Wordless Wednesday

A trip down memory lane

I'm about to show my age! (51)
But, I have a feeling that some of you might enjoy seeing some of these things from our childhood, so here we go!

Penny Candy

Tinker Toys

metal ice cube trays

15 cent hamburgers

Lincoln Logs

Lassie!

Drive in restaurants

Jiffy Pop popcorn

Gum wrapper chains

5 cent stamps

Flash bulbs

Green stamps

50 cent gas

Good memories!

Let it snow?

We've been pretty spoiled this year as far as winter weather is concerned. The weather people were predicting a terrible winter for us, with above average amounts of snow.
So far we haven't had that, there's been more days without snow than with.
However - it seems that when it does snow, it does it with a vengeance!
This morning when we went to church it was snowing, but the roads were mostly clear.
When we left it looked like this:

It made for a nasty drive home!

We were glad to be back home again - this is our road.
Here's hoping that tomorrow is clear again!

Friday Favorites

Every Friday Sandra at Diary of a SAHM gives us the chance to share one of our favorite things. You may have seen pictures of this before but it's something I've enjoyed since the day we moved here, over 20 years ago!
This is the view from our living room window. This beech tree is just huge and is beautiful in every season. It gives me joy to look out and see God's hand at work in every season!

The fall colors are beautiful...

and so is the winter black and white look!

"Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Let all the trees sing for joy!"
Psalm 96:12

Cooking Thursday

We eat lots of soup in the winter. It's usually very economical, easy to make and just tastes good when it's cold outside. The recipe I'm sharing is all that and healthy too!
If you like stuffed peppers, you'll like this soup.
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 pound ground turkey (May substitute lean ground beef)
1 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can (1 3/4 cup) tomato sauce
32 ounce chicken broth
1 cups water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked brown rice

In large pot, brown meat and drain fat. Add peppers and onion and cook about 5 minutes over low heat.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, water, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on stove top for about 30 minutes.
Stir rice into soup.
Makes about 12 servings - 1 1/2 cup each at 127 calories.

Wordless Wednesday

The box and Oliver

We got a package the other day and as usual, Oliver felt he needed to investigate. He just loves boxes!

First, you check out the edges.

Then you have to head right in.

"Are you looking at me?"

"Oh fine - I'm coming out"

"But - if you turn the box over, I'll jump right in!"

Funny cat!

Monday morning smiles

Are you ready for another week? I got an e-mail with these cute critters and thought maybe this would be a good time to share some cute pictures!

A turtle the size of a grape...

A baby penguin meets a baby dolphin...

An otter shows off it's baby...

A kitten with a permanent top hat...

A baby hedgehog takes a bubble bath...

A chinchilla takes in the sunrise...

Cute, cute kitten...

A baby owl...

And last, but certainly not least...
a baby pig!

Hope these pictures brought a smile to your face!

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of the DVD giveaway:
The person who was commenter #6 is Jean from What's Up at the Stauffers!
Congratulations to Jean and thanks to each of you who entered.
Jean - the DVD will be mailed to you soon!

Friday Favorites

Every Friday, Sandra at Diary of a SAHM, hosts Friday Favorites, a place to post anything that's a favorite.
Here's my favorite for this week!

I got this little figurine when we took care of my Mom's stuff after she passed away. I'm sure it has no monetary value, but it has a lot of sentimental value.
It's something that my Mom had before I was born and I remember seeing it on a shelf when I was young. I wish I knew the story behind this or where she got it.
It now sits on my dresser with some family pictures. I love seeing this reminder of my Mom everyday!

Cooking Thursday

Sandra over at Diary of a SAHM is hosting Cooking Thursday again. I've got a great chicken recipe that came from Sandra herself! She's a great cook and I often save her recipes. I bookmarked this one some time ago and then forgot to make it. Well - I found the recipe and decided to try it. It was quick, easy and yummy! Try it - you'll like it!

Sandra's Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)
Bacon slices
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
chili powder
brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices,
then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.

DVD giveaway!

I'm not a sports fan and you will rarely find me watching a baseball game. However - I've really enjoyed some sports movies in the past and when I was given the chance to review this movie I grabbed it.
'A Mile in his shoes' is based on a book (The Legend of Mickey Tussler) about a boy who has Aspergers Autism.

Only a miracle can help baseball coach Arthur 'Murph' Murphy (Dean Cain) and his losing minor league baseball team. As Murph sets out to recruit new talent for the team, he stumbles upon Mickey (Luke Schroder), a young farmer with an incredible pitcher's arm. However, Mickey's parents are reluctant in allowing him to join the team because he has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. Murph convinces Mickey's parents that life in the minor league will benefit their unique son, but he doesn't realize just how much his new recruit will help the team s game and, more importantly, their spirit. Based on a true story, Thomas Kinkade Presents: A Mile in His Shoes is an inspirational film that celebrates faith, determination and the power of friendship.

This was a really good family film, that will have you cheering on Mickey and leave you pretty frustrated with a few others in the movie. I did think it was somewhat predictable at times, but in a good way, if that makes any sense!

If you want a chance to see it for yourself, just leave a comment! I'll be drawing a winner on Friday night and will post it then.
I have a few blogging friends who are also doing this giveaway, so for more chances to win you can leave a comment at either of these blogs:
Raise Them Up
Heart to Heart

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Living in Narnia

Until last week our winter had been unseasonably warm with just a little bit of snow, but then things changed in a hurry!
It started snowing Thursday around 5 pm and by Friday morning we had 8 inches of snow on the ground. By Saturday morning there was another 5 inches!
This snow was very wet and stuck to everything. If you ever saw the Narnia movie you have an idea of how things looked around here - just gorgeous!
Here's a few pictures to show you what a good West Michigan snowstorm looks like!

The view from our living room window

Our front walk - look at the snow on our lights!

Side yard

Even the clotheslines were covered.

Our little bench is nearly buried.

Pine trees in the back yard

Isn't the Japanese Maple a beauty?

Sun shining through snow covered branches

Our road

Our road again!

This is a horse farm down our road

We were amazed at the beauty that surrounded us and in awe of our God who is able to transform the landscape in such a manner!

"He spreads snow like wool and scatters frost like ashes"
Psalm 147:16