tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15267729662294574922024-02-19T06:55:54.642-06:00Daughter of the King~ Of all the creations of the Almighty there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God. Who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so. Who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. ~ Gordon B. Hinckley ~~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-63263755339319907982013-10-06T20:28:00.001-05:002013-10-06T20:28:16.223-05:00Serendipity and stuff like that ~I have been studying all day. Our teacher told us that it is important to take a break every 2 hours, even if it is to do a load of laundry, take a walk, wash the dishes... those things have to be done too! So while I'm studying, I keep having thoughts that just get me off track. I was still reading but not comprehending because I'm thinking about something else.<br />
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I was thinking about all I have to do tomorrow, I was thinking about my parents and their health, I was thinking about how nice it would be to have a good cup of coffee... And finally, I was thinking about how grateful I am for everything in my life.<br />
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It's funny (not haha funny) how we go through something tough and we hate it but then when we get through it we think, "WOW! I can't believe I made it through that!" There are lots of times that has happened to me and I look back and see how things turned out for the best... You can call it providence, call it luck, call it serendipity if you want - just a happy accident or pleasant surprise. I choose to call it a blessing, sometimes in disguise. (Oh wow, I made a rhyme!)<br />
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I have a lot of examples. I'll share some of them with you so you can rejoice in the blessing too. And it might even help you recognize some blessings that you have received as well!<br />
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1) I recently had to find a different job position. I was so worried... I applied for millions of jobs (ok, it was really only around 40) and gone on interview after interview. Some of them seemed a perfect fit for my schedule and location. And I was also on a tight time line. So when I started getting rejection after rejection, I was livid. And then finally, I got a call for a job. It wasn't the first one I interviewed for. It wasn't near my house or as soon as I had hoped. But everyone keeps telling me that this is the best nurse manager I could have ever hoped for. She didn't tell me what days I would work, she asked me which days I <i>could</i> work. I've also been told that the unit as a whole is cohesive and works together. That's a big plus in my book. I'm glad I didn't get the first job I applied for.<br />
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2) A few years back, when I lost my job, I thought my world had come to an end. The unfairness of the situation, what it would mean for my future... I could not fathom how this could happen. I'm a good person, I never dreamed I would ever be put in this predicament. I wanted to be bitter and I kind of wanted revenge, as much as I hate to say it. But I kept going. I took a job that paid much less, a job I didn't find interesting or exciting. The thing that is amazing is that I had much better insurance than at my previous job. The reason this is so important?? A year later I was diagnosed with cancer. If I'd had the insurance from my previous job it would have meant ruin. I probably never would have recovered financially. Coincidence? Probably not.<br />
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3) Here's another recent one. This summer, I was struggling to figure out what to do. On the one hand, people say "If it don't come easy, then it wasn't meant to be" and on the other hand they say, "If it's worth having, it's worth fighting for." So which is it?!?! So I finally called my mother and asked her to pray. I said if this is what I am supposed to do, then I need someone to call me and tell me. Like tomorrow morning. Because I've never been one for patience... So the next day, bright and early I was sitting at my desk when the phone rang. Someone I had talked to <i>once</i> in my lifetime and seen in person only <i>once</i> another time, was on the other end. She asked me about nursing school and I told her I wasn't sure I was going to go... yada yada yada... and she said, "Oh, no you <i>have</i> to go. You have worked too hard to get where you are now and you can't stop, you just have to go on to school, that's all there is to it." So guess what?? I'm going. I prayed for someone to call and they did! Serendipity?? Oh please! Oh and she and I are good friends now...<br />
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Now I'm not saying that bad things don't happen. I'm just saying that when they do, there is often a reason behind it. I like this verse and think of it often:<br />
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"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to HIS purpose." - Romans 8:28</blockquote>
I have a long ways to go. I have trust issues and I sometimes get sidetracked with my own agenda. But the truth is that I do love God and want to do his purposes. I believe that all things have so far worked together for my good.<br />
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When have you seen the serendipity of God in your life?? Please share with us!!<br />
~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-19415654114524878102013-09-22T16:11:00.000-05:002013-09-22T16:11:48.055-05:00It's My Birthday! ~Today is my Birthday! I turned the big 4-0. <span style="font-size: large;">40</span>. <i><b>Forty</b></i>.<br />
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I can't believe it because I still feel really young in a lot of ways. I only have 1 gray hair. For real. I still like to color with Crayons. I still like cartoons (Tom & Jerry). I like sprinkles on my cakes. I want hugs from Mama and Daddy. My Mama is the first one I call when I'm sick and don't know what to do. I still like all those things - but I'm 40.<br />
The past five years have taught me a lot. They say that into everyone's life a little rain must fall. A little rain is desirable.<br />
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<i><b>A lot of rain can drown you.</b></i> </blockquote>
And that is where I finally found myself, right before my biggest birthday - drowning. Drowning in sorrow, drowning in doubt, gasping for breath. I begged God to help me and all was silent...<br />
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I combed through the past 5 years... both the good and the bad and it was no comfort.<br />
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My husband left and left me with all the bills - I was able to recover and even remarry.<br />
Lost my job - I almost lost everything but didn't.<br />
I got cancer - I regained my health.<br />
I had a miscarriage - still searching for the silver lining on that one...<br />
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I was mad. Hopping mad. I read things like "The teacher is always quietest during the test" and "When you are down to nothing, God is up to something" and grew more bitter by the minute. Through everything I had said, "God is good" and now I wanted to eat my own words. My thoughts were that I'd used the God thing when I needed to make some kind of sense of my world. I changed my mind and said, "If God was good, then something would go right in my life. People who didn't want babies would stop having them and I would get one. I would not have to go for a cancer scan every 6 months. I would be able to have the bills paid without a struggle every single month. God is not good." Furthermore, the stuff that I had given credit to God for, I took it all back. That scholarship, the time I <i>did</i> get pregnant, the acceptance letter into nursing school, the positive report on my scan - all of it was just coincidence, I said. I no longer felt like a daughter of the King. God could just leave me alone and I would leave Him alone. And, in my anger, that is how I felt.<br />
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And then, the greatest loneliness I've ever known settled over me. I was hopeless. I knew God existed, I just didn't think he cared about me. I was too tired to keep on trying and trusting and I wanted to curl up under the juniper tree... and I was right where the enemy wanted me.<br />
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I screamed at God, "GOD! WHY AREN'T YOU DOING SOMETHING?! I CAN'T FIX THIS!"<br />
And God said, "I know."<br />
I said, "If you know, then why don't YOU fix it?"<br />
He said, "You won't let me."<br />
I said, "Here! Take it and do something! Why are you letting me stress like this?!"<br />
He said, "Really?? Seriously?"<br />
I said, "Yes! You see me floundering around out here!" (Big Eye Roll)<br />
And He said, "Well, no need to flounder. No need to stress. No need to get mad at me because YOU have trust issues..."<br />
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Ok, that's not exactly how the conversation went. But it was similar. And then I started feeling like a real jackass. My stubbornness had gotten me nowhere. I was angry for no reason. People who had no faith recognized I had lost mine - and pointed it out. What a shame...<br />
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But that happened when I was 39. Today I'm 40. I have more wisdom today than I had yesterday when I was only 39. Today... I woke up with a brand new perspective.<br />
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I read this verse today also. This was Paul as he was speaking to the Corinthian believers.<br />
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II Corinthians 1:8-9<br />
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"We do not want you to be uniformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experience in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."</blockquote>
We don't really know what happened. I'm not aware that the Bible really tells what Paul went through but, whatever it was, the pressure was so great he didn't know if he would survive. However, the part that stood out to me was the last part. "It happened that we might not rely on ourselves <b><i>but on God</i></b>."<br />
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Please don't tell me that it has taken 5 years for me to realize that I can't rely on myself. But if it has, then it is a lesson worth learning. And God in His goodness didn't let me drown after all.<br />
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So it's my Birthday. And the most valuable gift is knowing that I don't have control over anything. And I don't<i><b> have</b></i> to control anything. All I have to do it step out of the way and let God. Happy 40th to me~!~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-11737167536207097792013-04-26T12:37:00.001-05:002013-04-26T12:37:21.810-05:00Priceless ~I had a meltdown yesterday. And the day before. It was one of the worst ever...<br />
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I've been thinking about it and what makes it happen. You know, besides being a little cra-cra in the head... sooo anyway, here are my thoughts about it. I haven't analyzed it THAT much but I think I have a pretty good idea of what is going on.<br />
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See, I think I know what is expected of me. On the job, from God, in my marriage, from people in general. And then I try to do it. Because accolades from the world regarding my hard work mean I'm ok. Don't they?? Actually, just being at least as good as other people, doing what other people can do, that is what makes me who I am. And THAT is the problem.<br />
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Sometimes I can't do what other people do. Normal things like having babies or getting a great-paying job. Or being the pinnacle of fitness, living up to the Hollywood image. I can't speak in front of people. Ok, I can't even STAND in front of people, let alone speak. I won't list all of my shortcomings because I'm sure you get the picture by now. There are some things that elude me, I'll never be able to do them or have them. The more things that are brought to my attention all at the same time, the more overwhelming it is.<br />
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This is what happens when you put value on abilities, looks, money, etc. - instead of putting value on <em><strong>who you are in Christ</strong></em>.</blockquote>
The thing is, our value does not go up and down depending on those things. Christ died for us while we were still sinners, when our value (you would think) should have been the lowest. To Him, our value was not low, we were priceless...<br />
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You are not getting this, so let me tell it differently...<br />
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This is Tug. Tuglet, Tuggles, Snugglebug - that's him there.<br />
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He came to me as a stray. He hid under the bed for a couple of weeks but eventually we became inseparable. Someone told me that he is worth about $500. (That's all?!?!) But TO ME, he is invaluable. No amount of money would make me give him up and I would fight for him if I had to. Funny thing is, he doesn't have a job. He actually costs me money. He has some bad habits. He passes gas and belches out loud. He doesn't guard the house while we're gone. He's even bit me before. Sometimes he stinks and he doesn't do any cute tricks like rolling over or shaking hands. Matter of fact, he hasn't ever fathered any children and he will never be able to.<br />
