Special recipes

DH & I are still enjoying memories from our fabulous going-away party. I was particularly touched because all of the recipes for the food came from my cookbooks. I make cookbooks as a gift for friends and family. They are a collection of favorite recipes that tell a little about the person who shared the recipe and when they like to prepare it. It was so touching that our dear friends would serve these treasured recipes!! If you have a favorite recipe (it does not need to be an original recipe), please share it & tell a little bit about when you like to make it (example: My mother used to make these biscuits every Saturday morning. We believe they are best served with homemade strawberry butter or honey!). I would love permission to publish your recipes in cookbook #3! You can also email me at ahp5@aol.com

Donate to the American Cancer Society

As yet another friend faces losing a parent to cancer, and we face the one year anniversary mark of when Papa P went to Heaven, it is a great reminder that the American Cancer Society needs our time, money, and support. If you don't have time to make baked goods this year, consider making a donation, even a small one to the American Cancer Society. If another disease is even closer to your heart, cut out expensive gifts to others and make a donation to that cause!!! There are so many wonderful causes and ministries that can use our time and donations, especially at this time of year!! We all have so much, and it is "more blessed to give than to receive".

Pajama Ride... Fun Friday!

Christmas is such a busy and fun time of year! My friend, A, and her husband always have the BEST ideas!! They put the children to bed and then come rushing in a few minutes later with loud instruments and lots of fun yelling and say, "Pajama Ride!" They scoop the children out of bed and put them in the car and take them out for ice cream. With the cold weather and all of the beautiful Christmas lights, I want to try this! I think we're going to do it soon and go to Krispy Kreme and then look at the lights! MMMM..... Hot & Now! I'm ready!

Friendship video

I saw this You Tube video on another blog. It made me cry because of all the friendships I hold so dear. It made me laugh. It made me cry some more because I am moving away from so many friends. I hope you enjoy it & are blessed. It is by Kelly Corrigan & she has a book out called "The MIddle Place". I hope to read it one day!
Enjoy... get out the kleenex and click below on "Transcending"
Transcending

Loss of a loved one

Our sweet Papa P died last year on December 18, just one week before Christmas. DH was especially close to his precious father. For D's birthday, I took several of his father's letters and had them framed. I also framed one of the envelopes. He was so touched and just loved it. It shows his father's handwriting and the address where DH spent his childhood. I think it is something he will love forever!

A soothing bedroom

It is so important to make your bedroom a haven. After all, it is a place of rest and you probably spend at least one third of your day in that very room!! My friend, D, has such a soothing home. I visited her one day & she took me upstairs to see something in the office off of her bedroom. When we passed through her room, beautiful Classical music was playing. She said she does it to create a sense of calm in her home. It worked! I try to remember to play soft Classical music in our home throughout the day, but it doesn't happen very often!
Our bedroom was the last room in our house to receive attention. Before baby #5 was born, we finally tore out the nasty old carpet and added hardwoods. It made a HUGE difference. I used money from a sale I helped with to buy a new blanket cover that is monogrammed. It is white with pink initials. Those changes made our room feel so much better. I try to have a nice candle to light in our room and to keep clutter to a minimum rather than allowing it to be a dumping ground.
I have always heard that you should not do homework or work in your bedroom because it can keep you from being able to sleep.
It is also recommended that you buy a good mattress, very comfortable sheets, and good pillows. We replaced all of our pillows last year and it made a huge difference. Giving yourself the best in the place where you sleep is so important!

Book of your Children's Art gallery

My friend, A, is so smart. I think she should start her own blog!! I have shared ideas in the past of how to store your children's artwork. Some of the ideas are to take a picture of your child with the picture and then make a DVD of all of the pictures or to buy an art portfolio to store your favorites. A took the picture idea a bit further! She took pictures of all of her artwork from her 3 children. Then, she made it into a book using her MAC. You can buy the book straight from Apple without having to upload the photos a second time. Brilliant. She held onto the actual artwork until the book arrived, and then she was able to dispose of the pieces she didn't want to keep. Now she has a beautiful book filled with the wonderful things her children created! It also makes the children feel extra special to see their very own works in a book!