Blog Post Roundup (6/16/12)

Here are a few posts I thought y'all might like to read.










First Things First @ Valerie Write Now (part of her Ministry Musings series but applicable to all Christian ladies)

Let's Start at the Very Beginning @ Valerie Write Now (1st installment of her Ministry Musings series)

If you have a blog, read this: Facebook Changes and a Request @ I Can Teach My Child

Ways to Saturate Your Children with the Proverbs @ Doorposts of Your House

Pastry in Motion @ Cake Wrecks -- Watch the two videos.  You will not believe what you see!

Cream of Something Mix

I have referred to this recipe in at least one other post in the past, but thought I would put it in a separate post to make it easy to find.

Ingredients:

1 cup non-fat dried milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup bouillon*

4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon pepper

For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1-1/4 cup water. Cook until thick.

*I couldn't find bouillon in the soup aisle of Walmart.  However, I looked in the Latino section and found some there.  This worked out better because it's a larger bottle of powdered bouillon instead of the cubes which would have to be crushed and ground up.  I used the chicken flavor since I've never heard of anybody needing "cream of beef soup."

 I like to use this for my Chicken and Rice Bake.  I will be posting a newly-revised version of that recipe next week.  Stay tuned!

Source: 1orangegiraffe.blogspot.com via Ava on Pinterest

40 Things about Me

1. My identical twin sister and I were born 3 months prematurely.  She went to Heaven when we were four days old.
2. I was named after my Grandma Wilna Pauline (Lee) Bounds and her sister, my great aunt Ava (Lee) Reid, who took her out of the orphanage. My sister was named for our great grandmother Ida Isabelle (Anderson) Bounds and my daddy Claude Winston Gunn.  I am Ava Pauline and she is Ida Claudine.
   
3. I was a combination of tomboy and Miss Priss as a little girl.  My mom likes to tell about how I carried a toy snake in my purse while dressed in my Easter best when I was 6 years old.
4. I like to eat my fries with mayonnaise.  I learned this on a trip to Germany when I was 20.
5. I do not like to eat tomatoes (nor do I like the smell of tomato plants), but I love most tomato products such as pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, and salsa.
6. I went to a secular private school for junior high.  Since the 7th and 8th graders took all the same classes (and I did well in them), my dad had them let me skip 8th grade.
7. Because of #5, the class with whom I graduated (Class of 1989) was not the same class with whom I started school (Class of 1990).
8. I have not lived in any one residence for longer than 5 years, 9 months.  If we live here past August 2013, it will set a new record for me.
9. My first car was a blue four-door 1983 Chevy Chevette.  I sold it for $200 after buying a Mercury Sable (can't remember the year of the car, but it was used as well).
10. While attending the University of Southern Mississippi, I worked for a husband-wife professor team in the chemistry department for nearly 5 years.  I helped them develop high school science experiments and was their "girl Friday" for whatever else they needed.
11. That job influenced me to major in Science Education with an emphasis in chemistry, physics, and general science.
12. I wound up teaching science as well as 8th grade computer discovery for seven years at Coldwater High School.  Then I taught 2nd-12th grade (all subjects except high school Bible) at Calvary Baptist School in Coldwater.
13. Every good job I've ever had has required typing.  It is probably the most useful skill I have learned.
14. I worked as a telemarketer while attending Hyles-Anderson College.  Although I didn't enjoy the job, it was very beneficial for me as it required me to step outside my comfort zone and learn how to talk to and persuade people effectively.
15. I do not like thunderstorms (it is storming now).
16. My favorite drink has always been Coca-Cola even though I don't drink it anymore since I've been off caffeine for almost 5 years.
17. Since I've been off caffeine, whenever I do have it, it makes me very sleepy for at least one day, sometimes three.
18. My favorite colors are blue and green and sometimes red and orange. I do not care for yellow or purple most of the time (even though I get complimented when I wear purple).
19. I taught myself how to read at age five because my mom read to me every day.
20. I still love to read.  Growing up, I would get ten (exactly ten) books from the library every Saturday and would have about half of them read over the weekend.
21. My favorite childhood author is Laura Ingalls Wilder. I've been to all of the Laura homesites in the Midwest. I would love to visit the Farmer Boy site in New York.
    