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Guess what? I don't even care about all that. Yes, I train him the best I can and hope he catches on. He makes mistakes sometimes and he has never earned a degree. But I love him and will continue to love him until death do us part. Because he is mine.<br />
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Don't let the devil trick you into thinking that you are not valuable because of what you don't possess or can't do. It's a lie. God love you and what He thinks you are worth is what you are worth.<br />
~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-42766970398348188152012-12-30T19:32:00.001-06:002012-12-30T19:36:21.777-06:00Our WeddingSooooo... it has been a long while since I blogged. Back then my name was Jennifer Dean. A lot has happened since then! Well, maybe not a lot... I got married... and that is the biggest thing. And best too.<br />
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This is a picture of a picture. But it will work here. It isn't the best picture of me but he loved it so we got it. We didn't plan a big fancy wedding, we went to Vegas. I never thought I would be the one to marry in Vegas but I just wanted to marry my man and get on with life. Here are some other things we did while we were there.</div>
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This is the Paris Hotel. We don't care except it houses a restaurant that is very close to Derone's heart.</div>
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Ramsey Gordon's steak house is in that hotel. He really wanted to eat there but we were on our way to a buffet where we already had dinner tickets. Can you see him way down there at the bottom of the sign??</div>
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So after the buffet when we were walking back we stopped and watched the Volcano show. It would have been even better if my feet had not been hurting so badly...</div>
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We thought we missed this one. The water show is set to music and the water shoots far above the top of the hotel.</div>
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So guess where we stayed... the New York New York. That is not the real Statue of Liberty but she still brought a tear to my eye. See that roller coaster in the background? That wrapped around our hotel and was about level with our hotel window. We stayed on the 27th floor.</div>
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This is a couple of old school cats who could really sing. And dance. We sat for a while watching and listening. They sang a special song for us since we were getting married the next day. That's sexy May dancing out front - wife of the guy on the right. Such a cute couple :)</div>
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This is inside our hotel, decorated up to look like a miniature New York.</div>
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This is me next to the giant bobble head in our hotel. I don't know who it is supposed to be.<br />
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There was a steak restuarant in our hotel, along with many other restaurants. Derone loves steak. </div>
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This is us in front of the Luxor pyramid.</div>
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This is me getting my hair done for the wedding. My hair stylist was really nice but I hated my hair. </div>
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And here are some pictures of us acting silly back in our room after the wedding.</div>
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This was waiting for us when we got back to our room. OMG it was sooooo good!!</div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8s-eZPUY79JbFIRpl0-IZ4wq9hUTzVptv2TbArXxu_JqoJ0jIA9oHc6rDOJkQllOqJN21uI1FlRFVLPcOicmafmBcLVaxmeM-4gRyQDJL8UJxMpce_LQ6FhRDBqnpvSFjhShyphenhyphenW5IMoI/s320/100_0441.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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And now we're living happily ever after!<br />
<img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmH8_1Gg_BZtvXJ9dLDYyp68Nhc2qdteEkgatBxWTPtsW0w2Gfy8ObT3FoseymFAjAUHz-WE9m2985yd7L0xsFQMCo4KNhsnmbi3Yjy8OWPuenTvM0dyEGw88OaFP6kPVo7xv91J9Fp4/s320/meat.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 453px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 3275px;" width="96" />~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-21300348198388416392012-03-03T10:10:00.000-06:002012-03-03T10:10:08.457-06:00Blueberry Waffles with Blueberry Sauce ~ YUM!<div style="text-align: justify;">I haven't tried anything new in a while. At least not on the breakfast food front. All week long I kept thinking about Saturday breakfast. Is that bad?? I just enjoy getting up and having a cup of coffee and a good breakfast while I lounge around the house for a while. Did I ever tell you how much I love coffee? Ok, just making sure...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xlenFAa1HBHJ75U6WWZ6M6LKjKOc0o0gkBeWOaCeXGw-3VO1bmpeAftMXf2bte6DgA7msVhb1cA-bA4w60QHCdqxCPYFihK9-bBfuYbFPQzZkOIKKD9RfLyb2Mb8eJns_Z2WQXWwFQU/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xlenFAa1HBHJ75U6WWZ6M6LKjKOc0o0gkBeWOaCeXGw-3VO1bmpeAftMXf2bte6DgA7msVhb1cA-bA4w60QHCdqxCPYFihK9-bBfuYbFPQzZkOIKKD9RfLyb2Mb8eJns_Z2WQXWwFQU/s1600/coffee.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So anyways, before I jump the track and start talking about my relationship with coffee, let me tell you about the breakfast. I had an abundance of blueberries because I have a habit of going to the store before I check my inventory. Now I'm not one of these people who goes out and picks fresh blueberries from the bush in my back yard and then blogs about it. So you will be happy to know that this recipe just uses frozen blueberries. Nice, huh?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MZ4Mbq62UawPFhCfeFuw4JjV_AZDBsfjRUXqwt2-UZ6tBR0qe2frq5rCTHwAedkue0T9hzS3xy52t2O5uOZRZ0gcD82CPzWV_zF0Ae7prs1pvxxS-V8Gi9bHB3yfnzvz-umA0M_f75c/s1600/blueberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MZ4Mbq62UawPFhCfeFuw4JjV_AZDBsfjRUXqwt2-UZ6tBR0qe2frq5rCTHwAedkue0T9hzS3xy52t2O5uOZRZ0gcD82CPzWV_zF0Ae7prs1pvxxS-V8Gi9bHB3yfnzvz-umA0M_f75c/s1600/blueberries.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">You won't need this many - only 2 cups.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I got a waffle iron for Christmas and I have used it a few times - I LOVE it! Not as much as coffee but I still have deep feelings for it. So, blueberries + waffle iron = Blueberry Waffles. Of course, again, because I forget to check my grocery inventory before going to the store, I did not have any syrup to go with them. So guess what? I made blueberry sauce to go on top!! I was on a roll. So without further ado, here is the recipe for these glorious waffles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Blueberry Waffles</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">1 egg, separated</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 T. sugar</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 c. all-purpose flour</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 1/2 t. baking powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 T. melted butter</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 c. blueberries</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 t. salt</div><div style="text-align: center;">2/3 c. milk</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">Mix and sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Combine milk and well-beaten egg yolk and add to the dry ingredients. Add melted butter and mix well. Beat the egg white until it is stiff and fold into the batter. Fold in blueberries. Bake on a hot waffle iron and serve with Blueberry Sauce.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Blueberry Sauce</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 c. sugar</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sprinkle of nutmeg</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 t. cornstarch</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 c. blueberries</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 t. lemon juice</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 c. water</div><div style="text-align: center;">sprinkle of salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">Mix sugar, nutmeg, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Stir in water gradually until smooth. Add blueberries and cook over heat until thickened and clear. Stir in lemon juice and let cool.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I made my sauce first so it could cool and then I could put it on the waffles when they came off the iron all hot and yummy. The waffles were good all by themselves, they fluffed up really well because of the beaten egg white. That is an important step you don't want to leave out if you are making waffles. However, you can also use this recipe for pancakes and leave out the egg white thing. Just add a whole egg. But we are talking waffles here, so focus. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I tried to make it pretty and drizzle some sauce around the edge. Clearly it didn't work. But that part really doesn't matter. What matters is that this recipe was so yummy that it satisfied my waffle craving for yet another weekend. Definitely will be making these again!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-81777514973177242922011-11-04T21:20:00.000-05:002011-11-04T21:20:57.054-05:00I Am Thankful ~<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVurA48_cOLnEnpzLwETe3nY9Nh1UlvDb2cu-ljJy1-O8cdrqHTmm47NoYKhZ-t_8vNyFsrM8yzQPzQrQXRzFRnGOUz7a9W5VIIGZH5uekMJyQs89XnZOZFKVzD8wpEUnNsmhBWUx4B4/s1600/allyouneedislove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVurA48_cOLnEnpzLwETe3nY9Nh1UlvDb2cu-ljJy1-O8cdrqHTmm47NoYKhZ-t_8vNyFsrM8yzQPzQrQXRzFRnGOUz7a9W5VIIGZH5uekMJyQs89XnZOZFKVzD8wpEUnNsmhBWUx4B4/s1600/allyouneedislove.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was going to say that I am thankful for God. And I truly am. Maybe you are judging me for not putting Him on Day 1. I just feel like I can't spend 10 minutes on a blog about God that does Him justice and I really don't have much brain power left today. So today, will be about DOG instead of GOD. Come to think of it, my dog has taught me so much about God. You can see more about that in <a href="http://fatherisaking.blogspot.com/2009/01/maybe-god-feels-like-this.html">this blog</a>. For now, let me show you what makes me so thankful for my little Tuglet. This is going to be cute overload, so get ready!</div><div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREm7KExr7c2UYxFMDnZ-91jf5MmpqYMeUSuKF3xn9pxTvPb_e6AmGkbw4ffqEwJkCwqkjrcvFHUyjty-XHQ8NmSEj8tk1aUjkpTqxgaiOI78GB_hQs7GBDsA_WH9j-QiIF2VRkvRQCxE/s1600/wrapped+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREm7KExr7c2UYxFMDnZ-91jf5MmpqYMeUSuKF3xn9pxTvPb_e6AmGkbw4ffqEwJkCwqkjrcvFHUyjty-XHQ8NmSEj8tk1aUjkpTqxgaiOI78GB_hQs7GBDsA_WH9j-QiIF2VRkvRQCxE/s200/wrapped+up.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVx3TMqRvvbyS8ZcG6JcOJ6-9Hh4mA4LPSzZsHw5CxxGClKrgNSpKucWj-muOLZCd3b8Q8ExMYCX_4HCXszhRA7plfATvIBQ6nmy_ZOORGNQWx8PO7sjKUtF95lJzmlehBxAgm7aTkkA/s1600/tug9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVx3TMqRvvbyS8ZcG6JcOJ6-9Hh4mA4LPSzZsHw5CxxGClKrgNSpKucWj-muOLZCd3b8Q8ExMYCX_4HCXszhRA7plfATvIBQ6nmy_ZOORGNQWx8PO7sjKUtF95lJzmlehBxAgm7aTkkA/s200/tug9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Z2s4gFnR7iFqNWBF3rN4ApoKcuqZ6Lutod-BQ1T22RiSdk19h41da8d2dh14A2g0MSPmpUPPsSgp0sy0U4UMCpYdlG0grc2cG4VZPXhyFK_h-5PuSLs6uF_5rDj3zrxXAc_qStrCPY/s1600/IMG00085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Z2s4gFnR7iFqNWBF3rN4ApoKcuqZ6Lutod-BQ1T22RiSdk19h41da8d2dh14A2g0MSPmpUPPsSgp0sy0U4UMCpYdlG0grc2cG4VZPXhyFK_h-5PuSLs6uF_5rDj3zrxXAc_qStrCPY/s200/IMG00085.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkKlFry3j93BeWuH9ZPk67rEyyVx2cv51fMk7We3E5TgOnbdLHqVd_OVEUsbFd1pCD6AHNqTDrc-8Tmwr9u9vSlvKpM1kbcCMQziBkw7GPWwG9ScyUZbu2b84WSoJmD0GsJ9dCc8j4xQ/s1600/tug8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkKlFry3j93BeWuH9ZPk67rEyyVx2cv51fMk7We3E5TgOnbdLHqVd_OVEUsbFd1pCD6AHNqTDrc-8Tmwr9u9vSlvKpM1kbcCMQziBkw7GPWwG9ScyUZbu2b84WSoJmD0GsJ9dCc8j4xQ/s200/tug8.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuWyXE5-K4wC-EWWw9y3pLSyRxuacUEbcHKKDe8YZUX6iZpfkdfuD-vkOky0W3-uFj9rDvrCW8H_7TcbPuxhf6unA6v9Q_OPPRVqo_TMOiM97_pIGAhBHpjcxwxX4GnYrFFd5U51X85w/s1600/tug1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuWyXE5-K4wC-EWWw9y3pLSyRxuacUEbcHKKDe8YZUX6iZpfkdfuD-vkOky0W3-uFj9rDvrCW8H_7TcbPuxhf6unA6v9Q_OPPRVqo_TMOiM97_pIGAhBHpjcxwxX4GnYrFFd5U51X85w/s200/tug1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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</div></div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-35702240497218783312011-11-03T18:45:00.000-05:002011-11-03T18:45:54.714-05:00November 3 ~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ZXyOAz0cQK2s_-VhkmrQrJViaj2q1rtG9vfIYeM8rPxIzpYXEECHhJrjtLlc6jGIr7-iF176LziWUxheI7z15Z2Z3or09C-A1xZMOgEa1u3qPX6QLcAEvaU81ibuup6lTVAITKIM98/s1600/brother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ZXyOAz0cQK2s_-VhkmrQrJViaj2q1rtG9vfIYeM8rPxIzpYXEECHhJrjtLlc6jGIr7-iF176LziWUxheI7z15Z2Z3or09C-A1xZMOgEa1u3qPX6QLcAEvaU81ibuup6lTVAITKIM98/s400/brother.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Ok so I have a confession to make. Day 1 was my dad, day 2 was my mom. Day 3 was a tie between my brother, Jeff, and my dog, Tug! (Sorry Jeff!) I just kept thinking about Tug's furry little cute face. Then I would think about my brother's furry little, um, face... decisions, decisions! But guess what? My brother would definitely win out if it came right down to the line. Probably.... well, yeah, he would. