You asked for it!

You asked for the recipes so here is the first one!

My  EASY recipe for my infamous English toffee!  (okay, maybe just infamous to our family!:)


ENGLISH TOFFEE CANDY


1 c. sugar

1 c. butter NO SUBSTITUTES!

2 c. finely chopped nuts (optional)

4 plain Hershey bars (I use a bag of Chocolate Chips instead of the bars!  Melts more evenly!)

Melt butter over low flame (use a heavy pot). Add sugar and stir until butter is absorbed by butter. Turn heat on high and stir constantly until mixture turns light brown  (about 300 degrees). Grease a 9x12 inch pan well, put chopped nuts, 1 cup on bottom of pan. Pour mixture over them. Place Hershey bars on top and allow them to melt. Then spread and sprinkle rest of the nuts on top. When cold, break in pieces.

Wasn't that easy!  And ohhhh so yummy!

What are we going to do?

This week in our town, we are going to get our first taste of winter!  Snow and COLD!!!  So what are we going to do about it?  Stay inside and bake! 
Here is the list:

• Monday- Christmas Cut-outs
• Tuesday- English Toffee and party mix
• Wendesday- Caramels and Divinity
• Thursdays- Chocolate covered peanut butter Ritz  (My ABSOLUTE favorite)
• Friday- Fudge and Puppy Chow
• Saturday- A BREAK!  And maybe some fasting! :)

And no, we will not be eating all of that, it will be going into the freezer for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!  However, I am sure some tasting will be going on! :)

What are you baking in your kitchen to prepare for Christmas? 

"Tell me big brother!"

"So just how many brothers do we have?"

"I have to use more than just one hand! I know it takes lots more fingers to show you!"

"I will show you as soon as I figure it out, okay?!"

Do you know who you are?

 
I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child (John 1:12)

I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )

I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)

I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)

I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)

I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)

I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)

I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)

I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)

I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)

I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)

I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)

I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)

I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)

I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )

I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )

I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )

I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)

I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)

I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)

I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)

I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)

I belong to God

Do you know

Who you are?

Getting ready for.........

...CHRISTMAS!

The most important thing to be thankful for!

Watch this incredible short video.  You will be blessed!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883230?bctid=1509297822

Thank you Jesus for setting us free and filling the hole in our hearts!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Bullet Boy- one year aniversary!

I had to post this to remind some of you and maybe new to some of you, that this REALLY did happen to MY child!  This is the week that one year ago, a bullet was swallowed by my son!  Being a mother of boys is really a dose of excitement daily!  Here was my post a year ago!:

Okay, here it is! The bullet boy, aka my little B.B. :) This is proof that the bullet was there! It is no longer in him and lead levels are coming down! (If a sewer explodes somewhere, I'm genuinely sorry!) Call the Today Show and everyone else you know and don't know, to show that a bullet really can go through you without exploding your entire being! We can now laugh because this is now BEHIND us and has PASSED! (No puns intended! Okay, maybe they were intended!) With 7 boys, I'm sure this is the first of many ingestions I will face. I'll chalk this one up for experience!

Ideas for cutting costs

Here are some simple ways I save money:

• use cloth diapers (they ARE NOT what they used to be!  So much better!)www.natureslove.net 
• washable wipes that I make myself out of flannel  (I sell these if you are interested!)
• reuse bread baggies and cereal bags to store other items
• I use extra pasta and less meat in my casseroles since it is more expensive to buy meat
• make my own greeting cards
• make our own gifts
• make things from scratch
• eat lots of soups
• I use 1/4 of what the detergent box says for laundry (Charlie's soap is what I use and it uses very little anyway!  All natural and NO chemicals!)http://www.beyondbeds.com/index.asp?pmc=CharliesSo&PageAction=Custom&ID=155&source=Charlies_Soap_Google&gclid=CKmhoZK7z50CFQjyDAodGDWnsw
• I don't but snack foods.  My kids are not snackers because I never started that habit.  We eat 3 meals a day and that's it!  They don't even think about it!
• We drink lots of water!  Cheap and good for you!
• keep paper products to a minimum!  We don't use paper plates unless on picnics or I get them for free!
• emptied yogurt cups make GREAT cups for serving jello, ice-cream, homemade frozen smoothies, and just plain water to little kids! The kids think it's great they have their own little portion!  They are also great to stick in a baggie that you can just throw away after you use them while on long car trips, the park or grandma's!  (They do wash up great in the dishwasher too!)
• use coupons and LOTS of them!
• holiday and birthday gifts are simple and budgeted!
• I use cash when I shop and I don't bring anything besides cash!
• Don't go to the store to often!  I can't spend if I don't go!  Also saves on gas!
• Buy in quantity when things are on sale
• Make lists, this includes wish lists and priority lists so I can keep things in perspective
• We hardly EVER eat out!!  I do not want to feed fast food to our kids anyway!  I am laying a foundation for them while they are young!  We do have a restaurant in our town where kids eat free on Tuesdays and we have been known to go there but they have healthy food options! 
• We have special meals that we set the table really fancy and get a movie to watch and have family dates in the comfort of our own home!
• I go to discount day old bread stores for some items and can get loaves of bread for $.79! 

These are some things I use.  My grocery bill every two weeks is around $150 for a family of 13.  My extra's such as soaps, shampoos, and other items comes to around $50 monthly.  Sometimes I can even do less than that if I get really good coupon leads!  :)  My kids are healthy and they NEVER go hungry!:)

Hope this helps you and pleeeasssseee if you have any other ideas I could use, leave a comment!   I need advice!:)