#HOLIDAYPHOTOADAY & Peanut Butter Jar Day

Well HELLO THERE! It's been a long time. (now I have one of Conway Twitty's songs ringing in my head!)

Is it true? Christmas is almost here? I'm much better prepared for it this year so BRING IT ON!!! I've even started with my decorations. Last year, we had barely moved into this home so I didn't go all out as I usually do with  my decorating. I'm really psyched this year though and am happy that I've been feeling better than I have in months.

Starting December 1st, I'm going to post a photo each day which captures something of the Christmas Season. I can't wait to see what and all I come up with. What about you? Will you join me and the others?

In the meantime, I'll post what went on around here today. It was PEANUT BUTTER JAR (CAN)  DAY!! I took these photos of our dog Delilah the last time we had PEANUT BUTTER JAR DAY, but it was the same scene today! :) Each time we finish a jar of PB, she gets the treat of cleaning it totally out! As you can tell, Delilah just loves PEANUT BUTTER JAR DAY.

Movie Recommendation

Last Tueday night my husband took me out for dinner and a movie date. We saw the movie by Dinesh DeSouza called "2016 - Obama's America". It is not a movie which bashes the president but instead lays out facts and interviews to get you thinking. I was aware of most points made in the movie because frankly, I'm a political junkie;  but I do recommend you view the movie before you vote.

So, have any of you seen it already?  If not, do you plan on seeing it?

Already Hard at Work!

Untitled, a photo by Mitt Romney on Flickr.

One of my favorite photos taken Saturday night!

Busy Spring!!!

Our spring was pretty busy, at least by our standards!! Many *extras* were on our calendar but two major functions were the college graduations of our sister's kids; but first let me tell you about my boys!
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Our son Shane is growing into a mature, responsible young man. At fourteen, he surprises me with his wisdom! He enjoys working out and running. He wants to re-enroll in a martial arts class. Last summer, he worked hard learning Shotokan karate at my cousin's Dojo. During the school year, we moved and have not enrolled him in any classes here.  He is considering Krav Maga!! *YEAH EXACTLY!!*

Shane's birthday back in December!

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Our eldest son, Josh, is working two jobs; each job is 37 hours per week or MORE! Needless to say, he really enjoys his days off. He was recently approached to consider an apprenticeship by one of his employers. He's pretty happy he is getting paid to learn!! God is Good!

Joshua heading out for a job interview

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In May, our  niece Jewel (MY sister's daughter) graduated from college in Jacksonville, Florida. We weren't able to attend her graduation but we are so proud of her hard work and her ability to graduate EARLY!! Jewel has many talents and skills which include sewing, great care giver when you're sick and can give the best massage or back rub!! She is now back in Paraguay.

My pretty & talented niece, Jewel

Jewel receiving her college diploma

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(On a side note, Jewel and I just had a chat online. She wanted me to let her parents know that Paraguay now has a new president. Things have been tense in that country this past week due to a massacre of 17 farmers/land owners. The president was impeached yesterday, borders were closed, citizens were tense as they wondered how smoothly OR NOT the impeachment of the leftist President would be. Thankfully, Jewel was able to share the good news that a new president is in place. However, I still have an uneasy feeling that violence could escalate there. Please keep the Vernoy and McCobb families in prayer as they continue to minister there.)
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The very next weekend after Jewel's graduation, our nephew David (AGUSTIN'S sister's son)  graduated from college in the Chicago area. We were blessed that Agustin was able to pull away from work for a week to attend this graduation. It was wonderful visiting with family who flew in from both Argentina and Mexico for this milestone in David's life! We are so very proud of him and are happy he already has a two year internship at the ministry of a large church.

David receiving his college diploma

Agustin's sister Ruth with her husband Larry and their 3 sons.

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THEN, the very next weekend was a school reunion for me! What great fun!
Potluck, after dark campfire at a former student's property, breakfast Wheeler's cafe, canoe trip down the Peace River, picnic by the river...these were some of the activities planned. Of course, there were a few surprise *activities* thrown into the weekend getaway!

Here I am with some wonderfully fun people! A.C.C. reunion.

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This month, my sister, her husband and daughter Jayde have been back in our area. Jayde spent this past week with us. It was a fun RARITY for us to have a teen GIRL in our home! I especially enjoyed "girly chats" about make-up, boys, clothes, jewelry, et al!!! The best part of the visit was being serenaded by Jayde. God has definitely blessed her with a beautiful voice and much talent in music in general. Please pray for Jayde as she and her dad are back in Beaufort, S.C. today. She won second place in  "Beaufort's Got Talent" contest. Her prize was a free recording session in a studio there with professional musicians!! Saturday, June 23, is her recording date. I am so excited for her!