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">My brother is absolutely the best brother in the world. And I'm not just saying that because Christmas is coming up either! He really is. When we were little... LOOK! We really were!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AFH9mr3NxXYQQ7WxWmSpCuXmSHr-O0O0wixRDcpzWrqlX4U3Qhc_g6gSxlTdnDC_92hq5NvN55xSMzWMuiuPfwq68fpaNIxxZ23KOMC4k0-BFfTygxRok4_lVNjEUUGe4G8WblzV7hQ/s1600/meandjeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AFH9mr3NxXYQQ7WxWmSpCuXmSHr-O0O0wixRDcpzWrqlX4U3Qhc_g6gSxlTdnDC_92hq5NvN55xSMzWMuiuPfwq68fpaNIxxZ23KOMC4k0-BFfTygxRok4_lVNjEUUGe4G8WblzV7hQ/s400/meandjeff.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, you can stop laughing at my bird legs now. Anyways, when we were little, we used to fight like all brothers and sisters do. Like all <i>siblings</i> do. But we had some really good times too. I remember once when we were both sick, my mom gave us a hot toddy. (She's gonna kill me for telling that). Anyways, we both then started pretending to be drunk.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm pretty sure we were pretending.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When it snowed outside, we used to get all bundled up and go make snow forts. I tried to get a few snow angels in here and there between getting pelted with snowballs but we mostly made forts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also used to go crawdad fishing. Again, I bet you can guess whose idea <i>that</i> was. Oh, and periodically we would drive our bikes to the school and play a little one-on-one basketball.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You might think I was a tomboy after hearing me talk about all those things. Nope! I've always been as girly as they come! On the other hand, I always wanted to be around my big brother. And if crawdad fishing and snowball fights were what it took, I was all for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is Jeff now with his beautiful wife, Dallas. (I'm thankful for her too).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGt4y2-T1n3_bOVyb7VfIYOjHcMJTO_YScCRqAU7xNfAV8d-k68j2wiCM1ERyaKQGCWZCkh8hBh5FB6nRtZn1bB4XHc2xrWXhLXumAMjVOiNdWtUNLcuRqpJcJALfhAcUztSHK0vpXH0/s1600/Dallas+%2526+Jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGt4y2-T1n3_bOVyb7VfIYOjHcMJTO_YScCRqAU7xNfAV8d-k68j2wiCM1ERyaKQGCWZCkh8hBh5FB6nRtZn1bB4XHc2xrWXhLXumAMjVOiNdWtUNLcuRqpJcJALfhAcUztSHK0vpXH0/s400/Dallas+%2526+Jeff.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Awww! SO cute!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm so thankful that my brother and I have stayed close and haven't drifted apart like some siblings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love you Jeff!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHARpkYqI-9XrwFocuZMZAI_LuR2bgRPAY55zbRBbwKyKozkaLNn-KvKrn-VrGF3dKRLacdE22Syot-zXRRB6EUJedEKbnzr-Qy7DS3XLmGtTotW3werCScDIoXaERugT-ihVecWkrW0/s1600/Me+%2526+Jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHARpkYqI-9XrwFocuZMZAI_LuR2bgRPAY55zbRBbwKyKozkaLNn-KvKrn-VrGF3dKRLacdE22Syot-zXRRB6EUJedEKbnzr-Qy7DS3XLmGtTotW3werCScDIoXaERugT-ihVecWkrW0/s400/Me+%2526+Jeff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-45790931927959410712011-11-03T07:58:00.000-05:002011-11-03T07:58:34.940-05:00November 2 ~<div style="text-align: center;">I know, I know! I am a bit late for November 2nd. It was kind of long and busy though and I just couldn't get it in. But I will definitely catch up today on being thankful!</div><div style="text-align: center;">On the first day, I said I was thankful for my father. I'm also thankful for my mother.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="333" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_Ialhg01StT8ssYlTKzKef0-bpJoAiAM2iVmMbh-3htxY40yx8r5cJs-PamfY8mWp1qF1SbpJCuPdGW5C5z4JAaOsLBUHxamDGHz3zp56igwd2lkj1lqUEpSAtB-B-deN3fO6pVycI8/s400/Mother.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">She is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her. Whenever I have a problem, she is the first person I call. I think she can fix anything.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur2jktO6vaangG3q2kIY1PgGw14r8xhC4cg4Wv7ufwVPE2X0DPVkzYjL2RQIZsisj581mWHniJJ8KZx9w8T12CUhZCGu1KwVn7RcwhNJsxIkdTF2FWvIaCy4AAjUNROVM-fFz93c_csU/s1600/bandaid+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur2jktO6vaangG3q2kIY1PgGw14r8xhC4cg4Wv7ufwVPE2X0DPVkzYjL2RQIZsisj581mWHniJJ8KZx9w8T12CUhZCGu1KwVn7RcwhNJsxIkdTF2FWvIaCy4AAjUNROVM-fFz93c_csU/s1600/bandaid+heart.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I know she has tried. From hamsters to hearts, she can fix them all!!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I have precious memories from the time I was a little bitty girl - showing me how to tie my shoes, teaching me the ABCs, sewing and baking...</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBgpvHjwrnac6mEhT4fMv418la2mlEX_GZ_mZ0OQl0bfmU1o8UAFfJajItwzTC3n5OvrBZaVmDSJQOI6KWqihbsf-8aIDUkkDyLhwTayqViaEX_p9PPsqCWQb6nujJTDaHuKERk5iXt0/s1600/baking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBgpvHjwrnac6mEhT4fMv418la2mlEX_GZ_mZ0OQl0bfmU1o8UAFfJajItwzTC3n5OvrBZaVmDSJQOI6KWqihbsf-8aIDUkkDyLhwTayqViaEX_p9PPsqCWQb6nujJTDaHuKERk5iXt0/s320/baking.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, so she did the baking, I licked the bowl. Same thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are not enough words to describe how thankful I am for my mother.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrmWLTt9bOJ1Kw7TP8zG3kOwLzaTh3RbpqCSeFBQ9k5fpItNXUzVM3WfxZvruDjRKM4anNkmIYWcGlfnQvdFejTKf-mTn4faJvi5-1wu5s-U6lOGEwUHrn9Ecxpx-eK6JDcx3w8DPjKQ/s1600/meandmama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrmWLTt9bOJ1Kw7TP8zG3kOwLzaTh3RbpqCSeFBQ9k5fpItNXUzVM3WfxZvruDjRKM4anNkmIYWcGlfnQvdFejTKf-mTn4faJvi5-1wu5s-U6lOGEwUHrn9Ecxpx-eK6JDcx3w8DPjKQ/s1600/meandmama.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Time to get a new picture of us!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-37794939003694227322011-11-01T08:52:00.000-05:002011-11-01T08:52:43.681-05:00November ~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIv0sDURE9yMFnfxu0AHkslHf8Pl1j-wiWY3N7eIryJTinZIOvCnoC05T4RpOs6gmA6cXlPSa5JoukQudOWuhIh4f2ZKRMxxcMhwLgMrEGWNpJOn5iyEAq-RzDwdlKcQejM5PuGMBJ9no/s1600/thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIv0sDURE9yMFnfxu0AHkslHf8Pl1j-wiWY3N7eIryJTinZIOvCnoC05T4RpOs6gmA6cXlPSa5JoukQudOWuhIh4f2ZKRMxxcMhwLgMrEGWNpJOn5iyEAq-RzDwdlKcQejM5PuGMBJ9no/s320/thanksgiving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok, so one of my friends had a GREAT idea. She stated that since November is the month of Thanksgiving, she will give thanks every day for God's blessings. I just wanted to get right in on that because so many times Thanksgiving is skipped and we go right on to Christmas. Last night I took a walk (ok, I was really chasing the dog when he got out!) and one of my far neighbors had Christmas lights on in their front yard. WHAT?! I love Christmas, it is my favorite holiday of the year by far. But I do not want to skip over Thanksgiving.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">So I've decided to choose one thing each day that I am thankful for and blog it. I'm not promising anything long and introspective. Just something I'm thankful for. So here is the first thing I am thankful for:</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe9DgXrs1ycrSxMk3lw3hLWp_Oe7MAHM95bqul83PEF0UKvhaZmwPnGn3zScGGBpYiW8kUaVCQdicD9fcNMLEhNxLLdWF3qMbRPo6CVl2T00WmWAzzVcFAD4KoZ0or45sAXQytfrELOU/s1600/Dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe9DgXrs1ycrSxMk3lw3hLWp_Oe7MAHM95bqul83PEF0UKvhaZmwPnGn3zScGGBpYiW8kUaVCQdicD9fcNMLEhNxLLdWF3qMbRPo6CVl2T00WmWAzzVcFAD4KoZ0or45sAXQytfrELOU/s320/Dad.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Father's Day 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I could have said "family" but I am especially thankful for my daddy today. He is such a character, always making us laugh and being corny. He takes teasing pretty well also.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiMla2xsR6r1jOHBJMnQ9BeISVGDGyQk_mpZekLXpbcGk2WTP98d1c3fKSnjSftUW_pHvefNVKe9EGj5ksEmh43DOwFiwxVddfO7iamYDvzIgJrZ3uuU9GDWBbiJmGkC9PpYqe1178B8/s1600/me+and+dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiMla2xsR6r1jOHBJMnQ9BeISVGDGyQk_mpZekLXpbcGk2WTP98d1c3fKSnjSftUW_pHvefNVKe9EGj5ksEmh43DOwFiwxVddfO7iamYDvzIgJrZ3uuU9GDWBbiJmGkC9PpYqe1178B8/s320/me+and+dad.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br />
This is us when I was much, MUCH younger! See what a good dad he is?? I treasure this picture.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">So today, I am thankful for my dad.</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-2620671589724012682011-10-24T21:37:00.000-05:002011-10-24T21:37:15.550-05:00Treats for All! ~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My roommate and I share a lot of the same interests. So when she asked me if I would like to make treats to give to some of our neighbors, I was all for it! We looked for idea for a few days and here is what we came up with -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are pretzel sticks. We originally wanted to dip them in yellow, orange, and white chocolate to look like a candy corn. However, stores are out of all the Halloweenish colors of candy melts except for ghoulish green. So we went with it. Just melt the chocolate, spoon it over the pretzels and then put sprinkles all over. Cute, huh?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwNgwfICf5Jy4WToz15mMlrwh1TwwwSP7wc1ZYBSekvRwQEjfhzTp8-PCZcozX4Tk53pmM6Ni5q7cSAx6uDmfPrHp4iturYJsNTrw9xp669JdWEcK2_g0jVV2X9lqum44fLo_e97vaw0/s1600/Pretzel+Sticks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwNgwfICf5Jy4WToz15mMlrwh1TwwwSP7wc1ZYBSekvRwQEjfhzTp8-PCZcozX4Tk53pmM6Ni5q7cSAx6uDmfPrHp4iturYJsNTrw9xp669JdWEcK2_g0jVV2X9lqum44fLo_e97vaw0/s400/Pretzel+Sticks.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">These are Candy Corn sugar cookies. The recipe for them can be found <a href="http://fatherisaking.blogspot.com/2011/10/candy-corn-sugar-cookies.html">here.</a><br />
And a few other places on the Internet.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7zzCSAu3HHGEeJkCi-vDc-_PAYcKk6mCpBOozvptFSbEq7Jhy9YMbd6TztE5vU9ybi4o4PdV2iEOmhq0yk7kQXBq8m3mgsHSXUEpAkZZM_PU6ztJp5oHlle-rDJzq6rvDgK8AVx1MaI/s1600/Candy+corn+cookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7zzCSAu3HHGEeJkCi-vDc-_PAYcKk6mCpBOozvptFSbEq7Jhy9YMbd6TztE5vU9ybi4o4PdV2iEOmhq0yk7kQXBq8m3mgsHSXUEpAkZZM_PU6ztJp5oHlle-rDJzq6rvDgK8AVx1MaI/s320/Candy+corn+cookies.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are caramel apples. Megan bought the caramel pieces that come in a bag and look like chocolate chips. Much easier than unwrapping all those caramel candies! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just melt and dip!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdjkL6c7vg_eRun3wJWKEPrK1uPBw4TOvNz85oNpDoi7z8sY6wKwji9kECg-ZlX7JgmkfAVi6WXwYNeHXI3RqNhBMzp3V7iDo-98Obqzw6bCoWo98_L4PnY2YAKsdFnXnd-cBfKEKHw0/s1600/Caramel+Apples.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdjkL6c7vg_eRun3wJWKEPrK1uPBw4TOvNz85oNpDoi7z8sY6wKwji9kECg-ZlX7JgmkfAVi6WXwYNeHXI3RqNhBMzp3V7iDo-98Obqzw6bCoWo98_L4PnY2YAKsdFnXnd-cBfKEKHw0/s320/Caramel+Apples.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some Cookies n Cream apples. Just melt your white chocolate with a tiny bit of shortening and dip your apples. Sprinkle them with crushed Oreos. They look kinda messy but I'm sure they are delish! This recipe came from Woman's Day magazine.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH2KRsK-JcxW09oD7v1x7e0tVglIDULD5YHrKfSBqlgdMehNQymF3kQ3wjlMbHzgRndPK7pYEqEgCWFhY9gO08i30Wp_tYNNmB8lgH7OP_2So-C6ZsTuto3pF86VTfnefh4CLXrqY4IA/s1600/Cookies+n+Cream+apples.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH2KRsK-JcxW09oD7v1x7e0tVglIDULD5YHrKfSBqlgdMehNQymF3kQ3wjlMbHzgRndPK7pYEqEgCWFhY9gO08i30Wp_tYNNmB8lgH7OP_2So-C6ZsTuto3pF86VTfnefh4CLXrqY4IA/s320/Cookies+n+Cream+apples.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the supervisor of the whole operation. He literally had to see everything that was going on in that kitchen before he finally got so tired he laid down in a chair. LOL! Don't worry, he never got near the food!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwBY_dZovHHO6x7Lwj_V5l2OofJ6aI6P9hoTAp2XDVoiRz2C98mR0xHxDdl50fPj6S2k7dDTNmEzzRznyhTHOQLVSQyt4A38DnC42iYQBEVhIJEb6hz03lIS4FoEiq_-ji2IkmSgrbW0/s1600/Tug+in+Chair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwBY_dZovHHO6x7Lwj_V5l2OofJ6aI6P9hoTAp2XDVoiRz2C98mR0xHxDdl50fPj6S2k7dDTNmEzzRznyhTHOQLVSQyt4A38DnC42iYQBEVhIJEb6hz03lIS4FoEiq_-ji2IkmSgrbW0/s320/Tug+in+Chair.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We packaged them up in these really cute bags.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsmdamWBrAHlnEqiMRBp6Yk7ULsT6VBUlFU-TaG-kVdTyv7lXxrD8bH_z2R4ShhuTksnXbBmu2uhWzp9UwSGdQ8v2crGqMRvpuNr_3m7wCelUnOZL4JF0b-O0N8KtHlBS014gLiEGFHc/s1600/100_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsmdamWBrAHlnEqiMRBp6Yk7ULsT6VBUlFU-TaG-kVdTyv7lXxrD8bH_z2R4ShhuTksnXbBmu2uhWzp9UwSGdQ8v2crGqMRvpuNr_3m7wCelUnOZL4JF0b-O0N8KtHlBS014gLiEGFHc/s320/100_0133.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I couldn't find any Halloween gift tags so I made my own. I don't own any of those scrapbooking punch thingamabobs so I just traced around some cookie cutters and cut them out with scissors. I thought they looked good for a rookie.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAzRO6uBz05u2uyjMGawgkxC5GliUqbcRGLNrfkI8Hh3SCFF5wTIkaxGKuN-DuooMH-F6Z7lgIGaTunvsARBNuK4nwWh-XXJzn3gl-8fr06u5ODfvMsdGAaO1Foa2RQKwvADSdDHjxu0/s1600/100_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAzRO6uBz05u2uyjMGawgkxC5GliUqbcRGLNrfkI8Hh3SCFF5wTIkaxGKuN-DuooMH-F6Z7lgIGaTunvsARBNuK4nwWh-XXJzn3gl-8fr06u5ODfvMsdGAaO1Foa2RQKwvADSdDHjxu0/s320/100_0126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Each bag had 1 caramel apple, 1 cookies n cream apple, 20 cookies (they are very small), and 4 chocolate covered pretzel sticks.