Merry Christmas

I bet you've been thinking..."Now why don't she write?"

It has been a great month but a busy one. Why...we've been to the North Pole and back!

The Texas State Railroad out of Palestine has a Polar Express ride. We took a magical journey full of hot chocolate, singing and story telling. We also got to see Santa Claus as he passed out sleigh bells.

The conductor also punched our tickets!

It was a great trip. We highly recommend it.

We also had an awesome church Christmas party but it deserves a post all its' own.

The best day of all was the day the cousins came.

This is "Z".

This is "S".

I believe you know the character on the right.

After they left Miss G cried off and on the rest of the day.

Miss G & I have also been baking....lots....and lots.

As she likes to tell you, "I'm a good egg cracker."

We made Santa and the relatives some sugar cookies. Miss G insisted that we write Santa a note.

We hope that you have a wonderful holiday too.

Sending our love,

Mr. Reserved, Mrs. Dabbler & Miss G

That Elusive Christmas Picture

You all know what I'm talking about. That perfect picture you try to capture to send to your friends and family. You've all been there. The one that doesn't even come close to an actual representation of your family or your daughter. In a true representation, Miss G would be covered in dirt with her stray ponytail hanging in her face. She would have breakfast on her shirt and lunch in her hair.

Today we tried to capture the "perfect" picture. It's a ritual that she is subjected to every year. I'm sure she'll need counseling for this someday.

I wanted to make her smile. I succeeded in making her laugh so hard that she had tears in her eyes and her face turned red and splotchy.

We took some deep breaths and moved to the Christmas tree. Nothing says Christmas like that big ol' green tree.

All I got there was a very serious Miss G.

Here is an interesting face.

Cute but where did her lips go? Also, if you'll take a closer look, you'll see spaghetti sauce stains in the corners of her mouth. Despite trying to take the perfect picture, we now have an actual representation of the way we roll.

How does one counter spaghetti sauce stains in the corners of one's mouth?

Either wipe them away before you take 100 photos or just rely on your trusty photo editor. Can anyone say Photoshop?

Butterhorn Rolls

Ah, my friends...you are in for a treat. The following recipe is from my mother-in-law's mother-in-law and is the most scrumptious roll I believe I've ever tasted. I was privileged a few times to eat at Mamaw's table but unfortunately these rolls were never on the menu. I believe that she made an awesome apple pie too that I never had the pleasure to taste. My husband still speaks of it with fond remembrance.

I make these rolls often but especially during the holidays. Miss G loves to help and in the process she's learning to make bread. Her favorite duties involve flour. I think it holds the same fondness for her as dirt. It's tactile and smooth. You can spread it and throw it. It rubs well into her skin and clothes. What's not to love?



I feel that a key ingredient in any roll is butter. Can a roll have too much butter? These rolls have butter not only in the dough but you spread melted butter on them before you roll them up AND once you take them out of the oven. Butter lovers unite! These are the rolls for you.



It truly isn't necessary to dive head-first into the flour like Miss G does to make an excellent roll, but it does make for great fun.




Tomorrow we'll dust the kitchen.



And these...my lovelies...are the pre-cooked visions of buttery perfection. As Miss G would say, "Seriously, you gotta try these."

Butterhorn Rolls

1 pkg. Dry yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water. Add: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup melted butter, 1 tsp. salt. Beat 3 eggs really well & add to yeast mixture. Then add 5+cups flour. Add all the flour you can to the mixture; put remaining on board and knead all of it in (or...you can add all to your mixer with a dough hook and mix for 5-7 minutes.) Put dough in well greased bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Divide dough into 4 parts & roll out like a pie crust. Spread with melted butter & cut into 8 wedges (this works great with a pizza cutter). Begin with large end rolling toward point & place on buttered pan. Let rise 2 hours. Bake @350 for 20-22 minutes. Butter top of each roll as soon as you take them out of the oven.

These freeze well before rising. Set out of freezer and let rise 2+ hours.

Enjoy!

A Thankful Group

Have you ever had a gathering at your home? Have you ever had a crisis or two 20 minutes before they arrive? Ahhh, welcome to my world.

