Happy Birthday Ga..

Happy Birthday Mom....

There are times when only a Mother's love...Can understand our tears,...and soothe our disappointments....and calm away our fears...
There are times when only a Mother's love....Can share the joy we feel....when something we have dreamed about...suddenly is real.
There are times when only a Mother's love....Can help us on life's way,...and inspire in us, the confidence...we need from day to day.
Mother, thank you for your heart.. faith.. and hope... and all your steadfast love ...You were fashioned by the Angels...and sent from God above~~~~(au)

We hope your day is perfect .. We send big birthday hugs with lots of love ... We miss you very much and wish we could be there today with you...XXXOOO

Believe ~~~~~~

Weekend Fun Pictures...

zoo lights...

Neyvada

me , vada and teya

bella

gabi

ira and vada

me, gabi , teya

gabi and bella

bella and ira

me and izzy

betsy and gabi

izzy as an angel in the Christmas play

Keep Making Pancakes.....

Keep Making Pancakes .....
Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.
He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which now had a few kitten tracks.
Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very special for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.
He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn't know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.
And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him...
Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!
That's how God deals with us... We try to do something good in life,. but it turns into a mess.. Our marriage gets all sticky, we insult a friend, .we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour..
Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do.... T hat's when God picks us up, loves us, & forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to 'make pancakes' for God or for others.... Sooner or later we'll get it right... and then they'll be glad we tried....

Gingerbread Man Cookie Recipe ~~~

Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe ~~~~ one of my favorite holiday cookies:o)


Ingredients
Cookies

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
Optional raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting
Royal Icing

1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
Method
1 In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

2 In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

3 Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".

4 Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Makes 16 5-inch long cookies.

Royal Icing
The traditional way to make Royal Icing is to beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. With modern concerns about salmonella from raw eggs, you can either use powdered egg whites or heat the egg whites first to kill any bacteria. With the heating method, mix the egg white and lemon juice with a third of the sugar, heat in a microwave until the mixture's temperature is 160°F. Then remove from microwave, and beat in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Using the powdered egg whites method, combine 1 Tbsp egg white powder with 2 Tbsp water. Proceed as you would otherwise. (Raw egg white alternatives from the 2006 Joy of Cooking)

If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Fill a piping bag with the icing to pipe out into different shapes. (Or use a plastic sandwich bag, with the tip of one corner of the bag cut off.) Keep the icing covered while you work with it or it will dry out.

Song.. Where Are You Christmas...

Thought For the Day....

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start...... anyone can start now and make a brand new ending......" (---Carl Bard )