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RnpG3-CPwo2KQmHdIRyCZmWokVSI0ZOpHLKNSB0y8x0OAb6TbleEPbXCUVlLK23i_W6sdtr8DymFbUY5ubf3IWC256bAtKhqLi0eBLn6oIeTBeIxgQ5ENtEzmzF6fdVHOjOe_mhTsRA/s1600/100_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RnpG3-CPwo2KQmHdIRyCZmWokVSI0ZOpHLKNSB0y8x0OAb6TbleEPbXCUVlLK23i_W6sdtr8DymFbUY5ubf3IWC256bAtKhqLi0eBLn6oIeTBeIxgQ5ENtEzmzF6fdVHOjOe_mhTsRA/s320/100_0128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We chose 5 houses to visit. Our next door neighbors are the best and always there when we need anything so they were the first we visited. They weren't home. I thought it would be so fun and the neighbors would all want to know our names and say how kind we are. And we would take pictures of this momentous occasion. I know, I have crazy dreams!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">SOOOO, we went on to the house on the other side of them. We don't know these people but they were home. The little boy who lives there let the dog out and my dog tried to start a fight with him...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyways, so after we got the dogs calmed down, we introduced ourselves and went on. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next house was across the street and the couple happened to be in their garage. We went over and said hello and gave them their Halloween treats. They said thank you but looked at us like we were crazy. I'm not sure they speak English...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next 2 houses had lights on but nobody came to the door so we just left the cute little bags hanging on the door knob. Hopefully they do come out through the front door sometimes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyways, we still had a fun time traipsing around making fools of ourselves. And while they sort through their candy apples and cookies looking for needles and razor blades, we will be at home feeling good about our good deeds!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-88246740049205860222011-10-23T16:41:00.001-05:002011-10-23T18:02:01.130-05:00Candy Corn Sugar Cookies ~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know you have all seen <a href="http://kathiecooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/candy-corn-sugar-cookies.html">these</a> cookies on Pinterest.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWenCrh9GJqxM-YVE0qjNQ2fyd8NfqM3-ZE6whPSYvW25n5C8PUSYUpNgVuWGBrenH7i_IZEI6LClUejB1fJ3CR45e0kQaDtU2nl4KszbRJdZjCX5NtkMV06Yv9WZsvyGm3aBjnwijL9s/s1600/kathiecooks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWenCrh9GJqxM-YVE0qjNQ2fyd8NfqM3-ZE6whPSYvW25n5C8PUSYUpNgVuWGBrenH7i_IZEI6LClUejB1fJ3CR45e0kQaDtU2nl4KszbRJdZjCX5NtkMV06Yv9WZsvyGm3aBjnwijL9s/s320/kathiecooks.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I LOOOOOVVVEEEE candy corn. So. Much.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know, I know! It is pure sugar but I just don't care. Every once in a while I have to haul myself over to the gift shop and buy a 50-cent bag of them. And not just at Halloween either! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyways, this is a very good idea but I put it on the back burner because every other cookie has the stripes going in the wrong order. </span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone knows that white is <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">never the color on the big end. </span>R</i>ight? </span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Yellow</span></b></i> is on that end. For all time and eternity. So the fact that half of these cookies is wrong, well, that just held me back.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But then, PTL (Praise the Lord)! I saw that <a href="http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/">Sweetsugarbelle</a> had figured out how to make all the stripes be right. She simply dipped the ends of all the cookies in yellow candy melts! I swear, she's a genius!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis1NZtoT2pIxdk0K-DG3Pg43avlVfq1WNFRjg403aQd1Po2pfxUZQQC7Lmpz6egNAJNIy7BfHAHVt7097aHZeo3g4Tf41wrciwnu8n816CyVgvivjG4UbjCtk8l8bVWhhCZxo7IwTbdU/s1600/candy+melts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis1NZtoT2pIxdk0K-DG3Pg43avlVfq1WNFRjg403aQd1Po2pfxUZQQC7Lmpz6egNAJNIy7BfHAHVt7097aHZeo3g4Tf41wrciwnu8n816CyVgvivjG4UbjCtk8l8bVWhhCZxo7IwTbdU/s200/candy+melts.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7ArDPO00GBOgDmS8VTIvMAE6B2lw-J50mIp3tNiKGzp6Ug9TT1JX5WBo7MU-cs_xqjbKk0qdEGX5c3PuESpd-3GeZDSkdhHAPquZy_SrvRGR6a6iwowf8f6c3ScJ2EcF-MqdQLesyeU/s1600/dipping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7ArDPO00GBOgDmS8VTIvMAE6B2lw-J50mIp3tNiKGzp6Ug9TT1JX5WBo7MU-cs_xqjbKk0qdEGX5c3PuESpd-3GeZDSkdhHAPquZy_SrvRGR6a6iwowf8f6c3ScJ2EcF-MqdQLesyeU/s320/dipping.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I headed to Hobby Lobby and picked up the <i>only</i> bag of yellow candy melts they had left.</span></div><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Close call.</i></b></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, that's how you do it and this is one of the treats we packaged up in our neighborhood treat bags. Yes, that's how we roll and our neighbors are gonna be so happy!</span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">YUM!!</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is the recipe I used to make the sugar cookie dough. It is a bit different from most recipes that I've seen because it calls for 6 egg yolks and no whites. But hey, that's what makes them so chewy! I wouldn't use any other recipe.</span></div><div class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thick Sugar Cookies</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">6 egg yolks</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 eggs</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span">2 cups butter, softened</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span">2 1/2 cups white sugar</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7 cups all-purpose flour</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tablespoon baking powder</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 teaspoons vanilla extract</span></div></div></div><div class="Section2"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <br />
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Cover dough and chill for at least one hour.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> R</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">oll the dough out on parchment paper to 1/2 </span></span><span class="apple-style-span">inch</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">thick</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Leave the cookies on the paper and put them in the freezer. After they are frozen, pop them out of the extra dough and either put them in a freezer bag or bake them. To bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place some parchment paper on cookie sheets. Place frozen cookies 2 inches apart on to the prepared baking sheets.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Obviously, for these, you don't do the rolling out part. I made 1 recipe and it was enough for 2 9X5 loaf pans. If you want just one, then you can halve the recipe. (Duh). Also, do not skip the freezing of the dough part. Unless you just want round candy corns for some reason...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">So here is what my dough looked like before I put it in the oven. I just cooked them for 8 minutes because they are really small. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYZBeMFJFR-mDfbFsPni54yGZWFYBaUgypB4BCu9II68enIHCWflAPOQ6ef4HG0uieFVrZIT89vnxqn4i0mjp8iJsPCOjUHzHH01Zq_luQUaApqRHP4UF7fBm0OcqMts11w5-SFjHSag/s1600/Candy+Corn+dough.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYZBeMFJFR-mDfbFsPni54yGZWFYBaUgypB4BCu9II68enIHCWflAPOQ6ef4HG0uieFVrZIT89vnxqn4i0mjp8iJsPCOjUHzHH01Zq_luQUaApqRHP4UF7fBm0OcqMts11w5-SFjHSag/s320/Candy+Corn+dough.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is what they looked like after I dipped them in yellow chocolate on the <i><b>correct</b></i> end.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Sk3GVOBcTPrOMtGbllAE3Ft5-PrT8PSR88fgH1O7BangTVXBy74951LvJ0Si0hT6ImicrymMkuZtupms85wrFHrlh1FxuKipnz5iAgOYdqEhJEOOj_EvBoYhLqbll3dGn95-otqN98Y/s1600/Candy+corn+cookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Sk3GVOBcTPrOMtGbllAE3Ft5-PrT8PSR88fgH1O7BangTVXBy74951LvJ0Si0hT6ImicrymMkuZtupms85wrFHrlh1FxuKipnz5iAgOYdqEhJEOOj_EvBoYhLqbll3dGn95-otqN98Y/s320/Candy+corn+cookies.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know they aren't as pretty as Sweetsugarbelle's but I know they taste as good!</span></div></div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-6251601722894995802011-10-23T12:18:00.003-05:002011-10-23T17:55:41.223-05:00Reframe Your Life ~I've decided that I won't let life just "happen" anymore. It takes an effort to LIVE life and not just be here. Sometimes we get tired and we just have to lay down and rest. That's ok. After all, we <i><b>are</b></i> human. There is a difference in resting and being passive. Right now, I'm resting but I'm not being passive. When I was sick, I had to rest a lot but I was not passive. During that time, I wanted to live more than ever because the threat of my life being taken away was real. I wanted to hang on to it with everything in me. Now that I'm over being sick, it is easy to fall back into that passive state where things just happen and that's that. But I'm not, I'm determined to live. And I want to share with you something that occurred to me this morning, after having a bad evening yesterday.<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><b>I have to change my way of thinking.</b></i></span></blockquote>After living for years in a pattern, I realize that it is difficult to change your way of thinking. That's where the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">effort </span>part comes in. Let me give you an example. This is the best example I have because it just happened to me. And <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">is</span></i> happening to me now.<br />
I finished radiation treatments 5 weeks ago. I have complained endlessly because I can taste hardly anything. The things I <i>can</i> taste don't taste right, not even close. Anyone who knows me well has heard me beg them not to use artificial sweetener for the simple fact that it tastes <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">terrible</span></i>. Now, almost everything I eat leaves the same aftertaste to me. Also, anyone who knows me, knows that I make ends meet by baking and selling cakes and cupcakes. I also enjoy the creative outlet that baking affords me. I love to find new recipes and try them and change them up and make them my own. How easy or enjoyable do you think that is when everything tastes like <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">crap</span></i>??? It's not.<br />
So last night I had a big ole pity party. I was on the Cancer Survivors Network website and reading what other people said. Some said they got their taste buds back after a year. Some of them never did. Some of them experienced difficulties swallowing some foods (as I do) and certain foods are painful to eat (such as black pepper or garlic or chips or bacon). I'm not going to gloss it over - I cried. It seems silly to you I know but read <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/03/03/134195812/grant-achatz-the-chef-who-lost-his-sense-of-taste">this amazing story</a> about a chef who found out he had stage 4 tongue cancer and it will help you understand.<br />
This morning I woke up and decided to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>start living</i></span> and stop worrying. I can not change what goes on with my mouth or my taste buds. But I can look at it as a blessing instead of a problem. This is actually called "reframing" something I learned in school but have seldom applied to myself. I won't go into all the technical stuff regarding that term, I'll just tell you how I did it. I just did it in my head, you might have to pull out a piece of paper. I will probably actually pull out a piece of paper myself later, lest I forget the lesson I learned today.<br />
First of all, write down what the problem is. DO NOT write down how to fix it because, frankly, there may not be a way to fix it. Next, write down what is good about the problem. Wait! Don't throw in the towel, hear me out! At least read and see what the good part about my problem is. Here's my list...<br />
<blockquote>1. I will probably lose weight.<br />
2. I will be much healthier.<br />
3. I will have time to learn other skills.<br />
4. I can inspire someone else.<br />
5. I won't crave things because I can't taste them anyways!<br />
6. When my taste buds return I will have learned how to control my habits.</blockquote>You see, food has been a source of pleasure for me. Not only pleasure but also comfort. And a fix for boredom. And a source of confidence. And many things that it should not have been. So the fact that I can't taste it now has thrown a wrench into things. Where do I go now for pleasure? For comfort, for excitement, and for confidence? Do you see where I'm going with this? So losing my taste buds could quite possibly be a good thing, although a bit frustrating.<br />
During this time (possibly a year or forever), I plan to learn some other skills. I can learn to build things. I can use the time I would have been baking to go to the gym. I can learn how to eat to live, rather than live to eat. The fact is, I <i>HAVE</i> to eat in order to live. Now I can choose what's healthy and make it a habit, quite easily. I've also found another side to not being able to taste. I don't eat sugar anymore and so my body has adjusted accordingly and I feel amazing! Well, not right this moment because I have a cold. But I have been feeling so good without all of that sugar making me sleepy. I can't taste sugar, so I don't drink sodas anymore, one of the most unnecessary and unhealthy products ever made.<br />