         
  Jayde in concert this past Sunday afternoon
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                                                                                                                               Jayde
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My sister, Rita has been experiencing major health issues but I'm happy to report she is doing much better and able to attend a ladie's conference this weekend. This was paid for back in December and she has looked forward to it for months. It would have been so sad if she hadn't been able to attend! God blessed in this situation.

 Rita with her hubby and two of her children were able to visit mom and dad on Father's Day.

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Sunday, I'll have the opportunity to see many relatives I haven't seen in awhile. My brother in law, Clint Vernoy will be preaching for my father in our a.m. service and Jayde is going to sing and play guitar for us. After church, in true family form, mom has planned a meal for all of us. I'll be making my banana pudding for the crew! I'm really looking forward to this mini-family reunion! :)

I'm off to visit a few of your blogs now. Have a blessed weekend!

Fun with "Picmonkey"!!!

Sunday night after church, we had a surprise birthday party for Sarah!

And I've been dying for some time to upload and edit the photos using a new site called "Picmonkey".

You should try it out. It is very similar to Picnick, which sadly is closing down on April 19th. I was so happy that Jenn, one of the creators of Picmonkey took the time to leave a comment on my blog informing me of this new site for photo editing. I had a blast playing on the site, learning how the tools worked. Sarah's birthday photos below are my "guinea pigs" so to speak, as I am new to photo editing and this felt like a fun experiment!

And to sweet Sarah let me say, I hope you enjoy what I've done here! :)

 I've known Sarah since she was eleven years old or so We used to go to southern gospel concerts and I loved watching her (and my niece) get all starry eyed while getting certain some one's autographs! Goodness, I've taken so many pictures of those giddy girls! It was fun watching Sarah grow and mature and walk in the paths of righteousness. Now she is my Sunday School teacher!! That's hard for me to get my head around since I still see Sarah as a little preteen girl in my mind's eye. I really do enjoy her insight and love for the Lord. She loves to read and study. She is one of the high-school teachers at Hope Children's Home. She is faithful to church visitation. She sings solos during our services. She loves doing special things for others! (HMM, I wonder where she gets that from? Her mom perhaps?) Sarah is single but has faith that if and when God wants her to marry, HE will let her path cross with Mr. Right's path! (Note photo of her birthday cake!)

Shannon Green of Green Mommy Diapers out-did herself again!

This cake was simple and neat;  just as we requested!

Little Malik enjoyed the cheese curls!

Sarah with her Grandpa and brother!

New Photo Editing Site!

So, in response to my crying over losing Picnik so soon after realizing how much time I can waste there, a creative soul left the following message for me. I plan on checking this new photo editing site out NOW! Wanna meet me there?  www.PicMonkey.com

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Jenn said...

Hi Pam,

I guess it's better to be late than to never have shown up to the Picnik at all :)

I just wanted to give you a heads up about an awesome alternative built by ex-Picnikers! It's called PicMonkey! Yep, who doesn't love monkeys? :) We are taking what we learned by creating your old fave and building an even better, faster, stronger photo editor. Check out www.PicMonkey.com when you have a chance!

Also, feel free to send me your feedback, feature requests, and, of course, any questions you have!

Cheers,
Jenn

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Farewell Picnik, I Barely Knew Ye'

As usual, I'm late to the party, er... in this case, I'm late to the *Picnik*!! I just recently learned about this site and it will be closing down by the end of April!! I played around with some photos tonight and can't help but think about all the neat things I could have been creating up to this date! I have a tendency to be late to functions, so I guess being late to the Picnik site just fits my MO.

Yeah, yeah yeah, I've heard it over and over - it's rude to be late, it's selfish to be late, it's undisciplined to be late. I've heard it from teachers, preachers, conference speakers, business leaders...but I still fight the habit. As a matter of fact, it kind of hurts when friends or family poke fun at me for being late yet again. I wonder if they ever notice the many times I am punctual? Or the number of times I am actually early to fulfill my duties? Hmm, funny I never hear about those times. Anyhoose, I digress!

Back to more positive thoughts! Here are a few silly photos I tried to manipulate tonight while hanging out at Picnik. I hope to have the time to play around some more before the site closes down by April's end. Is there another site which is similar? Can I do this at PhotoBucket?

(PHOTO #1) NOVEMBER 2011 - We moved into a new home!
(PHOTO #2) DECEMBER 13, 2011 - We had been moving slowly into our new home, staying at my parent's while we tried to get the new place organized. I also took time off from unpacking to travel to Tennessee to attend a dear friend's funeral.We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by unpacking all day then sneaking off that evening for a late dinner with our two sons.
(PHOTO #3) DECEMBER 5, 2011 - Shane celebrated his 14th birthday.

