More Than A Song

Thirteen Things About My Halloween Week

1. We had a harvest type festival at church over the weekend
2. With a cakewalk included…..I won a cake, & have frozen it to use at Thanksgiving
3. Also did trunk or treat at church for the kids
4. Had only a little candy leftover
5. So I had to go buy more for Tuesday night
6. I think we had about 40+ kids
7. Lots of them weren’t even dressed up this year
8. Had a few parents trick or treating, said it was for their kids! (what’s up with that)
9. All of the candy was gone in about 40 minutes time
10. The rain held off until later in the night
11. Only a little toilet paper to clean up in the yard this year!
12. Made this candy corn bark…I think the people I shared it with liked it!
13. I don’t want to see candy again for a while!

I’ve got another couple of books that I finished for my fall reading challenge.
First up is 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper. As he is driving home from a conference, Baptist minister Don Piper has a head on collision with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel but another minister coming upon the accident feels led by God to pray for the dead man in the car. 90 minutes later Piper miraculously comes to life and his life is forever changed. He describes in the beginning of the book what he experienced in heaven in that time he was dead but the majority of the book deals with his long road to recovery and the pain he dealt with constantly.
I think a lot of people haven’t liked that this book deals so much with his recovery but I think he learned lessons during that time that can speak to many people. His descriptions of heaven and other things he experienced brought tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine the pain he went through for his recovery and pain that he still lives with today. While he admits that he isn’t a writer, and the book might not be the best well written one that many people prefer, I found this book to be very interesting, inspiring, & touching. He is an ordinary man who experienced some very extraordinary things and shares his story in his own way.
Like Dandelion Dust is by Christian author Karen Kingsbury. Jack & Molly Campbell live a picture perfect life in Florida with their 4 year old adopted son Joey. Her sister Beth and family have just recently moved close by and they hope the 2 families can become close and loving. Beth’s family are strong devoted Christians while Jack and Molly don’t want to have anything to do with God. Then Jack and Molly receive news that shatters their world; Joey’s biological father has been released from prison and wants to claim his son. When a judge rules that he will go back to his real parents, they struggle with the dilemma of following the law or their hearts, and just disappearing with their son.
I have read and like most everything Kingsbury has written but she does write rather predictable stories sometimes. I like to put these kind into my reading because I know it will be a clean book with a story of people trusting in God to help them in their lives. This was a good story although it could be a little sad at times because of the subject matter of adoption. I feel sure she must write from her heart on this since her family has adopted 3 children.
I thought the little boy in this book talked too grown up for his age and there might be some things that are hard to picture happening but that might be because I don’t always have a huge imagination! Overall it’s a pretty good book if you like the christian fiction genre.

Fall Reading Challenge Update #2 and #1.

Recently I told Stacy that I made pumpkin pancakes one morning and she wanted the recipe! I seem to be in a cooking/baking mood lately. These could be for most anytime I suppose, not just at Halloween.
So for Stacy, and anyone else who might be interested!

Light Pumpkin Pancakes
In a bowl mix:
2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a smaller bowl mix together 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 1/2 c. skim milk, 2 T. oil & 1/2 c. pumpkin. Add all of this to the above mixture and stir just until moistened. Heat griddle, brush lightly with oil. Pour batter onto hot pan. Makes about 16 pancakes, depending on the size you make them.
We liked them & had them with butter and syrup!

Laura at Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday each week, so be sure to visit her for more great menus and ideas. Thanks for doing this Laura, I like to see other menus and recipes!
Here’s my plan for the week.

Monday—–Chicken & Black Bean Burritos (because we didn’t have them last week)
Tuesday—–Baked Salmon, sweet potatoes, veggie
Wednesday–Church supper
Thursday—-Split pea soup, salad
Friday——Tacos with all the trimmings (maybe chicken instead of beef)
Sat/Sunday–not sure. We tend to go out some on the weekends or eat with friends so I don’t always plan ahead for Saturday or Sunday.

It’s close to Halloween so I thought I’d share something with you that’s fun to make for this time of year! I’ve done it for several years now for the kids and their friends……..if you like sweet, this just might be for you.

Candy Corn Cookie Bark

16 Halloween Oreos–chopped (the orange filled ones)
1 1/2 c. mini pretzels–broken into pieces
16-24 oz. white almond bark (or white chocolate)
1-2 c. candy corn (or to taste)
brown & orange sprinkles
(optional: peanuts)

Spread cookies & pretzels onto a large foil lined baking sheet, add candy corn. Melt bark–either in microwave or in a saucepan over very low heat. I use the microwave. Pour melted bark over the ingredients and mix together; add sprinkles if you wish and press into the mixture. Cool until firm and break into pieces. Store in airtight container.
NOTES: I think I have used more pretzels than called for because I thought it needed more salt; some recipes I’ve seen call for 1/3-1/2 c. peanuts & that might be a good addition to it. I don’t think I’ve ever put the sprinkles in mine before. I always use the bark instead of white chocolate…..the white chocolate I’ve tried didn’t melt very good and it just sort of had to be globbed over the rest so I only use the bark now & it’s much easier. If you use as much as 24 oz. of bark, you’ll need more than 16 cookies, maybe like 24; plus a little more pretzels than what it calls for. And for that much bark I used about 1 1/2 c. of candy corn.

