Thanksgiving ~ 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grandma and three of her grandchildren...

I am giving thanks today for:

~not in any particular order~

the Lord Jesus

my salvation
sweet "Hubbie"

family

church

home

Bible
church family

freedom

greatest military in the world

clean water

good roads

eyesight

autumn

and so many more...

I hope you have a wonderful day!

A Timely Acrostic

Happy Tuesday! Americans are busy this week with Thanksgiving Day preparations...turkey, potatoes, rolls, vegetables, desserts...but in the midst of all these activities, I wanted to take a moment and write another Thanksgiving acrostic. This one, from 2009, reminded me of when I was teaching full time in a Christian school. Times are different now since I do not have a classroom of 28 or more...but the activities are still important, and they make good memories. :)

Today...

this week...

this Thanksgiving...

I am thankful for:

T~ taking time to "smell the roses" and enjoying it with my family
H~ "Hubbie" who loves his Lord and loves his family
A~ America
N~ new friends~and old ones, too!  :)
K~ kids who love Jesus (the teens in our church are a blessing!)
S~ Scripture
G~ godly pastor
I~ invitations to visit with other believers
V~ victory through Jesus
I~ inspiring messages from God's Word
N~ numbers on the scale that are getting lower  :)
G~ grandparents

Today, as part of school, we'll be writing or drawing our Thanksgiving Acrostic...Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Thankful for ~

delicious recipes...just take a look at this cheesecake~

Hubbie and I are working together to get the numbers on the scale to go down...and one easy way that we still enjoy something sweet is to adapt recipes! The following recipe is one that seemed really hard the first time I made it because it had quite a few ingredients...but it really is easy! I promise! Instead of using white sugar and brown sugar, I used Splenda and Splenda Blend brown sugar. I am writing the Splenda measurements in italics.

Our Favorite Cheesecake

Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons brown sugar blend)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, chopped

Filling:

• 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar (1 cup Splenda)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons brown sugar blend)
• 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon all purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons sugar free hot fudge ice cream topping (I used Smucker's)
• 1/4 cup sugar free caramel ice cream topping (I used Smucker's)
• 1/3 cup walnuts

Ganache:
Instead of doing the ganache (because it called for chocolate chips), I just put some sugar free hot fudge topping on each slice of cheesecake, as it is served. It works for us!

Directions:

1. Place a greased 9-inch springform pan on a double thickness of aluminum foil. Securely wrap foil around pan.
2. For the crust~In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and walnuts; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. For the filling~In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup flour, cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Remove 1 cup of the batter to a small bowl; stir in the hot fudge ice cream topping until blended. Spread over cooled crust.
4. Combine caramel topping, 1 teaspoon flour, and walnuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls over chocolate batter. Top with the remaining batter. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until the center is just set the the top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. (I also remove the foil at this point). Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Cool one hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Serve each piece with sugar free hot fudge topping.
7. Enjoy!

~ A perfect ending to a Thanksgiving meal,
or any meal for that matter!~ :)

Happy Thankful Thursday!

This Week~

For Monday, November 15, 2010~

Outside my window~

the sun is shining and it is a very pleasant morning

I am hearing~

chatter

I am thinking~

about how I've been so challenged by our Pastor's sermons recently

I am thankful~

for my best friend here on earth...my sweet Hubbie

I am remembering~

times spent with my Dad's family making apple butter...

The kids would all play, but the adults would stir that big black kettle

over the open flame almost all day long...mmm...

I am reading~

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney,

a study on Titus 2

I am hoping~

to get the laundry done (and put away!) today

I am praying~

for my sister

On my mind~

are several members of our church who

are going through some hard times

From the learning rooms~

equivalent fractions for "R"

blends and sight words for "D"

working on colors for "S"

Noticing that~

the house is still so neat and organized...I love it!

Wondering~

if it will stay that way?!?!

I am creating~

(this week) some visuals for our Christmas program

Pondering these words~

Psalm 107:1

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:

for his mercy endureth for ever.

From the kitchen~

breakfast~bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches

Monday~crabcakes, chicken cakes, coleslaw,

marinated potatoes, pumpkin muffins

Tuesday~spaghetti and green salad

Wednesday~chef salad

Thursday~chicken casserole

Friday~out to eat (thinking bbq...)

Saturday~tba

Around the house~

Hubbie is working, I am taking too long on the computer :)

"R" is reading, "D" is getting chores done, and "S" is coloring

One of my favorite things~

is singing with my family during our devotion time at night

A few plans for the rest of the week~

church Wednesday

day trip?

shopping :)

From my picture journal~

just a few memories from the birthday party this past Thursday

I'll be linking up to The Simple Woman's Daybook, hosted by Peggy...

