~Flowers~

We are growing sunflowers!!! Isn't this one so cheerful looking? This was the first sunflower we got this year and there have been many that have followed! Some of the sunflowers are a dark, more vibrant yellow, and some, like the one pictured here, are more of a pale yellow.














We also planted some wild flowers in the Spring and they have come up too! Yellow is such a nice color in the garden. :-)





Have a wonderful day!

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning

And Your faithfulness by night..."

Psalm 92:1,2

Garden Produce and an Angel Food Cake

Well, we have recently begun to get some fresh produce from our garden. Hooray! :-) It has been really neat! It has been fun to go outside each day to see what's ready to be picked. :-)

Here's a look at the yellow squash that we picked the other day. It was very tender and flavorful. Mmmmm! I'm looking forward to when some more squash is ready.

We also had some bush beans! They were good as well. :-)

The other day I made an angel food cake. I got the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Special Edition. (We were recently gifted with this book and are thoroughly enjoying it!) We haven't ever made a angel food cake from scratch before but when some friends of ours sent us home with several dozen eggs (some of which were turkey eggs), we decided that we should try a hand at it.









Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 12 large)
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup sifted cake flour or sifted all-purpose flour
! /1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1. In a very large mixing bowl allow egg withe to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile sift powered sugar and flour together three times; set aside.
2. Add cream of tarter and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form ( tips curl). Gradually add granulated sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight)
3. Stir one-forth of the powered sugar mixture over beaten egg whites, fold in gently. Repeat, folding in the remaining powered sugar mixture by fourths. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Gently cut through batter to remove air pockets.
4. Bake on the lowest rack in a 350* oven for 40-45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake; cool thoroughly in pan. Loosen cake from pan; remove cake.

Note: We used a light glaze on top of our cake which was a nice addition!

Powered Sugar Icing

Combine 1 cup sifted powered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk for drizzling.

Note: I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of almond flavoring to this recipe.




~Fun in the Kitchen~

When I separated the egg yolks from the egg whites, I put the yolks in this bowl. I thought they kind of looked like a flower. :-)

God bless!
Chloe :-)

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Rose of Sharon and a Recipe

Hello Everyone! :-)

This is a picture of our little rose of sharon that we planted last year. It hasn't yet bloomed this year, but last year it had such a pretty blossom! It was so nice!









Well, here at our house we like to have pancakes fairly often.....just plain or topped with peanut butter or blueberries, raspberries and sometimes pecans. They are quite good! :-) Here's the recipe.






Pancakes

2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. melted fat or oil


Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Beat egg and add milk. Add fat or oil. Add to flour mixture and stir just until mixed, leaving batter lumpy. Cook pancakes on greased and heated fry pan until covered with bubbles. Turn pancakes and brown the other side. Makes 12 medium-size pancakes.

Alterations: We like to use 1 1/2 cups of white flour and 1/2 cup cups of whole wheat flour. Also, if the batter is a little bit too thick, just add a few tablespoons of milk. :-)

Note: This recipe also makes great waffles!

Our garden has been doing pretty well! It shouldn't be too long until our squash and bush beans (or green beans) will be ready for harvest. :-) We also have some wild flowers that are coming up. The baby's breath has bloomed along with another kind of flower...I'm not sure what kind it is. They are really pretty! :-)


Looking to Jesus,
~Chloe~

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers."

Psalm 1:1-3

Another Birthday!

Last week we had another birthday at our house....my older brothers! For his birthday we made him a delicious chocolate cake. It almost tasted like brownies with a frosting on top. Mmmmmm! :-) Here's the recipe.


Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
3 Tbsp. cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, flour and salt in mixing bowl. Heat butter, cocoa and water to boiling point. Pour hot mixture over dry mixture. Add buttermilk with baking soda, then eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour into greased and floured 11x15-inch pan. Bake at 375* for 10 to 15 minutes.

Icing

1 stick butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix butter, cocoa and milk. Heat until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans. Pour over hot cake.







We had sausage biscuits for the birthday breakfast!
They were a tasty treat. :-)


Have a blessed day!
Chloe :-)

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1, 2

Hello! :-) Here's a recipe for a delicious sweet bread called scones. Enjoy!

Scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

whipping cream

sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375* F. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, the 1/3 cup sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Make a big dent or well in the center of flour mixture. Add the 3/4 cup whipping cream and lemon peel.