Those are the good things about my problem. See how I "reframed" everything?<br />
And that is how you do it. Pick out the good in any situation and build on it. Become an optimist. Let go of your ideas. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CHANGE YOUR WAY OF THINKING!</span> It takes practice and effort but it is definitely worth it in the end!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsWnrAZHXDAGqjeSV2QG2UmcO7U8BXJo15k_EsIRHShcQrxwnqaI-tLNR0FefVPnOThyQiHxKbGuiEI7C2IUkbj24vkwdAx7G_XugQWcDBwrTComVRYP1ifir9E86p4kn16F9JlVz-Jk/s1600/let+go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsWnrAZHXDAGqjeSV2QG2UmcO7U8BXJo15k_EsIRHShcQrxwnqaI-tLNR0FefVPnOThyQiHxKbGuiEI7C2IUkbj24vkwdAx7G_XugQWcDBwrTComVRYP1ifir9E86p4kn16F9JlVz-Jk/s320/let+go.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-77160960503353487012011-10-17T18:09:00.004-05:002011-10-23T17:53:29.925-05:00The Spice of Life ~<div style="text-align: center;">I recently acquired a new roommate, Megan, who is extremely awesome. She also loves to bake about as much as I do. That is a good things except that we have run out of space for things in our kitchen. Everyone has that cabinet that has little bottles that you knock out when you try to find anything behind them. You never know if you our out of a certain spice or just can't find it! So I started looking online and found these 2 spice racks that I really liked that I thought would not take up much room.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H1W7ehyVWB-vIZZiV3GMezTams9HuoucBzL34ya9IBr8-VoXhn5T_9rvW0MhCm7GR0Z1AjctgqSBBQSlR5_LVojvns7MXTgPXYoTy_EeD-tgTG9YvW9bP8qM2TPrGyBwi6vil9Kbb9E/s1600/spice+rack+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H1W7ehyVWB-vIZZiV3GMezTams9HuoucBzL34ya9IBr8-VoXhn5T_9rvW0MhCm7GR0Z1AjctgqSBBQSlR5_LVojvns7MXTgPXYoTy_EeD-tgTG9YvW9bP8qM2TPrGyBwi6vil9Kbb9E/s200/spice+rack+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaxQeYFZYrwscctUMU-9QnuZL94dNpskXqHP9x9QkHlKrexYtl-bQBkEZVNt4v2sKVSd4NKXQV_O0-FJBo6DERCoNjw-Sl0UBeEIqcc1WslJ-bapOupTL-x0QBGcDjl7w0ND35ou5bPA/s1600/spice+rack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaxQeYFZYrwscctUMU-9QnuZL94dNpskXqHP9x9QkHlKrexYtl-bQBkEZVNt4v2sKVSd4NKXQV_O0-FJBo6DERCoNjw-Sl0UBeEIqcc1WslJ-bapOupTL-x0QBGcDjl7w0ND35ou5bPA/s200/spice+rack.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I liked the first one but I wasn't sure how to make all of those compartments. And what is the point of a do-it-yourself project if you can't do-it-yourself? So then I thought the second one looked great and I would just do that. But THEN I found this frame when I was cleaning out my garage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rvtdNf2GMKN8CAIf8p-7riAggAsmuippAB8WoFJjRTmbDzuDOhlpXstlRV9HtOIkJk8TZk1uY5jsuEUUDrDlQqFBGXWPvVEHduSMXDXbmtb-qtkq0lrbo_5Wm6JiDB5Q6bxyk9xq-MU/s1600/100_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rvtdNf2GMKN8CAIf8p-7riAggAsmuippAB8WoFJjRTmbDzuDOhlpXstlRV9HtOIkJk8TZk1uY5jsuEUUDrDlQqFBGXWPvVEHduSMXDXbmtb-qtkq0lrbo_5Wm6JiDB5Q6bxyk9xq-MU/s320/100_0037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was gold and apparently it used to hang in my parents' bathroom.<br />
It is a 12 X 15 frame and I thought it would work perfectly to make my own magnetic spice rack!<br />
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I painted it with primer. I think it looked good with just the primer, to be honest. But I already knew in my head what color I was going to paint it and there was no turning back!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F6bZQvWFq_Ti12xwYQedlv9RQtLFs4Mh_joNtQMGAV9xOegfWjtGMCjWVjHCnI7llFQdxWnaqlBDJPIIdnFw4mqJTvt2lAsqsxgO6eKKYnBoct0E7E9573tIAvMCl9mVT1jVm39ITms/s1600/100_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F6bZQvWFq_Ti12xwYQedlv9RQtLFs4Mh_joNtQMGAV9xOegfWjtGMCjWVjHCnI7llFQdxWnaqlBDJPIIdnFw4mqJTvt2lAsqsxgO6eKKYnBoct0E7E9573tIAvMCl9mVT1jVm39ITms/s320/100_0041.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the kind of primer I used. I know nothing really about primer except that you should use it to help the paint stick to whatever you are painting. However, I do know that you are supposed to get grey primer when you are painting something a bright color because it takes less coats than if you used white primer. I read that this "Gripper" from Glidden is a very good one to try.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf2uzcKyJvixohKh6be8JYWsQOJ6OyrYi9-rwZNohor85ARVEStCeBKFIP16HwOHd1vekDWRj9wLWNOC51RDukfuNETGCyU0x2jXi8SNB6gfg9RUmXmdkuTcD2Qkl1hVFyJU8lhvpb_g/s1600/100_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf2uzcKyJvixohKh6be8JYWsQOJ6OyrYi9-rwZNohor85ARVEStCeBKFIP16HwOHd1vekDWRj9wLWNOC51RDukfuNETGCyU0x2jXi8SNB6gfg9RUmXmdkuTcD2Qkl1hVFyJU8lhvpb_g/s320/100_0038.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So then I painted it this lovely green color called "Sultana" by Martha Stewart. I know it looks yellow in the picture! I just got a new camera and I haven't figured out everything about it yet...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6KVkDvlp370UGPP3n6-0gxl7aXqDVFp3ecpl9wmv2sxSsL6oXCKRE00kxqksOCyMTJnlO8c6dDtHqQakC5MtuNfATbgsixCw0np5MWqZoRonczt0KShdL8jyyCizaxQtwV8ydElYiTdE/s1600/100_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6KVkDvlp370UGPP3n6-0gxl7aXqDVFp3ecpl9wmv2sxSsL6oXCKRE00kxqksOCyMTJnlO8c6dDtHqQakC5MtuNfATbgsixCw0np5MWqZoRonczt0KShdL8jyyCizaxQtwV8ydElYiTdE/s320/100_0044.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is a closer look at the frame. I think it has some pretty nifty detailing around it. After the paint dried I sprayed it with sealer.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNlW6AxXZAqUhyphenhyphenQwBF5diI4loOaZP5ctCYoLXvYKsl8dP7ebHC8XIBXUtgmgaeiEmM-czXcl3wIIKz-pJ9-qnvNkAXU6-ttEhYoCcTQLJ4z87wroy2Fto2h7Yvd0-x8iwkK4y0YQl36M/s1600/100_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNlW6AxXZAqUhyphenhyphenQwBF5diI4loOaZP5ctCYoLXvYKsl8dP7ebHC8XIBXUtgmgaeiEmM-czXcl3wIIKz-pJ9-qnvNkAXU6-ttEhYoCcTQLJ4z87wroy2Fto2h7Yvd0-x8iwkK4y0YQl36M/s320/100_0046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't have pictures of the next part but it involved sheet metal and metal snippers. I bought a small sheet of metal that was 12 X something inches big and had to cut it down to size. The sheet of metal was $5. One word of wisdom - measure TWICE, cut ONCE. That's right, I had to go right back to Home Depot and buy the remaining sheet of metal. Once I had it snipped to the right size, I just put it in the frame and my spice rack was ready to go!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love these spice tins and clear spice labels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnok3Movos5PmhY6HRw889jxdT8tSqmXn_3YdWSbkM7TZulQEYtN2CSJR3MoOM7Ll031kSaSkJr71vkJgv8AdpgHqkJjkRqI8DWXhfJybJMiNSpyNH1Zrd9tlAvzJ1vd7OaUChLP6OhNY/s1600/100_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnok3Movos5PmhY6HRw889jxdT8tSqmXn_3YdWSbkM7TZulQEYtN2CSJR3MoOM7Ll031kSaSkJr71vkJgv8AdpgHqkJjkRqI8DWXhfJybJMiNSpyNH1Zrd9tlAvzJ1vd7OaUChLP6OhNY/s320/100_0097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I got them at The Container Store. They were $5.99 for 3 of them but I justified the cost. They have lids that turn so that you can sprinkle the spices out. Or there is a bigger hole if you want more to come out. Or you can take the whole lid off if you are using a measuring spoon. Also, there was already a magnet on the back of each tin, saving me the trouble of buying them and gluing them on. <i>And</i>... if I had bought just the regular tins, the shipping would have made them cost just as much. So there. Justified.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">See those letter? I got those at Michael's. They are stuck to the wall with two-faced tape. (The tape had an attitude also, it was quite stuck-up!) I spray-painted them red because I have some other things in my kitchen that are red. I'm hoping to change the curtains at some point so they'll fit in better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJg8gQhZqyEEumrt4zGxgaKCU3UxotMPS7kO6sF4dRbu3gFEBx4cHZ4TRl7sFZX4IcgO22TOpn5hqCmklQlrF-xBDXJFZjBxOON0bYi-Z-28iv-yeR40SyzqtBSWpYV692dpVlYyHC7U/s1600/100_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJg8gQhZqyEEumrt4zGxgaKCU3UxotMPS7kO6sF4dRbu3gFEBx4cHZ4TRl7sFZX4IcgO22TOpn5hqCmklQlrF-xBDXJFZjBxOON0bYi-Z-28iv-yeR40SyzqtBSWpYV692dpVlYyHC7U/s320/100_0092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I think it looks pretty good and is practical as well as pretty!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-64051446379803609962011-10-16T21:36:00.001-05:002011-10-23T18:03:06.298-05:00Fabulous Day! ~I know I've said this a lot lately, but this was a <i>won</i>derful day! It really was packed with lots of good stuff. First of all, I woke up and put on my favorite jeans and they were <i>LOOSE</i>! Imagine that!<br />
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Great cause for celebration for sure. Then I got up and got ready for church. We listened to an awesome sermon about "A Legacy" and I got to sit with a couple of really good friends. After church on of them wanted to take some pictures of me and I let her.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvPjzVGQxnMprLKB_NO_4kGlbdoLTf9-mBHM2u75BRHlJvoTD9AdYv6W-CxHEr-bY_7dyB8fwHCFeYh7Exmpu_k0fII4mS4q4DnxQamBPUfD_a8oVYnBbmRVzIyNanb3OFu_oRuR4XzU/s1600/Me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvPjzVGQxnMprLKB_NO_4kGlbdoLTf9-mBHM2u75BRHlJvoTD9AdYv6W-CxHEr-bY_7dyB8fwHCFeYh7Exmpu_k0fII4mS4q4DnxQamBPUfD_a8oVYnBbmRVzIyNanb3OFu_oRuR4XzU/s320/Me.JPG" width="218" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And we took some of her little <strike>monkey</strike> boy, Matthew. He is SOOOO cute!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFd5Gq13515WPyZ7abDMnehGWoeTqnkJFodibEC-_0bBnsWngN2ECF-w725aVCohYtba3REkwQE-rfuS4dIAm5fNERUnElpHk9DMArgHnNJOe-PCSYxzpJ8oolk9TMU_1NoCTTZ2VpBjw/s1600/100_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFd5Gq13515WPyZ7abDMnehGWoeTqnkJFodibEC-_0bBnsWngN2ECF-w725aVCohYtba3REkwQE-rfuS4dIAm5fNERUnElpHk9DMArgHnNJOe-PCSYxzpJ8oolk9TMU_1NoCTTZ2VpBjw/s320/100_0073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDIFH_On11JFNkf9c3gmQsu3ve7cFcCBWVzB7YUS94am8hHSREMEzz3RCqL0Hyi_-jubFtYPtdPqQA0DXFfapU28IRb7TcAlpAsqMQi7IKRQwWkhZd4_9wxEP0xBz31zjbYxnryWysZk/s1600/100_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDIFH_On11JFNkf9c3gmQsu3ve7cFcCBWVzB7YUS94am8hHSREMEzz3RCqL0Hyi_-jubFtYPtdPqQA0DXFfapU28IRb7TcAlpAsqMQi7IKRQwWkhZd4_9wxEP0xBz31zjbYxnryWysZk/s320/100_0070.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAX2sy65GS7LSCrtGDI0KTkAmAovmB2JBrC72g-4MjMcy_S6e0d32rS-B957-BGvEUjP2ldiwgb41a9BpQcg2I-t102pgEDXAaf1b2uedG6pA6ElSqp3JQG7ZJMiKV7y9nwdF8oW_i1U/s1600/100_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAX2sy65GS7LSCrtGDI0KTkAmAovmB2JBrC72g-4MjMcy_S6e0d32rS-B957-BGvEUjP2ldiwgb41a9BpQcg2I-t102pgEDXAaf1b2uedG6pA6ElSqp3JQG7ZJMiKV7y9nwdF8oW_i1U/s320/100_0071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After I left church, I went home and picked up Tug and we went on a field trip to Petco. Tug loves to walk around the store and have everyone ooh and aah over him and get petted. He also loves that they have treats that look like cookies. Look how excited he was!<br />
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After we got home, it was time to carve pumpkins! My roommate and I had picked out some nice pumpkins and used the 2 biggest ones to carve.<br />
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Let me tell you, those little pumpkin carving kits are made for ONE PUMPKIN ONLY!! But we made it work.<br />
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Turned out pretty cute, huh?! We saved the seeds and roasted them in the oven. It has been years and years since I have had them. We just dried them in the oven for 30 minutes then tossed them in olive oil and sea salt and baked for 30 more minutes. I have a feeling I missed out on how good they tasted...<br />