It's a Chinese Take Out kind o' Night!

My honey is on his way home and just called. Guess what he's bringing....Chinese food for our supper! No cooking for me tonight! *doing the happy dance* After last night's craziness, we all deserve a treat. Shane once again has a really bad, bad cold: sore throat and all. Agustin had the day off yesterday and mostly took it easy but feels he is getting what Shane has. All of us were up at different times throughout the night. Around 4:00a.m. I put on a pot of water to boil. Once it came to a boil, I added a tablespoon of Vick's salve to it. Shane and Agustin took turns holding a towel over their heads, making a tent. They took turns breathing in the minty steam. Shane found it really opened his nasal congestion big time and took several breaks to blow his nose. We'll remember to do this for the next cold!

I'll sign off now and try to finish up my laundry before the hubs gets home. I requested Orange Chicken with rice for my din-din. So, WHAT is your favorite Chinese take out dish??

Here's a link to my niece's new blog. I think you will truly enjoy your visit there!
The McCobb Family

*WHINE* and *CHEESE* & other COOL stuff!

Let me start this post by declaring how thrilled I am that last week is behind me!!! WHY you ask?? Well let me share!


My mom had eye surgery on both eyes, and due to an opening coming from a cancellation-they scheduled her in early one morning and I didn't learn of mom's surgery until after the fact! Yeah, that was quite emotional!  It seems her substantial weight loss caused the skin to sag and pull so hard under her eyes that she had continual dry, scratchy, red eyes and real pain from the heaviness of the, um, shall we say excess skin? After some snipping and Lord knows what else (lyposuction I'm sure). she is now healing and hopefully soon will feel much more comfortable. But I gotta say...seeing her so bruised and swollen was awful; just awful I tell ya'!! Thankfully, she is healing and the steroid drops are helping tremendously. We saw a huge difference in her just from Friday to Sunday. I imagine in another week, she'll be looking good. Thanks for all who have prayed for her during this episode.


Another yucky part of last week was learning that my cousin Ron was diagnosed with lung cancer. HOWEVER---it was refreshing to learn that his visit with the doctor today brought encouraging news! The doc says Ron's cancer is operable!!! Isn't it wonderful to know God cares so much for his little children! We love you Ronnie!


Yesterday afternoon, a dear friend of ours lost his mother. This dear man is one of the deacons in our church and has endured watching his mama's health go downhill for years now. She lived a long 91 years on this earth and is now in heaven with her sweet Lord. 


Also, I had issues with a RA flare up therefore being hindered from accomplishing ANYTHING!! I might have done a few dishes and washed a few loads of laundry, but that had to be done late evening after my fingers became unlocked and the pain subsided in my wrists and shoulders. I missed out on going to our annual Strawberry Festival with some girlfriends. waa waa waa! Sorry! yes I would like some *cheese* with my *whine*! OKAY- I will stop my whining now.


In other news!!! Shane's new headboard arrived only two days after placing our order online! He and Agustin got that attached to his bed on Saturday. Then the two went off and bought Shane a cool fan! (Yeah you saw what I just did there, didnt' you? a COOL FAN!) But it really IS cool looking, more contemporary than what we had in the other house. That COOL fan got installed by the guys today!! Shane's room is almost complete. *Happy Dance Time*


My eldest son, Josh, works at Bern's Steak House in Tampa. They age their own steaks and have not just a dessert menu to die for but a dessert ROOM!! Yes, and you must make reservations for that too!(Check it out by clicking on the link above.) They age their own meat and have a cheese cave as well. In the few months that my son has worked there, he has already met  some sports commentators from ESPN, Jimmy Buffet, the entire New York Rangers Hockey Team, and most recently, Speaker of the House, Mr. John Boehner himself! Of course, along with the Speaker's visit came loads of secret service agents in the restaurant, accompanying even those who had to take out trash to the dumpsters; and there were snipers on nearby buildings. Cool stuff huh?!? Almost as cool as Shane's new fan! (ha ha I just crack myself up!)

 

There's lots going on around the Rios Roost! I'm still unpacking boxes, well except for the books. I need another bookshelf. My dear sweet husband gave away all of our office furniture when we moved last March!!! I'm not missing the old time computer work station or the worn out leather executive desk chair, but the bookshelves I AM MISSING...ALOT!!!