2. Stir until mixture is crumbly. Coat hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently knead the dough in the mixing bowl until it can be formed into a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

3. Gently roll or pat the dough into a 7 1/2-inch circle. Using a table knife, cut the dough like a pizza into 6 or 8 wedges to make scones. Place scones about 1-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Lightly brush scones with additional cream; sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake about 18 minutes or until scones are golden brown on the tops and the bottoms. Use a wide metal spatula to remove the scones from the cookie sheet. Serve warm . Makes 6 to 8 scones.

And to the left is a glimpse into a portion of our garden! We have revised it a bit (since the last picture I posted of it), after viewing a Saturday gardening show that gave us the inspiration for the new design! With that plan in motion in this area, it should make it much easier to weed the garden, without having to get in the garden. :-)

"...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. "

2 Peter 3:18

Happy Mothers Day!

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

These roses (pictured on the left) were given to my Mom by my eldest brother for Mother's Day, and I thought that they were so beautiful that they needed to be posted. :-) So here they are, and Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday we had a celebration on behalf of my youngest brother's birthday! He picked out a white cake mix which Mom baked and I frosted and decorated. Mom also baked an angel food cake for Mother's day that was drizzled with a white glaze. The cake looked good and tasted delicious!




Some of the activities included a scavenger hunt in which the participant's read a poem ( that my Dad and I wrote )that described where a toy tool was located somewhere in our yard. For example:

"A yellow wrench you will see,

by a bush instead of a tree."

" If you're looking for a little green wrench,
how about looking near a little white bench?"


Another activity played was tee-ball, a game received by the birthday boy.
It was a fun and enjoyable day! :-)

God Bless!
~Chloe~

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:12

Our Iris's have bloomed! It is soooo neat to go outside and see a new blossom that has opened since the night before, and they have the sweetest fragrance. Ahhhh! :-)
I'm so thankful God made the flowers!



These muffins are quite delicious! They taste like chocolate chip cookies. :-) Here's the recipe.







Chocolate Chip Muffins
Yields:12 muffins

2 cups flower
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 egg, well beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup oil

Topping

3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat oven to 400* F. Line with paper baking cups or grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips. Then stir in egg, milk, and oil just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.) Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over muffins. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. If not using muffin liners, run knife around edges to loosen. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.
I am involved in a Home school Choir. :-)Yesterday evening we had our Spring Concert! We sang several hymn's and there were a few solo parts which were a nice addition. It went very well and was lots of fun! :-)


And here is a picture of me with my three wonderful brothers. ;-) I thought this was a fun photo. :-)

In Christ,

Chloe

Happy Resurrection Day!

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Mark 16:4-7

Here's some things I thought you might enjoy doing in celebration of Jesus' Resurrection!

Read in the Bible about the story of Jesus out of one or more of the following: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

Watch the movie "Jesus of Nazareth"

On Sunday morning make a "reminder breakfast"! Use canned crescent rolls or biscuits. Before rolling up, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and place a large marshmallow on top or use several small marshmallows. Roll up and "seal" the edges of the roll or biscuit before placing rolls/biscuits in the oven, to keep marshmallow(s) from running out the sides while baking. Cook as directed on package. If you take a bite in the center of the roll/biscuit you should find that it is hallow. This represents the empty tomb! And sometimes the marshmallow(s) don't melt entirely, and what remains can represent Jesus' shroud!

If you hide Easter eggs try writing scripture verses on strips of paper. Cut a straw into approximately 1- inch pieces and tape one on both sides of the paper making a small scroll. Roll up the scroll and place it in the egg. When each egg is found you can open it up and read the Scripture on the scroll!


Have a blessed day!

In Christ,
Chloe :-)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Hello! Here are some pictures of our bushes and the fresh spring blossoms that were on one of our Bradford Pear trees. We have received a lot of rain here, lately and these plants are thriving. :-)

And here's some recipes that make great snacks! Enjoy!


Bread Sticks or Pizza Crust

1 1/4 cup water
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2-6 Tbsp. olive oil ( we use 3 Tbsp. oil)
1/2 -1 tsp. Italian or pizza seasoning (optional)
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp. yeast

Set to dough cycle on Bread machine. Roll out on greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with garlic salt California style, (optional).Bake at 450* for 15 minutes.

Note: These are also great with spaghetti!

Chewy Granola Bars

1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup of Water
1 Cup of Regular Smooth or Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 Tbs. Vanilla
5 Cups Whole Oats
1 Cup Chocolate Chips


Heat first three ingredients in a large pan mixing well until sugar is dissolved. Let cool for 3 minutes and add vanilla. Stir in oats until well moistened. Then stir in chocolate chips. Line a 9 x 13 pan with waxed paper. Spread out and press mix into bottom of pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Turn onto a cutting board and peel off waxed paper. Cut in half lengthwise and then into bars. Store in the refrigerator.