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a great day! :)

Happy Birthday to our Little Girl~

Today, you turned 2! How time has flown, my sweet girl!

You are so very precious to all of us...God has blessed us so much by placing you in our family.

We love you very much and wish you many, many more birthdays!

We hope you had a wonderful day celebrating with Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Poppy, Uncle Jack, Aunt Beth, Cousins Caroline and Quinn, big sister "R", big brother "D",  Daddy, and Mommy.

This Says it All...

Our second through fifth graders sang this very special song this past Sunday to honor our Veterans. I know I'm a day early but I wanted to share it with you.

This video is of some third graders...watch...be moved...be thankful...and please share a comment when you're finished...

Daybook~11/9/2010

For Tuesday, November 9, 2010~

Outside my window~

the sun is beautiful as it rises over the horizon;

it was light outside when sweet Hubbie left this morning

I am hearing~

the furnace  :)

I am thinking~

about my wonderful family

and how God has so richly blessed us

I am thankful~

that my nephew is out of the hospital

I am remembering~

the time my family and I got to spend

with my brother a few weeks ago

I am reading~

my Bible and my "to do" list for the day

I am praying~

for my country and her leaders

I am hoping~

that the congestion in "S" will go away soon

On my mind~

is how I'm planning to get the "to do" list accomplished

Noticing that~

the leaves are still pretty in the woods behind my house

Wondering~

why time seems to speed by these days...

(maybe I'm getting old)   ;)

I am creating~

the menu for "S" birthday party

From the kitchen~

little egg souffles and sausage patties

bbq, coleslaw, pumpkin muffins (new recipe that is a keeper!)

swiss steak

Around the house~

organization is coming along rather nicely!

One of my favorite things~

is seeing my Hubbie smile

A few plans for the rest of the week~

library run, grocery store, church,

birthday party, clean house, start working on

photo calendars for Christmas gifts

From my picture journal~

chocolate-caramel cheesecake (sugar free)

I'm joining Peggy over at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Thank you for stopping by...have a wonderful Tuesday!

Ready for Some Baking?

I received this picture and recipe from

Gooseberry Patch...and now I am hungry! :)

I love pecan pie, so these little gems will be perfect during the Thanksgiving season, the Christmas season, for birthdays, for anniversaries, for church socials, for...

Happy Wednesday!

Pecan Pie Bars
Wonderful little pecan pie bars you can't stop eating! Great for a church social or holiday cookie exchange.

1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. plus 3 T. brown sugar, packed and divided
1/2 c. plus 2 T. butter, divided
2 eggs
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Combine flour with 3 tablespoons brown sugar; cut in 1/2 cup butter until coarse crumbs form. Press into a lightly greased 11"x7" baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. While crust is baking, beat eggs in a large bowl and add remaining brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, corn syrup and vanilla. Blend in pecans and pour mixture into hot crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Election Day, 2010

For Today, Tuesday, November 2, 2010~

Outside my window~

the sky is a beautiful red as the sun rises,

and it is COLD!

I am hearing~

silence

I am thinking~

about my Hubbie :)

I am thankful~

that my brother made it safely

to Europe last weekend

I am remembering~

when Ronald Reagan won his second term

as President in 1984...I remember looking at the newspaper

and seeing a US map showing all those states that had gone for him...amazing!

I am reading~

my Bible and cooking magazines

I am hoping~

that folks will exercise their right

(and their responsibility) to vote

On my mind~

is a special prayer request my mom shared with me

From the learning rooms~

I am learning that I need to be more observant

of others needs...and not so focused on me...

Noticing that~

there really have not been a lot of political signs in

this immediate area...Hubbie said there are lots more as he

drives to work

I am creating~

birthday celebrations for our kiddos

and the dinner menu

From the kitchen~

a nice hot cup of coffee

Around the house~

the blower on the A/C is off,

but it still feels a little cool...

Pondering these words~
fourth verse of our national anthem,
The Star-Spangled Banner

 Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

One of my favorite things~
is snuggling under the warm blankets with my Hubbie!

A few plans for the rest of the week~

Tuesday~voting, Ladies Bible Study

Wednesday~church

From my picture journal~
our little punkins!

 I'll be linking up to The Simple Woman's Daybook...hop on over there if you'd like to read other daybooks.

Thanks for stopping by!