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So then after that I finished up the magnetic spice rack I've been working on this week. I had it all done, just had to hang it. I'll show you what it took to make it in another post. Pretty easy and pretty cheap too!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQv-fo5DNwZWhXpV1SzuWa2bbIzV21XhTU7V9dyOuxDS-qMS9dObPpUcKof_ZwQYOBqXwOJ8nBtHNfuIskxebfdv07cUZuWvnkKqVUfBiSHr9sPv_tD3Gk0z_bk0cuw_bAaLV15miq_Q/s1600/100_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQv-fo5DNwZWhXpV1SzuWa2bbIzV21XhTU7V9dyOuxDS-qMS9dObPpUcKof_ZwQYOBqXwOJ8nBtHNfuIskxebfdv07cUZuWvnkKqVUfBiSHr9sPv_tD3Gk0z_bk0cuw_bAaLV15miq_Q/s400/100_0097.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The lids are clear so all the spices can show through and I found some labels that have all the spice names on them. Oh how I love spices!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_WUyGy7vztuweiqY1WeBiQM947BveQLncBNx72dD3kFl0beCl_ydFNuMW0jODLE_QX8rDeFnSjYwx9O9rNgXNy24_FpHj0nGMtYko3IkcKXWMlZeVOs7fbvI6nFYmN_t0ccUAQkuiCg/s1600/100_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_WUyGy7vztuweiqY1WeBiQM947BveQLncBNx72dD3kFl0beCl_ydFNuMW0jODLE_QX8rDeFnSjYwx9O9rNgXNy24_FpHj0nGMtYko3IkcKXWMlZeVOs7fbvI6nFYmN_t0ccUAQkuiCg/s200/100_0093.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYZ3rrSC049-0q9bIeHlWELTCjHjiB26akS-B6QPP2xg5leFfgsII6SQti4_OJDfVDkQv7CtFMTncePbtN_j4cshiUkdPniQ_ganRZHsuQvQpT5As_R7gdcGPnfbGN1OfBkaXsVG1SRU/s1600/100_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYZ3rrSC049-0q9bIeHlWELTCjHjiB26akS-B6QPP2xg5leFfgsII6SQti4_OJDfVDkQv7CtFMTncePbtN_j4cshiUkdPniQ_ganRZHsuQvQpT5As_R7gdcGPnfbGN1OfBkaXsVG1SRU/s200/100_0092.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I plan to change the curtains soon so everything matches. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now I'm working on some cinnamon rolls and writing this blog while I wait for them to rise. Can't wait til they are done and I get to go to bed! It's been a long and fabulous day!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-67833426722709812032011-10-15T10:10:00.002-05:002011-10-23T17:54:13.860-05:00Spongebob Squarepants ~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is the first cake I've made since, well, you know. I was pretty excited! I didn't take pictures along the way because 1) I forgot about it and 2) I just wanted to get it done. But I always take pictures of the finished product so here it is! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0N0R6qcrZ883Mi_CrAl61LOcT9EprLP-Wod4kJtzRMCCPiIQcwo_jfeu_BjblxePbkkOCabL8ok3ma26x9pZJPS7lql58WL_iNYrIjZ8qd-Ggk6x0P10OhjvG-lbTxk9S-tEVJs8ANTM/s1600/Sponge+Bob.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0N0R6qcrZ883Mi_CrAl61LOcT9EprLP-Wod4kJtzRMCCPiIQcwo_jfeu_BjblxePbkkOCabL8ok3ma26x9pZJPS7lql58WL_iNYrIjZ8qd-Ggk6x0P10OhjvG-lbTxk9S-tEVJs8ANTM/s400/Sponge+Bob.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I almost forgot the nose. I just kept looking at him and thinking that something didn't look right. Well, <i>nobody</i> looks right without a nose! His legs are made out of pretzel sticks covered in fondant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The flavor is White Chocolate, possibly one of the yummiest cakes I've ever eaten. I couldn't taste it but I know it's good because I've had it soooo many times. I actually <i>did</i> have to have someone taste the buttercream because I started daydreaming when I started adding the salt. It was fine though. It is frosted with buttercream and covered in homemade marshmallow fondant. Honestly, I don't eat the fondant, even the homemade kind. However, it does smell better and taste better than the store bought. Homemade is really the only kind of fondant that is good enough to come in contact with my cakes! Gotta go deliver him - see ya later!!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-23495888805342487352011-10-09T14:36:00.001-05:002011-10-23T17:55:59.177-05:00FearWhen I woke up this morning I looked like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgZbbcMmxeh6dAxzufypyDcPd8-l5AlyROaGtcZirEIQaTwWl0yS0zBLATnwJyiKDHxb6JhyphenhyphenS5OUo7S9H-tqiYP3vH0Hg76YrkZxIcHm3iMwtQ9esaxBFdzBtJ9ElGu4RYAGCYRTJX00/s1600/squirrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgZbbcMmxeh6dAxzufypyDcPd8-l5AlyROaGtcZirEIQaTwWl0yS0zBLATnwJyiKDHxb6JhyphenhyphenS5OUo7S9H-tqiYP3vH0Hg76YrkZxIcHm3iMwtQ9esaxBFdzBtJ9ElGu4RYAGCYRTJX00/s320/squirrel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Ok, maybe I'm exagerating but I did <i>feel</i> like that. I don't know what was (is) going on but my eye was swollen like someone hit me. My ear was swollen shut and I couldn't hear. Still can't out of that side because of the ringing in my ear. My jaw was sagging on that side and my head hurt. I felt (feel) like a monster. It was not a day I wanted to meet any new people - and that is where the fear began. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3XVAtX3BiIItUDl5aX3dazgvQ31_U8pyErmnqVubAgVqbmGxj592WuQ-mzz_6GIEU5SS2AZty3En4Qis5O08YXlaVeyldBG3QD1DgvtEFpAA5PFnaDQWcKFrfmJcWDlXRjRxu_tYPBE/s1600/crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3XVAtX3BiIItUDl5aX3dazgvQ31_U8pyErmnqVubAgVqbmGxj592WuQ-mzz_6GIEU5SS2AZty3En4Qis5O08YXlaVeyldBG3QD1DgvtEFpAA5PFnaDQWcKFrfmJcWDlXRjRxu_tYPBE/s320/crowd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm scared of crowds...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">See, I was supposed to go to a new Sunday school class today and I already have a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">huge</span> <b>fear</b> of meeting new people, especially a whole crowd of them. I really couldn't do it looking like <i>that</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">But I still made it to church. I wondered on the whole drive over what was happening in that side of my face. I was struggling in a way that I haven't for quite some time. All the way to church I kept thinking about the future and "what if" this or "what if that" - fear. By the time I made it to the door, I was really, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">really</span> tired! And irritable!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">But wouldn't you know it, God had already prepared a sermon for me. We worshipped and praised and then sat down for Communion. As the crackers and grape juice (yes, that's how we roll) were passed out, a member of the praise team started singing:</div><blockquote><b>Because He lives</b>, I can face tomorrow<br />
Because He lives. <b>All fear is gone</b>.<br />
Because I knowwwwwwww, <b>He holds the future</b>Life is worth the living just because He lives!</blockquote>I swear, this happens every Sunday. I go in with all these things on my mind and God answers them in one way or another. Pastor Rick's message was about worry and fear also. Let me tell you, I whole-heartedly disagree with this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaQ0FP3x_h3yoBj8b9cZcaieMoYcj20sCTa4Y6IxiOdLNq_baAubLUtExP2gPkLgD4AZ_L4rChUPwcvipMZLalGooL967P4g9kqDkNm-bAzebQh6gR6CgOt08Mj6oLijMdr109rKtMSM/s1600/No+fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaQ0FP3x_h3yoBj8b9cZcaieMoYcj20sCTa4Y6IxiOdLNq_baAubLUtExP2gPkLgD4AZ_L4rChUPwcvipMZLalGooL967P4g9kqDkNm-bAzebQh6gR6CgOt08Mj6oLijMdr109rKtMSM/s320/No+fear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I refuse to live with fear. I refuse to sit down and invite fear to breakfast, dinner, or even a tea-party! Fear isn't welcome in my home or in my head because it takes the joy out of living and clouds the future. I've decided that when fear does try to raise stick his big ugly head in the door, I will have to slam it shut. I already belong to God and anything that comes my way, I can make it through.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7wqD6HC-9R2JCwUlsaHipTYAd7m42X7AJuKWIirkZ17tIcbBnGeETdPSZRuandNFWeWC_qh0sB_J7OfPhKrvdtUnDZLYJWfv3E1Cys7W9W6LWmABXe_3Ku77XHSNdxTGaivstkC4xDI/s1600/Fear+not.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7wqD6HC-9R2JCwUlsaHipTYAd7m42X7AJuKWIirkZ17tIcbBnGeETdPSZRuandNFWeWC_qh0sB_J7OfPhKrvdtUnDZLYJWfv3E1Cys7W9W6LWmABXe_3Ku77XHSNdxTGaivstkC4xDI/s320/Fear+not.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-12979873261080740482011-10-08T23:05:00.004-05:002011-10-23T17:56:25.035-05:00BOO!!! ~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBV_lS2uoXlmblOJzAGlME_4JznvIro8i64F9garpevXkLbBhGxbNE4-5E7QJOgJKzVqqyVg2zLj3Vubc_QSEFEEuKShcyWGzWJyhJaT4gJehL3h0WwQ6cI_YKROMpNdvT3EhCFS5bL-U/s1600/don%2527t+be+too+busy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBV_lS2uoXlmblOJzAGlME_4JznvIro8i64F9garpevXkLbBhGxbNE4-5E7QJOgJKzVqqyVg2zLj3Vubc_QSEFEEuKShcyWGzWJyhJaT4gJehL3h0WwQ6cI_YKROMpNdvT3EhCFS5bL-U/s320/don%2527t+be+too+busy.JPG" width="280" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">I haven't had any deep thoughts in... a while. I actually have, but none I can share right now. However, I <i><b>have</b></i> figured out one thing. I'm <i>way</i> too busy to do so many things! I thought I was going to start a new blog - do some crafting and show you. But I also like to bake. And I like to write. And build stuff and sew. There is probably nothing I won't try to do once and, as luck would have it, I like a lot of what I try. Especially now that I've decided to be happy and live to the fullest. </div></div><blockquote style="text-align: center;">Soooooo.... </blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">I don't have time to create a different blog to appeal to that many audiences - I would be up 24/7. So what I figured out is that whoever chooses to read THIS blog, will have to read a little of everything. So you never know, you may be reading a book review here one day and then looking at a craft the next. Or I may choose to show you THE cutest picture in the world...</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQfkrHFtpEv6zeso9LjPCeqAF0dkxyqdHY457e3KBhtbmi8w0xmKd1ccwlpQyuL1CDNlKw_88e1ixN_sE2PZ0bITodMwIF-54_-EycLdyYqBQZymvrpntDRRHZGnqzm28akEocDHRG2k/s1600/100_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQfkrHFtpEv6zeso9LjPCeqAF0dkxyqdHY457e3KBhtbmi8w0xmKd1ccwlpQyuL1CDNlKw_88e1ixN_sE2PZ0bITodMwIF-54_-EycLdyYqBQZymvrpntDRRHZGnqzm28akEocDHRG2k/s320/100_0036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufcgXLVx2-zqCYnfGlQp4FDtoefC6gnlbuNQfjQa9VzwEd5jI_9EjQ_xGWJkUlV7Nq5Dt-fYXphXMVsRsiuRnngjTO5-4VdHJgB-aYGcitWink5aDg8PP5HH4Q5HS9KQPRlqZm5XWbys/s1600/100_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufcgXLVx2-zqCYnfGlQp4FDtoefC6gnlbuNQfjQa9VzwEd5jI_9EjQ_xGWJkUlV7Nq5Dt-fYXphXMVsRsiuRnngjTO5-4VdHJgB-aYGcitWink5aDg8PP5HH4Q5HS9KQPRlqZm5XWbys/s320/100_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And hopefully some day I'll have another deep though I can share with you. But it isn't today because to<i>daayyy</i>, I want to show you what I made last night! You will look at it and think, "Why was she so excited to show me that?" But I don't care. It's what I did with my life for a while and I like it.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;">I saw <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/296390095/">THIS</a> on Pinterest and thought it could be adapted to any holiday really. (These are really cute but I have another "joy" to do for Christmas).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdatvawz8ufiW4hlkoxPjOBrYcloUR5nAG_-QFx36mF8g3TdV_s1crGBz14etlBCsdgFv2Uw2VStIb65MYZ5OJDZ7PT5qklEyhclajibNsAKqf6K8VTPb7nQ-QHK3jwU4blxxlQTHpJM/s1600/joy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdatvawz8ufiW4hlkoxPjOBrYcloUR5nAG_-QFx36mF8g3TdV_s1crGBz14etlBCsdgFv2Uw2VStIb65MYZ5OJDZ7PT5qklEyhclajibNsAKqf6K8VTPb7nQ-QHK3jwU4blxxlQTHpJM/s320/joy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">So I decided to try it, adapting it to Halloween. First of all, I went to Hobby Lobby to look for some picture frames but they didn't have what I needed. So I spent another hour just looking at stuff before heading on over to Michael's. I ended up getting these picture frames which were $1 each. I really wanted to get some black ones that I didn't have to paint but they were $4 each. I needed black paint for another project anyways so I decided to go with these. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSo7AxE_REUcqP6vkkPqKkPgiwtd3fpniH3GfIY7sCHDwxMvZcDjKfrh89-9tBkf_Zsw-Pt7aCyOTbeQBRrIFfjpYjhfEif2TrX00b39zcl-0h3yKuMUUfcpZEfbkZI83Zqk60Y68GNA/s1600/100_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSo7AxE_REUcqP6vkkPqKkPgiwtd3fpniH3GfIY7sCHDwxMvZcDjKfrh89-9tBkf_Zsw-Pt7aCyOTbeQBRrIFfjpYjhfEif2TrX00b39zcl-0h3yKuMUUfcpZEfbkZI83Zqk60Y68GNA/s320/100_0018.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then I went next door to Home Depot and got some black paint. Oh, excuse me! The color is actually <b style="font-style: italic;">Francesca, </b>since Martha has to make everything so dramatic. You can buy sample bottles of her paint for a little under $3.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpN19XYybY5xDX8-K4_uN2eupMxTBkng-Jnn6BbfqAjf2TaDUCcI2i29FOiHNtKwjkmNjddAdqehNyxf6D814e0F0MVmU-wscMA_VbLU5DKBDn9wWE6pcSUQ2IrOHtcoSCFEnk6Qnkb-U/s1600/100_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpN19XYybY5xDX8-K4_uN2eupMxTBkng-Jnn6BbfqAjf2TaDUCcI2i29FOiHNtKwjkmNjddAdqehNyxf6D814e0F0MVmU-wscMA_VbLU5DKBDn9wWE6pcSUQ2IrOHtcoSCFEnk6Qnkb-U/s320/100_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Went home and painted those suckers. Note to self - even if you don't have any newspaper, do NOT use an old towel as a drop cloth. Fuzz <i>every</i>where.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYg9MCZ4jMgRQ3L8TJkakRdGFUcQ02-JCDm1JhAr1ASav4VuTg1KA8oM64nsuenfMuzrzuP1x8ij1rg-PvmY9ZyFJr7rlmkSGIhmLaPnYh1I7xR9KbAfA81u1l-XVSeX52gx_y-1leZU/s1600/100_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYg9MCZ4jMgRQ3L8TJkakRdGFUcQ02-JCDm1JhAr1ASav4VuTg1KA8oM64nsuenfMuzrzuP1x8ij1rg-PvmY9ZyFJr7rlmkSGIhmLaPnYh1I7xR9KbAfA81u1l-XVSeX52gx_y-1leZU/s320/100_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then I just used some orange scrap book paper and cut it to size. I don't have one of those fancy schmancy machines that cuts out the letters for me so I just traced and cut with scissors. I had some left-over black-and-orange ribbon from last year which I glued to the back of the frames. I then punched black dots with my 3-hole punch and glued them on. </div><blockquote style="text-align: center;">And, TA-DAH!!!</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSFIM5O8Uld0WyNeWFCoIWna0JoBwZUBKtFYgUlhqmsVNvacT8AelHcPxf9slcP4BlqehwReCu2rca1o5YYSKewZ-unZH69yPH_pV-8oahIVc0nJtBA5EGWzV8nZmoIwLQz-6bm1J64k/s1600/100_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSFIM5O8Uld0WyNeWFCoIWna0JoBwZUBKtFYgUlhqmsVNvacT8AelHcPxf9slcP4BlqehwReCu2rca1o5YYSKewZ-unZH69yPH_pV-8oahIVc0nJtBA5EGWzV8nZmoIwLQz-6bm1J64k/s320/100_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hung them in the foyer with my Fall decorations. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kLhI73wkQUzK4wek4lkU4eN1bUcXB8t6ye2Pa8dv75O6F3OiLj0vh0h9nnQdML_2snYm9trjDNBxvH_4FvmDH2dhjMG93fEPm8fYV_WHgks3hOBds2-7nkYHAaY9fHTjmfcfSjQiMow/s1600/october+arrangement.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kLhI73wkQUzK4wek4lkU4eN1bUcXB8t6ye2Pa8dv75O6F3OiLj0vh0h9nnQdML_2snYm9trjDNBxvH_4FvmDH2dhjMG93fEPm8fYV_WHgks3hOBds2-7nkYHAaY9fHTjmfcfSjQiMow/s320/october+arrangement.