Valentine FUN

How about some Valentine Fun.  I have found these links while online so thought I'd just pass them on to you all.  Enjoy!~

easy felt heart craft

Valentine's Pennant and Card

How to: Easy Valentine Crafts to Make

make your own Valentine's T-shirt

shrink art necklace

button ornament

frozen strawberry pops

Cinnamon Heart Bark

  Valentine's Day Kids' Crafts

Valentine stuffed dog

heart fabric garland

Two of my favorite sites for ideas

Family fun 

 

• gift ideas

• recipes

• games

• cards

Kaboose

• games 

• recipes 

• crafts

 

candy bouquet

Have you found a cool Valentine post you'd like to tell others about add the link to Mr. Linky below.

Digitalis by Ronie Kendig

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Digitalis Barbour Publishing, Inc.(January 1, 2011) by Ronie Kendig

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ronie has been married since 1990 to a man who can easily be defined in classic terms as a hero. She has four beautiful children. Her eldest daughter is 16 this year, her second daughter will be 13, and her twin boys are 10. After having four children, she finally finished her degree in December 2006. She now has a B.S. in Psychology through Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Getting her degree is a huge triumph for both her and her family--they survived!!

This degree has also given her a fabulous perspective on her characters and how to not only make them deeper, stronger, but to make them realistic and know how they'll respond to each situation. Her debut novel, Dead Reckoning released March 2010 from Abingdon Press. And her Discarded Heroes series began in July 2010 from Barbour with the first book entitled Nightshade.

This is the second book in the series.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Step into the boots of a former Marine in this heart-pounding adventure in life and love. Colton “Cowboy” Neeley is a Marine trying to find his footing as he battles flashbacks now that he’s back home. Piper Blum is a woman in hiding—from life and the assassins bent on destroying her family. When their hearts collide, more than their lives are at stake. Will Colton find a way to forgive Piper’s lies? Can Piper find a way to rescue her father, trapped in Israel? Is there any way their love, founded on her lies, can survive?

If you would like to read an excerpt of Digitalis, go HERE.

Peanut Butter Dream Pie

Peanut Butter Dream Pie

Ingredients:  
1/4 cup butter, melted
15-18 Pecan Shortbread Sandies cookies, finely Crushed
1+ large cool whip  (takes over 16 oz. for pie then if you top with cool whip you'll need some), thawed
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
just under 1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 ounces chocolate baking squares, melted

Crust:
mix 1/4 cup melted butter and crushed cookies
press into 9 inch pie pan put in freezer while making next layer

Layer 1:
2 cups of Cool whip
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

with electric mixer, beat these 4 ingredients together until well blended; spread on top of pie crust and return to freezer while making next layer

Layer 2:
2 cups Cool Whip
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter

beat together these 4 ingredients until well blended.  Spread on top of pie and return to the freezer while making next layer.

Layer 3:
2 cups Cool whip
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. chocolate baking square, melted

cream together first three ingredients while chocolate is melting. after well blended add melted chocolate.  spread on top of pie and return to the freezer.  Freeze well before serving. 

For easier cutting remove pie about 30 min. before serving.  Top with more cool whip before serving. 

**Note:  this is a very rich, but oh, so heavenly and cream, melt in your mouth pie

Be on the look out....

Since it's winter season are you looking to redecorate the inside of your home?  Maybe not thinking about it but dream to one day.  Well, look no farther than the CSN stores on-line.  They have a huge line of  modern decor  just waiting for you to check out.  They have thousands of items to check out from wallpaper to wall art; coat, umbrella stands and magazine/newspaper racks.  Choose from fire place accessories to laundry accessories, even bathroom accessories.  Or maybe your are in for new room: lighting, pillow accents or coffee/cocktail tables.  Or maybe you'd like to add to your dinnerware pieces or serving sets.  You name it they probably have it in their 200+ store site.  Go ahead check them out.  And be watching for my up coming review of one of their products.


**Disclaimer** I was not paid for this post. I was given a $35 gift code to use at CSNstores in exchange for my post plus a product review post of that item I choose.

progress was made...

Last night was the night for the Jan. sew-in hosted by Heidi and Bobbi.

My daughter and I didn't get as early of a start on sewing as I was hoping, but none-the-less progress was made on our flannel "I SPY" rag quilt.  After spending some time shoveling out we had to have nourishment..... So what else than party time....

PIZZA, chips-n-salsa, and pop

We broke out the sewing machine about 4:30 pm and sewed until 8 pm.

time to thread her up

while daughter maned the machine mom marked the squares with "Xs" and stacked three squares together for her to grab-n-sew.

We sewed 360 - 5 inch flannel squares together in threes.  It went fast we had quite the system going.

Making final total of 120 - 5 inch "I SPY" squares for a rag quilt.  Which we will start sewing together next month during FNSi

enjoy a cup...

Today is National Coffee Break day....So enjoy a cup today.  I think I will because it is 23 below. 

Let the FUN times Roll!

