinoa. Here's a  recipe that might be good to start with.

quinoa and black beans

My first blog

After thinking about starting a blog for quite some time, I am actually going to do it! If you read the "about me" section, you can get an idea of things you might see here. It could be anything from recipes, crafts, devotions, or just some happy times and reflections about my handsomes and family!---things that I love and make me smile!

So I hope you enjoy!