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think it turned out TOADALLY cute! (Sorry, lol)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBll6xeyvLkmYcX8cHZZ5KhxKbJzSyP9HSjOGr8tFadXzwNx7vioTIjMxoD4TjIiO7EVmcO46vtobb00shiq67_S_sc0WtsdEIXuTgZJQbTdhNb80WfDc1iz3N0dCcO8_B6-gh7mMOY4/s1600/toad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBll6xeyvLkmYcX8cHZZ5KhxKbJzSyP9HSjOGr8tFadXzwNx7vioTIjMxoD4TjIiO7EVmcO46vtobb00shiq67_S_sc0WtsdEIXuTgZJQbTdhNb80WfDc1iz3N0dCcO8_B6-gh7mMOY4/s320/toad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-31572327563793574872011-09-19T19:24:00.001-05:002011-10-23T17:56:45.468-05:00Finished~!<div style="text-align: justify;">I can not tell you how good this day is! This was the last day of radiation for me. That may not seem like much to some of you but to anyone who has had radiation because for head/neck cancer (or any cancer for that matter) it is a major big deal! To be honest, I tried to talk the doctor into letting me skip the last treatment so I could be done on Friday. I have a thing about things being even. Or all in a row. That's just how I am... But back to the point. I got to keep my mask that I had to wear each time. It's really more like a trophy to me but I think I am going to put it in the recycle bin. When you come around the corner having forgotten it's there, it is pretty startling! Take a look at it and you'll see what I mean.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmipfFBhYqIxXlWtUwA2YQnjiy9KGVcFNVwDWky_KNYYnCoiEt2J0dPcO94h-GSNsnEf2UmNgPNj87gnn3fFPEoikZ2TaEJVrhjc_JQyGcsQb2X0aRwb-h1A2mMzkkWWnWQkEQ2tFqbU/s1600/Mask+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmipfFBhYqIxXlWtUwA2YQnjiy9KGVcFNVwDWky_KNYYnCoiEt2J0dPcO94h-GSNsnEf2UmNgPNj87gnn3fFPEoikZ2TaEJVrhjc_JQyGcsQb2X0aRwb-h1A2mMzkkWWnWQkEQ2tFqbU/s320/Mask+Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Scary isn't it?! When I first started, that mouth hole wasn't there. It was only a small hole for my nose. Not that my nose is small or anything but the hole was just big enough for me to breathe through. Then one day I was really sick when I came in and they cut out the mouth hole "just in case." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know what is even more scary? See those gray buckles on the side of it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GSzkyCfC1vbp5iIuTChFUPlAgYgfYzDTQvcBGUkfXUc90DBV0MYhBr_KnKjbKM9f1Otj8EwWAvG7QnI5a6ZoFtg-NV402N3R3bZsfQtbwwkvrkM-sI7aVXlgYI4y7Yk6-r1D96FTMY8/s1600/Mask+Side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GSzkyCfC1vbp5iIuTChFUPlAgYgfYzDTQvcBGUkfXUc90DBV0MYhBr_KnKjbKM9f1Otj8EwWAvG7QnI5a6ZoFtg-NV402N3R3bZsfQtbwwkvrkM-sI7aVXlgYI4y7Yk6-r1D96FTMY8/s320/Mask+Side.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And see those buckles on the side and top of the head too? Those were buckled down to the table so I couldn't move. You know, they didn't want me to turn my head and radiate my eyeball or something. The Xs on the side and chin are measurements that help them know where to place their machine. Boy am I glad that's over! I do have a few battle scars that the doctor says look really good compared to some. He said they would probably heal relatively quickly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here is my poor neck and ear. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFNGGUVjzab28MH3eNxs_LqrBwJD_uF_uY5ezBPsDwegHdtKy1VmnJ6_C-x8V0Yz4DmZUYujnloL0u4dJWBEHdaMTTlVyClinNegulh-dym4mOBBXoHcICqFIHDVTFdSOuZzkJO3Zkxk/s1600/Radiation+day+33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFNGGUVjzab28MH3eNxs_LqrBwJD_uF_uY5ezBPsDwegHdtKy1VmnJ6_C-x8V0Yz4DmZUYujnloL0u4dJWBEHdaMTTlVyClinNegulh-dym4mOBBXoHcICqFIHDVTFdSOuZzkJO3Zkxk/s320/Radiation+day+33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I know I've said this before but thank God for long hair! Remember how I told you I have no feeling in my ear and in parts of that side of my face? Well, last night I was sitting in the recliner and I felt something on my ear. God forbid there be anything on my ear so I just pulled it right off. I had no idea it was SKIN! I didn't feel it though, that's the good part. The not so good part is that if I had known I had skin falling off, I would have done something about it before it got so bad! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I saw the oncologist before I left today. I got my certificate of completion and I got to ring the bell so everyone could share in the joy that my treatment was over. I have lost 12 pounds since I started, most of them in the last 2 weeks. See if you can tell.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dugSDew661CKkIr2ohKui1abj4J9A2YTa9YvBthhC-lbZYL4P0bFa1aIj5G3HwB71oVozCiPsmWmTo4kSTrNryUUbFvhXX7Lv-0eQ7M38y8_fc8lUEtlIQyJZ7SfsEuVsuYCkFYPJ7Q/s1600/Radiation+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dugSDew661CKkIr2ohKui1abj4J9A2YTa9YvBthhC-lbZYL4P0bFa1aIj5G3HwB71oVozCiPsmWmTo4kSTrNryUUbFvhXX7Lv-0eQ7M38y8_fc8lUEtlIQyJZ7SfsEuVsuYCkFYPJ7Q/s200/Radiation+day+1.jpg" width="137" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC4fM048Qs45QGTyk4fV1mPP3hY12qqYgl8s6Fd9avt3E3-rm9lWPhTORoeTP72-GFKA9caQc15R4bGbonAZoi8h-8uIoYzBiuhJRJfM55BiOL-e9QLSueHGbliZL9xxgEvFIXIpiR7Y/s1600/radiation+day+33a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC4fM048Qs45QGTyk4fV1mPP3hY12qqYgl8s6Fd9avt3E3-rm9lWPhTORoeTP72-GFKA9caQc15R4bGbonAZoi8h-8uIoYzBiuhJRJfM55BiOL-e9QLSueHGbliZL9xxgEvFIXIpiR7Y/s200/radiation+day+33a.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Well, and to be fair, my face was still somewhat swollen in the first picture. And I looked really tired. Now in the second one, I just look messy but that's kinda how I look sometimes, lol. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I'm looking forward to getting on with my life. They tell me the fatigue will wear off anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months. I'm thinking it will be more like 2 days!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-87182417147227449122011-09-03T19:27:00.002-05:002011-10-23T17:57:07.816-05:00My Food Obsession ~<div style="text-align: justify;">OK, so I'm going to tell you a secret. I think I am addicted to food. Not that <i><b>that</b></i> would be so shocking in and of itself because I've kind of suspected it all along. And I'm not trying to make light of it because any kind of addiction is not funny at all. But here is the really twisted part of it all: I can't taste ANYTHING right now! I have never been so frustrated in my life! I guess it would be like someone who is used to smoking weed all of their life and then suddenly, when they do, they don't get high anymore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I eat because, well, you know, we all have to eat to live. But I do not enjoy it AT ALL right now. It might not be so bad except that I love to cook. I love to try new flavors. I like to eat out at unfamiliar places. I remember the first time I went to <a href="http://byblostx.com/">Byblos Hookah Lounge</a>. (First of all, it isn't what it sounds like. It's really not a lounge and please look up "hookah" if you don't know what it is). I was so excited to try Lebanese food for the first time. Then there is <a href="http://www.kingtutegyptian.com/">King Tut</a> where you will find some of the best Egyptian food anywhere. And when I was on my vegan kick (which lasted almost a month) I was all gung-ho for the <a href="http://www.spiraldiner.com/">Spiral Diner</a> and even the <a href="http://www.mellowmushroom.com/">Mellow Mushroom</a> with it's selection of vegetarian pizzas and subs. If you want to know the best German food or French cuisine in Fort Worth, I know where they are.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So now that I can't taste anything, it's as if I'm obsessed with food. I watch the Food Network and reminisce about the days of old. At times I make dishes and hope to heaven that I can taste it when it's done. Not so. It smells divine but ends up tasting like globs of rubber or wallpaper paste or hockey pucks. Here's another thing I've noticed myself doing. I look around on the Internet at recipes and just imagine what they would taste like. I don't know why I torture myself so!! I think I am truly a foodie at heart!<br />
So here's my plan and I sure do hope it works. I have 2 more weeks of these treatments. After that, I have a week before it is my birthday. During that week, my taste buds better get themselves regenerated or <i>else</i>! And then, because I know I can't go hog wild (get it? <i>hog </i>wild? haha!) I am going to have one of these foods on my list each day until I get <i>alllllll</i> caught up. And not necessarily in this order. But maybe in this order, depending on who cooperates, lol.<br />
<br />
1. My mother's best friend, Mary, is going to make me a blackberry cream pie. (And whatever else I can talk her into).<br />
2. My sister-in-law, Dallas, is going to make me some chocolate chip cookies. (Jeff said you would)!<br />
3. Hoo-ya's - a place in Denton that I haven't been to in forever but can't stop thinking about.<br />
4. Whataburger with Liz Brown. (<i>What</i> a <i><b>burger</b></i>)!<br />
5. Redneck Caviar, per my friend, Stephanie Holmes' recipe which she posted and I also can't stop thinking about.<br />
6. Coffee (which is a given of course). And yes, I know it is not really a food.<br />
7. Apple Pie.<br />
8. Naan bread with Hummus.<br />
9. A bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit.<br />
10. Wedge Salad with feta cheese.<br />
11. Macaroni and cheese like my Granny makes cuz I'm sure she IS the one who makes it in heaven.<br />
12. Birthday cake!<br />
13. Banana Pudding by Bruce Gilbert. (I hate to admit, it's better than mine).<br />
14. And because I can't stop on unlucky #13 and because it is most important, Rosa's OR Taco Bueno with my parents because, well, that's just how we roll.<br />
Oh wait, I forgot Taco Casa. That'll be another day. Makes me sick to think about it right now :(<br />
<br />
So, that's only 2 weeks worth of what I'm craving. If you would like to add a day, feel free to go right ahead!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-56536649084122566112011-09-03T18:40:00.001-05:002011-10-23T17:57:22.219-05:00Just Stop ~<div style="text-align: justify;">I don't have anything special in mind today to write about. I haven't been mulling over something that struck me like I normally do. Even so, my heart is full of a lot of things. Things that don't seem to go together in a story or an article and probably will not make sense but I have to get them out all the same.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We all know that hard things change people and either shape them or break them. A couple of years ago I faced something that almost broke me but, over time, I let it shape me a <i>little</i> bit. This year, I faced something that has shaped me. And the difference is, I didn't fight it. I accepted it and decided to trust God no matter what. Maybe it's because that was really the only option but, all the same, I did it willingly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have spent the last I-don't-know-how-many years working and working and working. Every minute was tied up trying to make ends meet and, to be truthful, I was wearing out. Not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. But still, I made myself keep going because that is what I thought I had to do. <i>I can't lose anything, I can't go backwards, I can't stop, I can't give in, I can't look like a fool</i>, etc, etc, etc. And then everything came to a screeching halt. I found out I had a tumor and would have to be off work for 2 weeks. Well, I took 8 days instead of 10 because I really thought I didn't have the time to fully recover. Then I found out my tumor was really cancer and I would have to do radiation. In my head I thought, "No big deal, let's get this done. I have to get back to work so I can make ends meet." Amidst all of the side-effects that come along with radiation treatments, I was determined to keep going and I didn't want to take off work.</div><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>God had other plans.</i></b></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">At some point, I had to give up. Not just physically but also in every other way as well. It is noble to keep fighting in the face of adversity. It really is. But sometimes, it is <i>more</i> noble to let it all go and admit that you can't. That is exactly where I found myself. I can't go to work because I can't perform my job well. I can't pay my bills because I now have medical bills that outweigh those other ones. I can't cook my own meals because nothing sounds good and everything makes me feel sick. I may as well go to bed.</div>So I did. I threw in the towel and went to bed. I wasn't depressed. Just very, very tired. I really had no other choice but to slow down. Well, not so much slow down, but just stop.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s_ZkqdGAcBr0T4kGXG4LFM6FN0XOrps7bwxVcrwEsgXXtLLQuGsY-ugEEtoUcaTdDSrUFpw8iLNUiJ93SQ_f9SLazioo6cyWhRiUUjh_bh3-78hTYxJe6YL46hl0Tgx_90Ah9avU1yw/s1600/stop+right+now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s_ZkqdGAcBr0T4kGXG4LFM6FN0XOrps7bwxVcrwEsgXXtLLQuGsY-ugEEtoUcaTdDSrUFpw8iLNUiJ93SQ_f9SLazioo6cyWhRiUUjh_bh3-78hTYxJe6YL46hl0Tgx_90Ah9avU1yw/s400/stop+right+now.