Fun party or snack food….and oh my mercy, good and sweet!

Crockpot Split Pea Soup
This is one of my favorites and it’s so easy to do.

1 16 oz. pkg. dried green split peas— rinsed
2 c. smoked sausage or ham—diced (I use sausage)
3 carrots, peeled & sliced
1 med. onion—chopped
2 celery stalks plus leaves—chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic—minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 c. fresh parsley—chopped (optional; I think I’ve used dried)
1 T. seasoned salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 qts. hot water

Layer ingredients in slow cooker, pour in water. Do NOT stir. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or
on low 8-10 hours, until peas are very soft. Remove bay leaf. Serve garnished with croutons if desired. Can freeze.

Notes: I always use low fat turkey smoked sausage chopped up, because hubby doesn’t like ham. I use my West Bend slow cooker for this and layer the stuff in there in the order it’s listed, couldn’t be easier! Have also made it many times without the celery because I don’t always have it here. I think I have also used a less amount of meat than it calls for too, because we’d rather have the veggies instead…..so just go with what you like.
Sometimes I freeze the leftovers for heating up later.

Just a little helpful info to pass along to you………Say you are painting a room somewhere, or maybe a room at the church even. It’s going along ok but you drop some paint and when you bend down to clean it up you might accidentally bump ino the painted wall with the back side of your pants. Oh say it might be like a nice khaki, taupe kind of color; I’m just using that color as an example of course! You might be so busy cleaning up and painting the wall that you don’t get the paint off your clothes. Let’s say it could be some pants you like or it could even be your BLACK exercise pants. And because it’s on the back it might be hard for you to clean up while you’re still wearing them. So you might wait til you are home and get them off to start cleaning them up but Oooh, it’s all dried up I bet! You might try all your regular methods…..using prewash, soap & water, soaking in Biz, spraying some Dissolve it on and maybe a few other tricks. Then you might find that NOTHING works and you realize you might just have that beige paint stain on your pants forever. So, just in case that ever happens to you (and I’m not saying that it’s happened!) I have some info to pass along to you. Try rubbing alcohol and some mild scrubbing with an old toothbrush maybe; possibly hairspray would work but I think the rubbing alcohol would do the trick for you! Not that I would actually know from Experience or anything like that! 😉
I’m just saying, in case anything like that happens, I just happen to know what will take that dried up paint out! Bet you really wanted to know………now back to your regular programming.

Still working on my stack of books for this challenge but I do have a few more crossed off.
A Vow to Cherish……John and Ellen Brighton are preparing for a new stage of life when their youngest child graduates high school. But things start to go wrong with Ellen and she receives the devastating news that she has Alzheimer’s disease. Over the years John loses his wife a little more each day and he is very lonely. A young widow befriends him and becomes much needed companionship for him; then he is faced with a difficult decision as he deals with weaknesses in his life.
I’ve not read anything by this author before but I did enjoy this book. It seems to give a very honest portrayal of this disease and what it does to families and is a touching story of love and commitment as well.
The Bluebird and The Sparrow….this one is written by Janette Oke and I’ve read quite a few of her books before and enjoyed them. It’s set in the Canadian prairie and is the story of 2 sisters; Berta is older and considers herself “plain” compared to her beautiful sister Glenna. She determines to be the opposite of her sister and they grow up very different…..Glenna is outgoing and bubbly, Berta is plain and dependable. She puts up a protective shell around herself but when they are grown, Berta has to confront what separates them and learn some lessons about herself.
I bought this book at a library sale I went to with Stacy; don’t know if I would have checked it out to read if I didn’t already have it. There were times that I felt it wasn’t going anywhere and I wanted to tell Berta to just grow up, stop feeling sorry for yourself and get over it! I kept on reading because I often feel that I must finish a book I’ve started! It had some good lessons in it toward the end and did get some better but it was about at the end of the book before that happened. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but for me, this wasn’t my favorite of Janette Oke’s books.

Fall Reading Challenge Update #1

I’ve got a child in college, a son……….getting an education, right? They have skits for homecoming every year done by the different organizations on campus. D was in Civitan’s skit this year, called “The Great Date Search” I think, and one of his friends put it up on youtube. I know Stacy won’t watch it because she doesn’t like youtube. It is kinda long but the first part, the treadmill dance is fun and it is just under 2 minutes. Plus there is a stop button to use at any time. 🙂 So for my pleasure mostly, here it is. Yes, that’s my baby on the front left when the treadmill part starts AND………….. I’m paying for this? Is he getting an education? College, what a fun time of life!

