Happy Birthday Dad!

I Love you!

XOXO

Theresa

13 weekend guests

Being the supportive wife that I am, I volunteered our house to accommodate 13(originally the total was going to be 21, including us) young women for the weekend. What a blessing! :0)

After two hard days of cleaning house, I began to make my grocery list for the food I knew I would need to feed those special guests. Opening up my refrigerator door I realized Diet Coke was probably not going to provide the necessary nourishment they would need for a long weekend of Bible study, Worship and Mission project.

A trip to the grocery store was necessary. Of course no one was home when I pulled in the garage so.....

after 3 trips to unload the van and another 20 minutes to put it all away, then..

it only took me 15 minutes or so to prepare a few treats to have ready when they arrived.

I know, I see those store bought cookies too, honestly, after the two days of hard labor (house cleaning), it was the best I could do. It was 10:00 p.m. and I still had breakfast to prepare!

Fast forward to 6:30 a.m. and I am dragging myself out of bed. How quickly I had forgotten the pain of getting out of bed prior to 8:00 a.m. I did indeed look like a sorry, still sleepy, barely awake human. :0)
Thank goodness, the breakfast casserole I made takes an hour to bake,
yes,
you guessed it! I turned the timer on the oven and plopped myself on the couch, thinking I would hear the timer when it went off and I could catch another hour of much needed sleep.
Obviously, God has a sense of humor, instead of falling fast asleep, I dozed in and out every 10 minute or so. With being in a dozing state when the timer goes off and not hearing it!
Thank goodness, I did awaken before the breakfast was burned. :0)
What did I serve?

Breakfast Casserole
Blueberry muffins with real blueberries added
Chocolate Chip Muffins with pecans added - Yum!
Chocolate Donuts, yes they came from the bread aisle
Fruit Salad
Milk & Juice
I think they were pleased.


I am going to be honest, they left at 9:00 a.m. for the day's activities and I went back to bed. I needed a nap!
When I awoke from the nap I did manage to prepare a Barley Vegetable Soup. Easy and quiet delicious.



What do you serve with Barley Soup?
Cornbread! :0)
Not just any old cornbread, it must be made with whole Buttermilk, yellow cornmeal and flour. The skillet needs to be HOT when you pour in the batter. Love to hear that sizzle!



20 minutes later, you are ready for dinner. Enjoy! :0)

That's what I did this weekend. Cooked and cleaned.

Thank you God for the opportunity! :0)

XOXO

Theresa

3 John 1:15 Dear Friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. ... In providing meals and a bed we become their companions in spreading the truth. The Message

Snow Day # ? ? I really can't remember !

Truly, the snow days have blurred together. I remember being at school on Tuesday of last week (Feb. 9), and then the days just jumble. What did I do with all this time you ask? I ordered a new book from amazon.com that I have been eyeing for a few months. So much fun to read! The photography is breathtaking and the recipes are so well written. It isn't like any other cookbook I have in my collection.

So, in Pioneer Woman fashion and inspiration, I decided to document my valentine activities. When the children were younger I made sugar cookies for their classes each valentine's day. I haven't made those in years.

Step 1: Use the pretty pink bowl I found in Madisonville, KY last summer. When I saw this bowl, it had my name written ALL over it! :0)

Step 2: Gather the ingredients, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 extra large egg, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract and 2 3/4 cups of flour.


Step 3: Allow butter to reach room temperature



(at my house this isn't all that warm, so I helped it a little by beating with the beaters until it was super soft).


Step 4: Add 1 cup powdered sugar, cream.



Step 5: Once you have made the butter and sugar nice and creamy, add the egg and the vanilla.

Step 6: In a separate bowl (I only have the one pink bowl :( } measure the flour and salt. Take a whisk and stir the salt into the flour.

Step 7: Add the flour mixture to the sugar and egg. Beat well, it will look crumbly, this is ok, it is suppose to. :0) Wash your hands really well, and pat all those crumbs into a ball.

Step 8: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more. While you are waiting, go take a shower and get ready for a night out with your favorite significant other. :)

Step 9: Lightly flour the counter, look for the rolling pin and roll the cookie dough to 1/4 inch, anything less will be crispy and dry. Use your favorite cookie cutter shape and cut those cookies out of the dough!

Step 10: Place the cookies on a parchment paper covered stone, trust me on this, you don't want to cook without parchment paper - it helps to prevent the bottoms of the cookies from over browning.
Step 11: Once they are cool, make your favorite icing recipe, I'll share mine at a later date. Decorate to your heart's desire, wrap in a pretty box and take to someone special.

A very special valentine's day indeed!

I am blessed! :0)

Love you bunches!

XOXO

Theresa

P.S. Please say a prayer for all of those of us in the education field that are returning to school after a very long, break.
I also took the advice of the PW and turned the flash off my camera for the food photos. What do you think?

Tablescape Thursday

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday hosted by

Between Naps on the Porch.

The tablescapes are a project assigned to my students just before Christmas.

These young men had a "Game" theme.
The centerpiece was being washed (used football) while this photo was being shot. :)

This group did a "natural" Christmas theme. They walked the hill behind the school to find pine cones and greenery.

I love how they layered the lace tablecloth over the dark green. :)

Snow/winter theme.

They worked together to bring in different aspects of snow.

They made this appetizer. Love the attention to details! :)

They sewed the napkins, decorated the Christmas ornaments with a silver pen and did a creative napkin fold for added detail.


This group chose a "Bridal Shower" theme with zebras and pink.

They also made the napkins, used toy zebras for place cards and layered the hot pink placemats on top of a black tablecloth. :0)


I am so proud of all of them!
Projects well done! :0)

Don't forget to click on the Tablescape Icon above and check out all the beautiful tablescapes. Eye candy for sure.
XOXO
Theresa