22. I am somewhat jealous of a friend of mine who got to catch another friend's baby because there were no doctors or nurses in the room. I've always wanted to deliver a baby!
23. I have lived in the South, the West, and the Midwest. I have been to about 27 states.
24. When going to a new restaurant, if New England Clam Chowder is on the menu, I usually will get it. So far, the best clam chowders come from Red Robin, Ruby's Diner (in LAX airport), and O'Charley's.
25. I met my husband in North Mississippi where we were also married, but we had a long distance courtship in the year between. I lived in Northwest Indiana (actually Calumet City IL but I worked, shopped, and went to church in Indiana) and Robert lived in Memphis.
26. I am a night owl, and I'm definitely NOT a morning person at all.  I prefer to be left alone in the morning until I'm fully awake.  The only exception is when I'm going on a trip.  I can wake up bright and bushy-tailed and ready to go on those days.
27. It's really hard to come up with 40 things about myself!
28. When I was learning to walk, I tripped and fell on the linoleum floor and bit my tongue, splitting it in half lengthwise.  My mom says if I hadn't had it stitched up, I would've had a forked tongue like a snake.  Nice visual, huh?  They had to run me to the hospital which was 35 minutes away.  Can you imagine holding your screaming, bleeding {fork-tongued} baby for that long?
29. My grandma taught me how to crochet when I was 7 years old.  I don't do it much, but I enjoy making blankets for little ones and especially mini-blankets for babies to hold.
30. I grew up watching my mom give piano lessons to other children (but never took formal lessons until I was grown) and learned how to play {my brother's old} saxophone in grade school.  I love music, but I never did like practicing, so I never progressed very far.  Now, I don't even have a piano (and no room for one), and probably wouldn't have time to practice, anyway.  I do plan on having Gracie learn the violin in a couple of years and the piano as well.
31. I have a paralyzed vocal cord that acts up every so often.  It just came upon me all of a sudden several years ago.  After much probing from doctors, they couldn't find a reason for it, but it was most likely caused by a virus settling in the nerve that goes to that vocal cord.  As a result, it can be difficult to sing -- not that anybody wants to hear me sing, anyway!
32. My favorite childhood Christmas was when I was eight years old.  "Santa Claus" brought me a beautiful life-sized doll cradle (which I still have), a table and chairs set, quilt and pillow for the cradle, and red gingham tablecloth for the table -- all handmade by my parents.  I also got a new baby doll.  Incidentally, this was the last Christmas I believed in Santa Claus.  I was not traumatized -- not even really all that surprised even, but I've decided to teach my daughter that it's a fun game we play (same with Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy).
33. I was saved at age 11 after hearing and understanding the Gospel at a summer day camp.  I didn't get baptized until I was 18.
34. My favorite animals are horses and dogs.  We had both when I was growing up.
35. My mom used to stay in the house when I would ride horses (with my dad) because she couldn't bear to watch me do my stunts.  I was quite the daredevil, standing up in the saddle and doing other such things.  I was too young to realize I could fall and I guess I kept my guardian angel busy in those days!
36. When I was in 6th grade, my class went to Rawhide Ranch for a week where we learned some horseriding stunts and how to show animals.  I had an almost unfair advantage over most of the kids (city kids in California) since I had been around horses and animals for years before that.  Anyway, I won the first place trophy for showing a horse.
37. I love fruit, almost any kind, but am not a big fan of most veggies.  I also don't do mushrooms.  I used to tolerate things cooked with cream of mushroom soup, but not so much anymore.
38. I have always loved playing in the water.  My mom took me to swimming lessons at Paul B. Johnson State Park when I was 7.  I can float and can move in the water, but I wouldn't be able to save anybody else (except my daughter) if they were drowning.
39. Summer is my favorite season for doing things, but as I get older, Spring becomes more of my favorite because I can see the regeneration of the earth as trees and flowers bloom.
40. Growing up, I had different things I wanted to be when I grew up including teacher, wife and mom, truckdriver (my daddy was a truckdriver), and motorcycle cop (I enjoyed watching CHiPs on TV).  I became a teacher and I became a wife and mother which are the best choices out of all of them.

You may be wondering why I picked 40 (instead of 10 or 25) things about me.  It's because today is my 40th birthday!  I can't believe I'm 40.  I feel like I should still be in my early 30's (especially with a toddler).  People tell me I look like I'm 30, so that's a good thing.  I have ALWAYS looked younger than I am.  In fact, my first day teaching at Coldwater High School, one of the other teachers told me she almost told me to get out of the hall and back to class!  LOL!

I am thankful for the life God has given me.  I look forward to living 40+ more years for Him.

Chicken Lime Kabobs (or not)

Ava, Gracie (age 15-1/2 months), and Mrs. Cowling, May 2011

When I was a student at Hyles-Anderson College, I took a cooking class taught by Mrs. Frieda Cowling.  She is a wonderful teacher!  I also took How to Rear Children under her and Understanding Your Husband under her husband, Dr. Pete Cowling.

Mrs. Cowling had her cooking students pair up and cook new recipes every week.  This recipe is probably my favorite one that we did.  I remember that it was the first time I'd ever had anything to do with jalapeno peppers.  Shooo-wheee!  They were hot, but SO GOOD!  It's a shame I had to wait until I was 32 years old to find out I liked hot stuff!

For nearly 30 years, the Cowlings have traveled with the Songs of Praise summer tour group.  I've been blessed to have seen them last week as well as last year.  They usually do not go to the same church two years in a row, so it was a wonderful surprise for them to come both years.