Some of the children from church came over Saturday to play some backyard games and to learn about being thankful. About 20 minutes before they arrived, I was warming 1/2 a gallon of hot chocolate on the stove. I was warming it in my favorite glass carafe. The carafe that I use day and night. The carafe that I hadn't noticed was worn out. While scurrying about the kitchen trying to wrap everything up before the guests arrive I hear a sizzle. I think to myself, "Why is that sizzling? I'm pretty sure it's not overflowing." I ignore it continuing to tidy up. A couple more sizzles later I decide I'd better go see what's up on the stove. I grasp the handle to check underneath and all that comes with the handle is the top part of the carafe. One half gallon of hot chocolate pours out everywhere. The carafe has broken clean in two. Hot chocolate covers the stove. It covers the counters on both sides of the stove and it covers the floor. I stand still for about 5 seconds and then yell for help.

My good and kind husband helps me clean up the mess and in less than 10 minutes we have cleaned all the visible surfaces. I grab a metal pan and fill it with 1/2 gallon of milk and turn on the burner. From the pantry I retrieve the Nesquik and start walking to the stove. My momma always told me never to carry things by their lids. She was right. Almost to the stove the bottom part of the Nesquik container drops from its' lid and chocolate powder flies everywhere. My good and kind husband who has psychically lingered near me starts to laugh. Right after I throw the yellow Nesquik lid at him we frantically clean up the powder which has stuck to the freshly mopped floor. Miraculously, we manage to clean everything up before our first guest arrives.

Everyone really had a good time. The kids played. The adults visited and everyone roasted miniature marshmallows on pretzel sticks. (note to self: buy large marshmallows) We learned about being thankful and everyone loved the hot chocolate. It was truly a great day.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Psalm 136:1

Another day...another crazy hat

You might be wondering where Miss G gets all her hats. I sometimes wonder that myself. Miss G loves hats and it seems that others have noticed. People have started giving her hats for no apparent reason other than when she wears them she makes people smile. It's hard to resist a smile when you encounter a four year old wearing pink cowboy boots and a dalmatian fur hat. (I neglected to capture a picture of her boots. My apologies.)

Are you a person that makes people smile? This question was posed to a ladies' group this past weekend. It stuck with me and caused me some serious self analysis. The speaker specifically asked us, "What would people hear if our thoughts were broadcast over a loud speaker?" Ouch. "Would people hear your judgemental labels? Would people hear your negative self talk? Would they hear you blaming others for your issues? What would they hear?"

These questions actually made me lean back in my chair like I had just smelled a foul odor that I couldn't get away from fast enough. They struck a nerve and made me squirm. Are we actually in control of that rolling monologue in our heads? You know the one that's always making excuses for everything. The one that's rationalizing our every decision. That voice that beats up our self esteem because we think we don't measure up to the standard. Just what is going on up there in our big ol' brain?

Maybe we should disconnect that monologue from our brain and ask God to take control of it. How different our life would be if we were constantly fed by love instead of self doubt, anger and judgement. What if we heard...

"I made you in my image."

"I made you just the way I want you."

"You can do all things through me."

"Ask, seek and knock."

"All who come to me and keep my commandments are saved....for ever and ever and ever and ever."

"I love you."

Now that seems like a better way to live. Plug this into your life. Ask God to take control. You may not have a dalmatian hat, but I bet you can make someone smile. You are a precious gift. Pass it on.

Diet Update

Weigh-In:

Mrs. Dabbler has lost 13 lbs.
Mr. Reserved has lost a little (I'm actually not sure of the #) and
Miss G is down from 390 lbs to 380 lbs.

Her and her daddy weighed a couple of days ago. She ran up front yelling,

"Mommy, mommy guess what? I weigh three hundreds and ninety pounds!"

"Oh really? Do you mean three hundred ninety or 39?"

"It's three hundreds and ninety. Really. I'm serious."

"Wow. That's great, Miss G."

Yesterday they weighed again.

"Mommy, mommy, I now weigh three hundreds and eighty pounds."

"Wow, that's great. You're amazing."

"Yeah, I know."