Tomorrow night is the night!!!!! YES!! My daughter and I have been waiting patiently for this night to come.  She even asked me this week when it was.  Can't believe it has been only a month since the last sew-in seems like it's been longer than that.  I know, I know we can sew any time, but just seems life takes over.  If I had a dream sewing room I probably would sew more. About 17 years ago I did have a nice little nook corner set aside and loved it and used it often.  I didn't have to worry about setting up and taking it down again.  Now I don't have that little area in this house.  Hubby tired to give me that in this house but it was in the dark musty basement.  I used it for awhile, but it got to where my sewing area kept loosing it's space to his work shop and now my sewing counter has been taken over by a computer and a TV, so much for my work space.  I don't like the dark musty basement anyway so if I sew I have to lug the stuff up stairs when I want to use it.  Motivation doesn't come easy for that chore most of the time.  I love to sew and wish it was more convenient.  All that to say we are looking forward to the Sew-in and thank Heidi and Bobbi for such a time as this every month to get motivated.  Since my daughter is so motivated we may even start early in the afternoon just because.  Stay in jammies all day, OH, YEAH that would be great!  She'd love that I'm sure.  Make a sew-in day.  I like it the more I think about it.  Guess we'll have to see how all goes.  school?  who wants to do school when you can sew.  Just have home ec all afternoon.  OK, OK this teacher has something to think about.  So what is a sew-in?  Well, head over to Heidi's @ Handmade by Heidi and check it out and join us in the fun Tomorrow night.  click here to go to the sew-in sign up page 

shoes, shoes, shoes

 I can't believe it has been two months since I posted to be watching for this review.  I guess the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, just put me behind.  Any way I finally chose my item from the 200+ CSN stores.

Yep, I chose another pair of shoes.  The last pair I ordered and put on review I lost.  Well, not really lost they were just a tish big so my daughter claimed them.  Since I had already thrown my old navy shoes away I had to replace them.   It is so hard to know the correct size when you buy shoes on-line, but these do fit better than the first navy pair I ordered.  It was so hard to decide what to get and I wanted to wait and see what might be under the Christmas tree so I waited.  It was worth the wait.   Here are the shoes I picked....

 

My shoes here are Easy Street - Tidal in Navy   I just love them.  They come in about 8 different colors, many sizes from ladies size 5 up to 12 with some half sizes, and 4 different widths.  They are so classy looking.  I told my daughter that I was going to get shoes and this time if they didn't fit she wasn't getting them I was going to try the CSN store's return and see how it worked since I haven't tried out that feature yet.  However, they fit nicely so I won't be returning them.  Now, I'm in need of some taupe shoes so I may have to check into what they have in that color.  The CSN store has such a wide variety of categories to shop from, it is so unreal, you don't have to think just shoes.  And you can shop from home or office.  I think I have a one track mind because I'm in such dire need of new shoes. Mom usually goes without so others can have. Besides I just love the shoes that the CSN store has.  You can check out their shoe store here.  Or you can find just about anything for your home at an of the  200+ CSN stores.  They have Home Decor, Housewares, Office/home furniture departments and more.  Why not get started today.

Visit the 

Angel Harp by Michael Phillips

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Angel Harp FaithWords (January 26, 2011) by Michael Phillips
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Phillips has been writing in the Christian marketplace for 30 years. All told, he has written, co-written, and edited some 110 books. Phillips and his wife live in the U.S., and make their second home in Scotland.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Widowed at 34, amateur harpist Marie "Angel" Buchan realizes at 40 that her life and dreams are slowly slipping away. A summer in Scotland turns out to offer far more than she ever imagined! Not only does the music of her harp capture the fancy of the small coastal village she visits, she is unexpectedly drawn into a love triangle involving the local curate and the local duke.

The boyhood friends have been estranged as adults because of their mutual love of another woman (now dead) some years before. History seems destined to repeat itself, with Marie in the thick of it. Her involvement in the lives of the two men, as well as in the community, leads to a range of exciting relationships and lands Marie in the center of the mystery of a long-unsolved local murder. Eventually she must make her decision: with whom will she cast the lot of her future?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Angel Harp, go HERE

Taco Bake

1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
2 Tablespoons water
16 oz. sour cream
2/3 cup miracle whip ~ salad dressing
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 package crescent rolls
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional, I don't always have green pepper)
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
2 Tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
2 small hot peppers (optional)
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
head of lettuce, shredded
2-3 tomatoes, diced

Brown ground beef, onion, green peppers and hot peppers, drain off grease.  add olives, hot sauce, taco seasoning and water to ground beef mixture.

Roll out crescent rolls into bottom of a greased 9X13 baking pan.

Spread beef mixture on top of crescent rolls in pan.

Mix together sour cream and miracle whip. spreading on top of beef mixture.

Sprinkle cheese over sour cream layer.

Bake in 375 oven until cheese is golden about 30-40 minutes 

Serve with lettuce and tomatoes. 
(I generally let people put this on themselves, then if there are leftovers you can reheat hotdish without ruining the lettuce and tomatoes)