Don't lose heart!
Chloe

Youth Camp, Recipe and Gardening!

Hello everyone! This past weekend was our churches youth camp. :-) It was a really good and enjoyable time. We sang some songs and a few things that we were encouraged in was to "Listen carefully" to what the Spirit has to say to us, to stay pure and to walk in love.

" Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails;"

1 Cor. 13:4-8

We played some games indoors one of which we had to put a "scripture puzzle" together. We also played some outdoor games such as basketball, volleyball, jump rope, and soccer as well as going on a hike up a mountain on Saturday. It was a lot of fun! :-)

And here is a recipe that we tried a while back that was pretty tasty! Hope you like it!

Streusel Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Oven 375° Stir together the 1 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine egg, milk and oil. Add to flour mixture; mix well. Stir in raisins. Turn into a greased 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine nuts, brown sugar, 1 Tbsp flour, butter or margarine and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake in a 375° oven about 25 minutes. Makes 1 coffee cake.

Our family has also been working on a spot for a garden in our back yard! It will have four sections with paths going in between them. I was excited with the progress.! :-)

Hope you have a great day!

In Christ,

Chloe :-)

Poppy Seed Chicken with veggies :-)

Here's a casserole that we like to have sometimes. It's good with carrots, peas (we like frozen peas), steamed potatoes and hot rolls. :-)








Poppy Seed Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small container of sour cream
1/3 soup can water
40 Ritz or Club crackers, crushed
1-2 T. poppy seeds
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

Precook the chicken by baking or boiling. Cut into bite-sized pieces when cool. Put this the bottom of casserole dish. Mix soup, water, sour cream and poppy seeds and pour over chicken. Crush the crackers and cover the soup mixture. Melt a stick of butter and pour over the top. Bake 30 minutes at 350* until golden brown.

"Do not let any unwholsome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs."

Ephesians 4:29

Blessings,
Chloe :-)

Hello! :-)

I have been thinking about gardening some this month. :-D

I thought it would be neat to plant some veggies, flowers, and maybe a few herbs. We have already purchased some corn seeds as well as a wildflower mix packet which are supposed to make good cut flowers! :-) (I think it would be really fun to go out and get fresh cut flowers for the table!)

:-) We have considered doing some container gardening too. Well, here's a peek at one of the plants that we have grown inside...an African violet. :-)

We recently bought a set of pancake molds. We had purchased a heart shaped mold that was made out of silicone, but it was kind of expensive and you just got one shape. So we were glad to find a set. The set included a heart, flower and sunshine mold. We make pancakes pretty often around here so the shapes are a nice treat. We also like to add berries, pecans or peanut butter to our pancakes. Mmmmm! :-)








We saw this egg/toast combo made on a cooking show a while back. All you do is put a little bit of olive oil or butter in a skillet over low heat then after it's been heated place a slice of bread with the center cut out of it in the skillet. (We have used a cookie cutter or glass to remove the center portion of the bread.) Next add the egg in the center of the bread then sprinkle it with salt and pepper. After its been well cooked on the first side, using a spatula, flip it over and let it cook on the other side until the egg starts to feel a bit firm to the touch. You can also toast the remaining pieces of bread and add a little bit of jelly to complete the meal.

Note: If the egg dosen't turn out to be as well done as you would like, it can be cooked a little longer in the micorwave. :-)

In Christ,
Chloe :-)

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Hello, everyone!

Here is a a great Frito Chili Pie recipe. (Pictured on the left is my youngest brother and I, we had just whipped up a pan of cornbread together. :-) My brothers are great kitchen helpers! ) ;-)





Frito Chili Pie

1 1/2 lb. cooked ground beef, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (wolf brand) chili
2 cans beans (vegetarian)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder

Brown ground beef, drain. Add tomatoes and cook down. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a simmer for approx. 5 minutes. Serve with cornbread and Frito's. Garnish with mustard and shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy! :-)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galations 5:22, 23

Birthday's and Sewing :-)

We had two birthday's this month...my Mom's and my younger brother's. We had many special treats to celebrate...sugar cookies with sprinkles, red grapes, fudge ice cream cups, mixed nuts, fudge, and cheese with crackers. Mmmmm! ;-)






We also had a delicious angel food cake (Mom's favorite) that my Grandma brought, and chocolate marble cupcakes. We displayed the cupcakes on a cupcake stand and then my Mom, younger brothers, and two cousins each blew out a candle. :-)









Our church has a Banquet for the youth (7th-12th grade) and their parents annually. We normally dress up, are served a fancy meal by the alumni (those who have already graduated) and those of the youth who would like to share a few scriptures, a piano piece, sing a song etc. that had been encouraging to them (in the Lord) , can present it during the evening. We also have a guest speaker.
Well, since it is a dressy occasion, my Mom was so kind as to make a dress for me, which turned out very nice and my Grandma crocheted a cape/stole to go with it! Thank you both sooo much!