But we did finally get a shelf with hooks hung near back garage door. That's a big help for dog leashes and in/out mail. Then we hung a picture above our bed. Not sure if I will keep it there. I may change it out. We also hung a shelf in our master bath w.c. I painted some chandelier shades to look warmer. They are no longer white but a cozy ochre. Oh and we finally got Shane's bedroom curtains hung!! YES!

Shane's room is closer to being finish. We are expecting his new headboard by next week. I researched and pinned an enormous amount of ideas for building our own headboard; but with the husband's schedule, we decided to go ahead and purchase a new one.

Speaking of *pinning*, yeah, well it's my newest addiction!!! It's an online world of virtual bulletin boards! I'm having a blast grouping my recipes and ideas, whether it be for home decor or children's church, in their specific places. It really helps me feel so much more organized! and with LESS PAPERS being printed out to lie around my office!! Paper work and filing them is my arch nemesis!



Here's a shot of the little shades I stippled. I like crisp white but it doesn't go with my decor as well as the warmer color.

I'm off to pay some bills and FILE papers! Yuck!

I NEED TO FIND MY OLD FRIENDS!

Sooo it seems I accidently deleted my list of favorite blogs! GASP! I'm sure my face had a priceless expression on it when I realized that little fact! I had added many of you to my BLOGGER READING LIST, but not all of you. Does anyone have suggestions on how to find all my faves?

Thanks Aimee!

While visiting one of the newest blogs on my Blog Roll, I came across the recipe for one of my favorite things to bake and serve; Amish Friendship Bread! It was a reminder that I hadn't made it in awhile. The reason being is that I never had gotten the starter recipe! Always when I'd made the bread before, I had been given starter from a friend. I have a bloggy friend who told me she had it posted on her food blog, but I never could remember to go retrieve it. So I was happy, happy, happy, to find it at  It's Overflowing. Blog owner Aimee had included the starter recipe! Yay!

 

You should go visit her blog by clicking the link above. You will find a pleasant visit there!

 

Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Loaf Recipe
Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing.
Do not refrigerate.
Batter will rise, bubble, and ferment ... burp as needed.

Day 1 - receive the starter and do nothing
Day 2 - Mush the bag.
Day 3 - Mush the bag.
Day 4 - Mush the bag.
Day 5 - Mush the bag.
Day 6 - Add to the bag 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk. Mush the bag.
Day 7 - Mush the bag.
Day 8 - Mush the bag.
Day 9 - Mush the bag.
Day 10 - Follow these instructions:

1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups milk. Stir.
3. Measure one cup batter into four 1-gallon Ziploc bags {keep one bag and pass the three extras to friends along with a copy of the recipe.}
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
5. Add to the remaining batter:

3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1 large box instant vanilla pudding (or any flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt

6. Pour mixture into a greased bundt pan and bake at 325 for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

NOTICE THIS PHOTO BELONGS TO AIMEE.

Other options:

• Grease 2 large loaf pans. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with 1/2 of this mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top. Bake 1 hour. Cool the bread until it loosens evenly from the pan (about 10 minutes). Serve warm or cold.
• Add 1 cup of the following or a combination not to exceed 1 cup: raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, or butterscotch morsels.
• You may also substitute the vanilla pudding with butterscotch.

And if you don't have an Amish Friendship Bread starter, you could always start one by following this recipe!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter
This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe if you'd like to treat your family and spread the love to some friends! It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread.

REMEMBER: Visit Aimee and thank her for posting this recipe and starter. If you've never made it, you MUST! I swear, it's the best thing since sliced bread and air conditioning!

Aimee at It's Overflowing

TRUE LOVE!!!

Jesus loves you and you and you ... He laid down His life for you! Now that is true love!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! Tell your special someone just how much they are loved! And maybe even whisper some "sweet nothings" in their ear!

My Little Kumquat!

I am a self-declared CITRUS FREAK!!! I LOVE ALL types of CITRUS!  AND... I love my cousin Ron and his wife Ellie!! Look what they brought us a couple of weeks ago when they came up to visit!

CITRUS, glorious CITRUS!!!

Who can name the various citrus fruit in the photo?

This photo was taken after we had eaten a week's worth

of citrussy goodness!

(Is "citrussy" a word? Spell check just said NO! Well, I don't care!)

The LEMONS were the juiciest I'd ever seen!

So I made some of THIS!

There is nothing like fresh, hand squeezed lemonade from lemons that came right out of your yard.
(Or in this case, right out of your cousin's yard!)
And Ellie, I did it the way you taught me!

Good thing I live in the sunshine state huh,

seeing my affection for citrus!