(Oh and if you haven’t seen the real treadmill dance by Ok Go, watch it on youtube or google video, it’s very good!)

For many years now I’ve had an item from Tupperware that I think is called a pastry mat. I didn’t use it for a long time but in the last few years I’ve been using mine when I make my sourdough bread each week. I take my risen dough out of the bowl and plop it onto the mat to knead and get ready for the pans. It comes in very handy for that task. I’m pretty sure it’s not made from silicone because I believe that is a more recent thing. I’m never quite sure what is the best way to clean it and take care of it. So here’s my question! I was wondering if any of you out there have one, if you use it and how do you clean it? Anyone got an answer for me?
“I’ve got the question, I’ve had it for days……..I’ve got the answer dear”
Do you know it?

update: Ok, maybe I should have asked, have any of you washed it in the dishwasher? Mine is big, won’t fit in the sink very good and it’s hard to get it unrolled all the way and in the sink to wash so I was just wondering if it could be done in the dishwasher. Does anybody have one and use it?

Laura at Organizing Junkie hosts this meme each week; a good way for us to plan ahead and have a general idea of how our week will go, food wise.
Be sure to visit her if you want to play along or get some ideas. Thanks Laura!

Monday………Salmon, green beans, maybe orzo
Tuesday……..Sausage skillet dish, fruit
Wednesday….Church supper
Thursday……Chicken & Black Bean Burritos
Friday………Loaded Potato Soup, salad
Saturday…….Baked fish, veggies
Sunday………Church dinner

The latter part of this week has been fall break for E……I think she needed it, to catch up on some school work, reading, and of course sleeping! I think the massive amount of reading has her the most bogged down. We have done a few things around here and some errands. We also have eaten lunch out a few times since she’s been here too! For me that needs to stop now. 😆 Also decided to have her a small birthday celebration since we won’t see her next week. I made chicken spaghetti, veggie and bread for dinner (her request) and a birthday cake……..seemed like it took me ALL day to do it! She always wants strawberry cake of some sort; her favorite. I tried a new recipe this year and the cake was good but the frosting didn’t turn out like I hoped. It didn’t stop us from eating it though, along with a little bit of ice cream. I bought a really small container so we wouldn’t be tempted to eat a whole half gallon after she leaves. Soooo, it’s not pretty but it still tasted good! I hope she takes the rest of it far, far away from here!

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Breakfast Apple Cobbler

5 large apples
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. melted margarine or butter
1 1/2 c. breakfast cereal w/fruit & nuts
juice and grated rind of 1 lemon

Prepare crockpot by spraying nonstick spray on pot. Core, peel and slice apples. Combine apples with sugar, lemon juice, rind and cinnamon. Mix cereal and melted butter. Add to the pot and mix all thoroughly. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. (Do NOT use granola)

I’ve made this for breakfast before and believe I used a fruit and nut type cereal; it might have been called Basic 4. I’d have to go to the store to look for the name of it. This was pretty easy to do at night and it’s ready in the morning. I have another very similar recipe that does use granola and it’s called a dessert I think! So might have to do that one sometime soon too.

Visit Sandra to play along or for more great recipes.

Thirteen Things I’ve Bought This Week…..got out and about too much I guess!

1. Mums…..to put in planters
2. Wedding gift
3. Birthday gift for sis, Stacy…..Happy Birthday!
4. Birthday gift for daughter
5. Yankee candle….mmm, vanilla caramel
6. Sweater…..on the clearance rack, yay!
7. White fitted tee to wear under it
8. Dress, and….
9. Black skirt….will pick and wear one to wedding; other will probably go back
10. Brown shoes…..daughter says they’re good
11. Pumpkin
12. Red purse…..from Target, fun!
13. Dried fall grassy stems for big pottery vase

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It rained more here yesterday than it has in quite some time and of course that was the day I decided I needed to do my grocery shopping! I should have known better. When I finally got ready to go, it was after lunch and I hate waiting til afternoon to go because the check out lines are always worse. But I did check to make sure I had an umbrella in the car, in fact I had two; but neither of them worked right! One I couldn’t get open at all and the other one I could get open part way but had to hold it so it wouldn’t close back up on me. I made it into the store without getting too wet and thought I better get another umbrella while I was thinking about it. I got two! Thought it wouldn’t hurt to have more than one because they don’t seem to last me too long. Of course there were only 3 lanes open in Walmart when I was ready to check out and 2 of those were express and I had way more than 20 items. So I had to wait in the really long one for a bit until they finally opened another one when the line was backing up into the shopping area. Got to the door and opened up a new umbrella to slosh my way through the parking lot with a shopping cart full of bags and my umbrella immediately does………….
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