Chicken Lime Kabobs

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 large can of frozen orange juice (thawed)
1-1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup honey (or to taste) -- did not use
4-5 jalapeno peppers, chopped
10 garlic cloves, minced*
3 T ground cumin
2 T grated lime peel (did not use)
1 t salt

*I used about 1/2 tsp chopped garlic and about 2-3 T of garlic powder.  I can't really remember how much garlic powder I used, but that seems about right.  I didn't know I was almost out of garlic, so I had to improvise.

2 pounds boneless chicken cut into 1-1/4" cubes
4 medium peppers, mixture of red and green, cut into 1" pieces
1 large red onion, cut into 1" pieces
3 small zucchini, cut into 3/4" pieces (did not use)
3 medium limes, cut into wedges

Directions for Kabobs:

1.  Mix marinade and separate into two ziplock bags, one for chicken and one for veggies.

2.  Marinate 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

3.  Drain meat and veggies.  Reserve veggie marinade for basting.  Discard chicken marinade.  Thread chicken and veggies onto skewers.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at 1/2 hour.

4.  Grill uncovered over medium heat 4-5 minutes on each side.  Continue turning and basting 10-12 minutes.

Directions for "or not":

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Dump veggies and marinade into a 9 x 13" baking dish.  Use a slotted spoon to get chicken and place on top of the veggies.  Discard chicken marinade.

Cook in oven for ~45 minutes.


I had planned on making this last Tuesday but was not feeling my best all week.  It was Friday before I prepped the dish.  Then, it was Sunday afternoon before I cooked it.  It turned out really good!  Robert said it was great the way it was, then said that he would like to try it with the addition of sweet and sour sauce.

Blog Post Roundup (5/12/12)

Here are some posts I thought y'all might enjoy.









On Forcing Children to Share (and Socialism) @ Smockity Frocks

7 Simple Ways to Connect with Your Pastor @ Pastor Paul Chappell

Dear God, Please Let My Children Get in Trouble @ I Can Teach My Child

More on Sharing @ Doorposts of Your House

Is the Culture Forcing Children to Grow Up Too Fast? @ The Better Mom

Now I See @ Valerie Write Now

8 Tips to Take Better Travel Pictures @ Digital Photography School

A Gift in the Mundane {Parenting in the Now} @ The Incomplete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking

Making it Easy to Make it Right @ Encouraging Words from Carey Schmidt

Blog Post Roundup (5/5/12)

Here are some posts for you to enjoy.










Comfort @ Valerie Write Now

Small Story, Big Lesson @ Valerie Write Now
Zacchaeus @ Everyday Grace  (These two posts go well together!)

Because Jesus Triumphed, I Am... @ Pastor Paul Chappell

The Difference Three Days Can Make @ The Better Mom

For When It is Time to Tell Your Child, "I'm Sorry." @ The Better Mom

Concerns and Hopes for Older Preachers @ Pastor Paul Chappell

Be a Supermom! @ Learning God's Lessons


Wonderful Works @ Everyday Grace

Book Review: Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick

Where the Lilacs Bloom is a fictionalized account of the life of Hulda Klager who spends her life growing developing new varieties of lilacs.  Although she had just an 8th grade education and many duties as a housewife to a farmer and mother of four children, she worked on developing over 250 different varieties of lilacs including some with 12 petals and different colors not thought possible.  She is a woman of faith and uses that faith both in her personal life when various tragedies strike and in trying to accomplish her dreams.  She was a generous woman, giving away her flowers to others and wanting to be a blessing to them.

I enjoyed this book even though it was quite different than any I've read before.  Jane Kirkpatrick has a very unique voice in writing; I'd noticed that before in other books that she's written.   She put just enough horticulture information to help with understanding how Hulda did her work, but it wasn't so much that one got bored with it.  I found it be rather interesting.  This is one of the very few books I have read where the main character is a middle-aged woman (with the exception of sequels of books about the same person).  That also gave a unique perspective.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book, "God gave us flowers for a reason.  I think so we'd pay attention to the details of creation and remember to trust Him in all things big or little, no matter what the challenge.  Flowers remind us to put away fear, to stop our rushing and running and worrying about this and that, and for a moment have a piece of paradise right here on earth.  God offers healing through flowers and brings us closer to Him."  Also, in regard to giving flowers to others, "A moment of joy is no small thing to give another."

Jane Kirkpatrick Links

Author's Web Site
More Information about Where the Lilacs Still Bloom
Read Chapter One
Author Biography

Reviews on Blogging for Books can be reviewed and ranked by others.  I would love it if you would visit my review on the Blogging for Books site and rank my review.  Upon ranking my review, you will be entered in a drawing to win your own copy of this book!  Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings if you give me a bad review.  I'd rather have an honest bad review than a dishonest good review.  "Faithful are the wounds of a friend: but the kisses of an enemy deceitful." (Proverbs 27:6)


FTC Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.”  I was not required to provide a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.