Some of the fruit in the top photo are KUMQUATS. They are cute, diminutive fruit with a cute name! Did you know we have a "kumquat festival "annually in a little town near us? You can read more about it here and see photos of art, and miscellaneous items.

Kumquats are either members of the citrus family, or they're not. While kumquats resemble miniature oranges, they are often classified in their own genus, Fortunella. However, many botanists classify kumquats as citrus fruits.

Kumquats are native to China, and their name comes from the Cantonese kam kwat, which means "golden orange." They are a symbol of prosperity and a traditional gift at Lunar New Year, which is why they are a common sight in Chinese households and shops this time of year.

They are so cute! but don't bite into one expecting delectable sweetness, like a perfect orange

 OH NO! You'll be rudely awakened with a sour face. First off, you don't peel Kumquats. You just bite into them! yep, peeling and all! I prefer to not eat them but use them in cooking to add a little something to a savory dish. I tried baking them in the roaster pan with my chicken, onions, potatoes, and carrots. We loved it! I've noticed one popular recipe which crops up a lot when you search "kumquats" is chutney. I need to try that next.  But they are cute aren't they? I can see why someone coined the phrase "My Little Kumquat" as an expression of affection for someone they thought was just oh so cute!

Agustin tried one at cousin Ellie's urging. His reaction?? I'll just say it was the same reaction that food blogger Susan Russo had when she was first introduced to Kumquats.

"I bit into the kumquat, and it initially tasted like an orange rind, only sweeter and more delicate. Then my teeth sunk into the juicy flesh and — POW! — a jolt of tartness hit my taste buds. Involuntarily, my cheeks sucked in, my lips puckered, and my eyes watered. (I had a visceral reaction just writing that sentence.)
The farmer looked at me, hesitatingly. I smiled at him and said, "I'll take a basket, please." When you have a sensory experience that explosive, you want to have it again."

Soooo-YOU'VE NEVER TRIED A KUMQUAT? Why not check out the link below and order yourself some! They lose their acidity when used in savory dishes! Honest!

http://kumquatgrowers.com/

BITTERSWEET

Let's start with the sweet, shall we?


Today is my mom's birthday! And as I said on my Face book page, she doesn't seem to be slowing down at all!  (Yesterday was my sister's birthday - yeah, she was mom's little early birthday present!) We had a special day at church yesterday to both celebrate mom's sixty ninth birthday and to honor and thank her for being our pastor's wife. She was totally surprised which is what we were going after! As two of my little guys from our Children's Church class escorted her to the platform, she was weeping emotionally; then wept while on stage with the children as they sang to her; then wept some more while the kiddos presented her a huge poster board sized card they made for her; then continued weeping as her favorite soloists sang her favorite hymns/songs. After service, we had dinner on the grounds! (yep! We're good baptists and in the south! The only thing missing was the pimiento cheese! Hint, Hint Missy Bowden!)


Some things you should know about my mom:
*She loves God
*She loves my dad
*She loves hard work
*She has more energy than anyone else in our church
*She loves to organize other's homes
*She has been a faithful wife to a pastor
*She has moved all over the United States of America, alot
 (see point above!)
*She enjoys being invited to speak at ladies meetings
*She loves cooking for Ron and Ellie Kennedy
*She misses her great grand daughters beyond measure
 (they live in Paraguay)
*She misses her baby boy John, who lives and works in W.V.
*She still works full time
*She runs circles around me!
*She loves visiting with people
*She is very hospitable


Now just a few photos from yesterday---
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A few of my students from Children's Church presented their pastor's wife with a huge birthday card
 then sang Happy Birthday to her!
( Have I mentioned she wept?)

Sarah presented mom with a beautifully handmade scrapbook and a pretty bag full of birthday cards.

Tim confirms that this is indeed a special service to honor mom.

Some of my girls listening to Miss Stephanie sing.
(Steph is my teaching assistant.)

It was a blessing to our church family to see Becky Foust at services yesterday. She asked me to thank everyone for their prayers for her last week after an attack from a Chow Chow. The surgeon did an amazing job closing the tear in her face. A muscle inside also had to be repaired.

The pretty roses presented to mom yesterday.

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A closeup of the scrapbook and card bags presented to mom.

 Below, a tiny clip of Stephanie singing. I cut it short. I was sitting further back than usual and wasn't sure how well my camera was capturing her pretty voice.

Now, for the Bitter part of this post:


I was saddened to awake this morning to news of my niece Jackie experiencing a miscarriage this weekend. I had just recently blogged about her here. We rest in the grace of our Sovereign God who cares for each of us and knows what is best. Jackie and Brian are experiencing that amazing grace through this difficult time and rest in the fact of meeting their baby in Heaven.