Here, on the left, is the pattern we chose to use this year. We decided to make the one on the far left with the exception of the bow (Mom made a satin rose to go on one side of the dropped waistline instead) and we added sleeves and lengthened the skirt.

We found some nice satin material, trim, thread, zipper etc. and after making some minor adjustments were soon at the pinning and cutting out stage. Mom used tissue paper to add to the length of the skirt.

And here it is all done! Mom took this picture right before we left for the Banquet! It was a good time! :-)

"The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Exodus 15:2

Happy New Year!

Greetings!
Well, with the new month (and year :-) ) we have taken down our Christmas decorations and are thinking about what we should use to decorate for January! :-) The snowman, pictured on the left, will be a part of our wintry theme. Isn't he cute? :-)

Also, we have been making paper snowflakes for our windows. :-)
Yesterday evening I put the finishing touches on two of the snowmen coasters that are for our dining table. :-) Those have been lots of fun to make!

We discovered some blue sheer fabric with snowflakes on it at the store the other day and we thought that it might be useful for something. Hmmmm.....we'll have to see. :-)

Over Christmas I was given a knitting kit and a crochet kit! I have really enjoyed exploring both of them. The yellow washcloth was crocheted by my Mom with my Grandma (her mom) finishing the edges and the pink scarf (or scarf to be) ;-) is what I have been working on. I was having a little difficulty figuring out just how to knit from the book, so we called a friend of ours that knows how to, and we were able to go over to her house and she showed me how to do it! :-) It's been sooooo much fun to do. I like to learn new skills! :-)


And here is a picture of the sunset we had tonight. A little earlier my Mom, younger brother and I took a walk down our driveway and I was thinking about how large the sky is and the Maker of it. How each blade of grass is so very detailed, our pine trees and their needles....the bright moon and stars...and I was reminded of the latter part of this verse...

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well."

Psalm 139:14

Praise be the Lord!

My Dad and older brother have gotten to be home quite a bit more during "Winter Break" and we have really enjoyed and have been blessed by the extra family time. :-)

On New Years Eve our church had a time of singing. Along with the group singing there were certain ones in the congregation that had prepared a song or songs to share. Some of my friends and I sang "Breath of God" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". It was a good time of worship and we were encouraged to be filled with the Spirit.

Well, guess I better go for now.

Don't lose heart!

~Chloe~ :-)

Christmas Preparations

Hello everyone! I just thought that I would post a few pictures of some things that have been going on around our house lately. ;-) Here are the felt coasters that I have been making . :-) I made the poinsettia's for December, and I was thinking that the snowmen would be nice for January and the apple coasters would probably work for anytime of the year! They have been so much fun to make! Here recently we have been reading a story aloud and that has turned out to be a great time to do a hand project! :-)









This next picture is of our table center piece. My Mom made the plaid runner underneath and did a great job! :-)

This one is of my younger brother carefully applying frosting to some cupcakes that he made with Mom from a "Jiffy" cake mix. They were beautiful and made a special dinner treat!

And here is our sweet kitty Frostina, who ventured into the house and found a cozy spot to curl up! ;-)






Hope you all have a blessed day!

~Chloe~ :-)

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Yea!!! We did get the expected snow, and quite a bit of it! In one of the snow drifts it measured 19 inches! We bundled up this morning and headed outdoors to enjoy it. Some of the snow was kind of powdery, but for the most part it was great for building! :-) We made this snowman (pictured on the left) and it turned out to be some where around 6 feet tall! We had fun making it. :-)

Yesterday we had some vegetable soup and that was a nice warm meal to have during all the winter weather. Also, Mom made up some hot chocolate from a recipe that my Grandma had given us over the phone yesterday. It was really good! :-)

Hot Chocolate Mix

2 cups instant nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup cocoa, unsweetened
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight container. To make a cup of hot chocolate, mix 1/4 cup dry mix with 1 cup boiling water. Top with marshmallows, whipped cream, or cinnamon and enjoy! Makes approximately 14 cups.

Note: You can also add a few small chocolate chips if you like. :-)

We did some reading aloud and I worked on some more of the coasters yesterday evening and that was lots of fun too. :-)

Today we are going to try to do some Christmas decorating. :-)

In Christ,
~Chloe ~ :-)

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!"

1 Chronicles 16:34