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I just realized that there are so many things I've been missing. I've been missing the quiet time of just doing nothing. <i>At all</i>. I've been missing time with God. I've been missing how it is to pray for my friends and family like I should. I've missed the times of reflection instead of worry. I've really missed hanging out with friends. Just been trying to fix it all myself and never NEVER give up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Wednesday night on the way home, after I asked the little guy at Chicken Express for some mashed potatoes "and that's all" and then waited, trying not to throw up - I realized - I can't do this. I was never <i>meant </i>to do this. So I decided then and there: I can't make it to the meeting at church tonight, I can't make it to work tomorrow, I can't make it to my part-time job, and I can't make the bills go away. And I don't care because I just <i>can't</i>. Not anymore. So I gave up. I went home and went to bed and slept until 1pm the next day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I got up the next day, I still felt horrible physically but also felt a genuine peace that everything is going to be alright because I don't have to fix everything. Yes, I did mess a lot of things up, which is probably why I felt like I had to fix it too. But at some point, it is about grace and forgiveness, not making things even. Grace and forgiveness - two things I have been <strike>unable</strike> unwilling to give to myself. I'm not saying this is the sole purpose that I ended up with cancer. I'm not sure what the whole purpose of it is. But if having to endure <i>that</i> is what it took to give myself a break, then I'll take it gladly. God and I are good with each other now. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's not way to wrap up this blog. So, that's all I have to say for now. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-71887939773255180922011-09-02T11:47:00.002-05:002011-10-23T17:57:39.737-05:00Day 1000? ~<div style="text-align: justify;">I've lost count! The radiation machine has been down so many times and I've had to make up some sessions on the weekend, I lost track of how many I have done. Anyway, I know I have 2 weeks to go. I think after this Saturday and Sunday I have 10 left. Here are my pics. Don't be alarmed, I think this will all return to normal.</div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Receding Hair Line </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Radiation Burn</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd5W6d2wzC0X_o8v7BcA9J-1T7CPUzoBppngOTAWowoxmhWzb4OWmD1QJ_m6HOI3MPUGq4hHh0MherfM4fSUBR6OnbasOf-kc6TxrO-iFnSfBUwGbhvnpgMONO932FUiS3F-CU3J2hsE/s1600/Radiation+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd5W6d2wzC0X_o8v7BcA9J-1T7CPUzoBppngOTAWowoxmhWzb4OWmD1QJ_m6HOI3MPUGq4hHh0MherfM4fSUBR6OnbasOf-kc6TxrO-iFnSfBUwGbhvnpgMONO932FUiS3F-CU3J2hsE/s200/Radiation+day.jpg" width="198" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SZXZBCr34Nki7A-kQ1nhVqVNwcy7H4b3QB3S_68nUczzt0TXxsIDoKLXnh44G8KWwcZ_VqhXsth5aqFpKb71Hv9P4HsTUSV88LUcTXCZwZP3B2ECEDTNEI-MyaXzN7m-atE2Cf_qOjk/s1600/Radiation+day+1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SZXZBCr34Nki7A-kQ1nhVqVNwcy7H4b3QB3S_68nUczzt0TXxsIDoKLXnh44G8KWwcZ_VqhXsth5aqFpKb71Hv9P4HsTUSV88LUcTXCZwZP3B2ECEDTNEI-MyaXzN7m-atE2Cf_qOjk/s200/Radiation+day+1000.jpg" width="157" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This is that picture I promised to show you where I've lost a lot of my hair. You can't tell when I wear my hair down though. I am constantly finding hairs everywhere! And they hang on my sleeves and tickle my arms too. The second one is my face where they have tried to burn it off. I can't get over how big my ear is. They say that your ears and nose never stop growing, must be true. Thanks, Daddy.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I found a food that seemed to satisfy me although I couldn't taste it. French fries with ketchup. And I also enjoyed coconut flavored milk shakes. And as soon as I stumbled upon these I developed thrush. I thought that was for babies but apparently it doesn't discriminate based on age. I have a picture of that, only because I sent it to my mother asking her, "WHAT IS THIS??" But I won't show you that one. Yuck. And because of the thrush, I can't eat french fries or ketchup without feeling like my tongue is on fire. And the milk shakes make me feel sick to even think about them. So I'm pretty much living on ensure and mashed potatoes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So yesterday, I finally surrendered and called into work. I didn't go yesterday or today and I also didn't go to my part time job. I see visions of money just slipping away... I was hoping not to miss much if any work so hopefully I will feel much better by Tuesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not depressed. I know this is all a part of God's plan. Even though I hate it, I've learned so much from it and in the end I am almost sure I wouldn't trade it for wellness. I'm way tougher than I thought I could be. God is good all the time.</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-86301950438505390322011-08-27T13:55:00.003-05:002011-10-23T17:57:52.869-05:00Day 17 ~<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Ok, so this is me, flying toward the finish line!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XkWAuOWOA51r79MhT2rlsnn52kyL_rIVK99wrHRRbCdUwecOrPK4EhOBcKYg304jeTRN1HXF2iJLuCYEicEePgRSD_4uPpXcP0qiuEzKMY72dESScPrrVzaBwfU-SzZWNyqxaz9RqRw/s1600/Flying+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XkWAuOWOA51r79MhT2rlsnn52kyL_rIVK99wrHRRbCdUwecOrPK4EhOBcKYg304jeTRN1HXF2iJLuCYEicEePgRSD_4uPpXcP0qiuEzKMY72dESScPrrVzaBwfU-SzZWNyqxaz9RqRw/s320/Flying+Dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It's Saturday and I had to go to radiation today. I have to go tomorrow too. The machine has been breaking down and since I missed a few days here and there, I have to make them up. So I am a little over halfway there, I have exactly 16 more days (I think). If my calculations are correct, I should be done on September 16th. Please, God! Let me be correct!! Because I'm planning that my taste buds will have exactly 1 week to regenerate and then we'll have my birthday dinner. Whether you want to or not. ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As for me, I am feeling pretty good, way better than last weekend, which is why I did not even bother to update back then. My mouth is dry and the hair on the back of my head is falling out in droves. That's the real reason I didn't post a picture of myself this time. I might post one tomorrow, it <i><b>is</b></i> kind of humorous. (I)'m secretly hoping it will grow back in <b>BLACK</b>)! Everything tastes <strike>distorted</strike> horrible and you know how much I love to bake so that is a big deal to me. Other than that, I'm doing great! Can't wait to get this all behind me and get on with life!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-11765175525571315842011-08-18T19:31:00.001-05:002011-10-23T17:58:28.810-05:00Day 12 ~<div style="text-align: justify;">Somebody looked at me today and said, "What happened to your face?!" Nice. Very nice. Well, what happened is that I went to the dentist yesterday and my whole face swelled up. I've always liked frogs but I never wanted to look like one. On top of that, they are trying to burn my face off with that radiation machine thingy. So when I went for my treatment today, they stuffed my swollen face inside the mask anyways and strapped it down as if it was its normal size. But I'm not mad. Whatever it takes to get rid of the bad stuff.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6MpPMaweNKveNIlY5Fw1Av1IG1uaDOVrmWa1f4AYaoIeqQEnyY7vVzqA3dox4kEu6FA05mJZgIKBKxnCU97-9CT7AGiukCliSGqLdhNZPH9LIg3I_Fyl_mHa49WyqzWvYJY4BhyphenhyphenPbeg/s1600/Radiation+day+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6MpPMaweNKveNIlY5Fw1Av1IG1uaDOVrmWa1f4AYaoIeqQEnyY7vVzqA3dox4kEu6FA05mJZgIKBKxnCU97-9CT7AGiukCliSGqLdhNZPH9LIg3I_Fyl_mHa49WyqzWvYJY4BhyphenhyphenPbeg/s320/Radiation+day+12.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">OMG look at that ear! It is soooo big!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Let me tell you, I am so glad to get home today. I spent the whole day fighting back nausea. Of course, that could have been because I had Ensure and asparagus for lunch, probably not a good combination. Can't taste hardly anything, and anything I <i>can</i> taste, tastes bitter. But that doesn't mean I don't ever get hungry. So frustrating. Periodically it sounds like people are talking under water, especially the higher pitched noises. I am so hoping my ears don't fall off!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-76301290411077317262011-08-14T21:07:00.001-05:002011-10-23T17:58:08.623-05:00Could I See Some ID? ~<div style="text-align: justify;">Not long ago, I was doing my job. I mean my regular, full-time job, which is registering people into the hospital. You would think that it is a boring, repetitive, unspecial job. I admit it, sometimes I think it is. Sometimes, just to be honest, I am so tired that when I look up and see yet another patient coming to register, I almost start cursing inside my head. And then there are times that are so different from that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are some patients I've come to know by name and look forward to seeing. One of them is a doctor who was in a traumatic car accident. I first met him when he was still living in a rehab with a halo screwed into his head. He was unable to even sign his own paperwork. I've seen him so many times that I now remember to call him "Dr." instead of "Mr." and he is doing much better. There is a lady who always has to give me something when she comes in. The first time it was a green piece of candy that had been in her purse so long that it had little specks of dirt on it. The next time she gave me half a box of tic-tacs. The next time it was a tootsie pop. Then there is the guy who comes in every so often and he has told me his life story. Even though he has had a number of back surgeries and also has HIV, he never complains. And he starts singing, "Hi Jennifer!" from halfway across the room every time he comes in. I really could go on and on but I won't. I just want to tell you about a guy who I've only seen once but I will never forget.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was sitting at my desk while there was a lull in the patient load. When I looked up at my next patient, it was a man in a wheelchair. He wore an oxygen tube in his nose and an undershirt with pajama pants. Both he and the woman with him reeked of stale cigarettes. He looked so dejected that I felt sorry for him. His wife (?) was obviously the one in charge and did all of the talking. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">As with every patient, I asked him for his insurance cards and picture ID. The woman in charge helped him get his insurance card and then proceeded to dig through his wallet for an ID. In the meantime, I was busy pulling up his information in the computer. When I turned back to them, she slapped down a card and stated rather loudly, "This is the only ID he has." I tried to keep a blank face as I looked at the card, the first one I had seen of its kind. In big red letters across the entire card it read</div><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>OFFENDER.</i></b></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">I really am not sure exactly how many thoughts and questions went through my head at that point but I know it has stayed on my mind until even now. I looked at this frail little man in a wheelchair and wondered what he possibly could have done. And how long ago was it?? I wondered if it was necessary to carry that card forever. Didn't he ever have a chance to get a "normal" ID? What in the world?! Most of me just thought it would have been better to say, "He doesn't really have an ID" and leave it at that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I don't mean to compare this woman to the devil in any way, but isn't that what the devil does to us? He stands over our shoulder, whips out our "OFFENDER" card, and slaps it on the table in front of us at every opportunity. We sit there feeling beat down and breathless, unable to look anyone in the eye because he won't let us forget for one minute the things that happened in the past. However, the bible says,</div><blockquote style="text-align: center;">"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23, 24.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">My mother used to tell me that "justified" means "<b>just as if I'd</b> never done it." Christ died for me so that it would be just as if I had never sinned. Yet sometimes I still tolerate the devil hanging around and pointing out my past mistakes. Maybe <i>you</i> were an offender. <i>All</i> of us were. Maybe you made mistakes. <i>All</i> of us have. Maybe there is something in your life that can not be undone, no matter how you wish it could. I've been there too. You sit there looking at the floor, barely able to move out of your regret. And that is just where the devil wants you to stay. He hangs over your shoulder to make sure of it. But guess what? I don't have to do deal with that and neither do you. </div><blockquote style="text-align: center;">"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." II Cor. 5:17.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">The reason I don't have to deal with it is because I have a new ID. When the devil tries to whip out my old offender ID, I pull out my new ID that trumps anything he has. My new identification lets everyone know who I am now, not who I used to be. I <i>am</i> a new creation and I can freely identify myself as a daughter of the King. If you have accepted Christ, don't continue to carry around your offender card. Christ died to give you a new ID and it's time to hold your head up and start using it!</div>~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526772966229457492.post-84860730148603993192011-08-09T20:58:00.000-05:002011-10-23T17:59:13.865-05:00Day 7 ~Well, I skipped day 5 (Friday) and 6 (Monday). Friday I don't remember and Monday I was too tired to do anything after Tug kept me up for most of the night. But I'm back tonight and got in there and took my picture.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It doesn't look too bad in my opinion. My scar is quite swollen and a little itchy but they gave me a "survival kit" yesterday. So, I will survive, lol.</div><br />
~JeNniFer~http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507868511653716254noreply@blogger.com0