We really didn't intend for Miss G to lose weight on our new way of eating. I am encouraging her to make healthy choices and so far she is doing great. If you only weight 39 pounds and you lose one pound, that's a pretty big percentage of your weight. I'll have to up her quantity of the good stuff.

Miss G has always loved broccoli. The other night I roasted cauliflower for dinner and she just glared at it until I told her it was like white broccoli. That was all it took. She gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow and then she begged me to buy it again the next time I went to the store. Kids really will eat vegetables. You just have to keep giving them opportunities to eat them. It seems like I've come to this crucial piece of information the hard way but at least I've finally got it.

My dear mother tried for years to cook healthy for us. It's only taken me 40 years to realize the wisdom of her ways. I guess that makes me pretty stubborn and a lot of other adjectives I'd rather not say.

I hope that you've decided to make some healthy choices. You'll feel so much better and who knows, you might go from 390 to 380 too.

It's Autumn

Today was a blustery, leaves blowing, wind howling, Winnie-the-Pooh kind of day. It wouldn't have taken much for a person to lose their balance and end up in a Poohesque head-over-heels roll. Fall has officially arrived.

While out in this world today, Miss G found "the most humongous leaf in the whole wide world!" I think I'm in agreement with her because it was quite a bit bigger than her head.



Fall is my favorite season. I love to feel the first chill in the air and to see the gray clouds roll across the sky. Sipping hot drinks becomes my pastime. Miss G also seems energized by this change in our world or maybe it's just her new shoes (thank you, Ryann).

Recently my favorite fall drink, coffee, has been replaced by peppermint tea. I am a new convert to peppermint tea and I don't think I can stress to you enough how wonderful it is. Besides opening up your stuffy head, it tingles your mouth and makes your tummy sing. It's truly lovely.

Miss G enjoys the always reliable and ever so yummy hot chocolate. Today she especially enjoyed her cup because it contained colored marshmallows. Miss G and Mr. Reserved are marshmallow officiados. They KNOW their marshmallows. Miss G would eat them straight out of the bag if I'd let her. Their favorite dessert contains these babies and is a Christmas treat made for them by Grandma, but we'll get to that at Christmas.

Today's chill made our drinks extra yummy which I now invite all to witness in the following picture.

I hope you all enjoy your drinks so much that you have a chocolate-like beard after you've had them. Cocoa is an experience, not just a drink.

Go ahead! Try a chocolate smooch ever once in a while. The calories are next to nothing.

Changing

Please excuse my absence. I've been changing my life.

Our family has been changing our eating habits. I'll be the first to admit that I have not fostered a healthy diet for the three of us. We were always stopping for fast food or at restaurants. At home I would cook a couple of times a week but the rest of our meals, I'm sad to say, were full of junk.

All this junk was making me sick. I hurt all the time and felt like I had arthritis. I think the big "eye opening" moment came several weeks ago on the tennis court when I felt a tweak in my knee. I DON'T want to blow out my knee. Some of my teammates have issues with their knees and they hurt with every step. It's time to lose weight and get healthy while my knees are still strong.

For two weeks and one day I have radically changed my diet. My husband and daughter are not quite on board yet. We'll just say their change is more gradual. Until we are at our goal weights we will try not to eat/drink any dairy, red meat, flour or any gluten product, caffeine, soda, white rice, white potatoes and salt. We are eating all that we want of fruit, vegetables, brown rice and other grains, and beans. We are also drinking lots of herbal tea and water. It is a radical departure from the items we had been eating and it's working.

My new lifestyle is healing my body. My aches and pains are gone. I have more energy and I've lost 10.5 pounds in 15 days. My mood has lifted and life just seems brighter. My skin looks better too. Everything is a positive.

To eat this new way I have had to radically change my routine. Once again, I'm learning to structure and plan a part of my life which is a big departure from my norm. It's been a slow process but I'm starting to get the hang of it. I go to the grocery store a lot more often now but buy less so that we can have fresh produce. I'm starting to crave fruit and vegetables and think that fast food restaurants stink...literally. My body was so depleted of essential vitamins and nutrients it is now rejoicing at the over abundance that it's fed every day. It's a wonderful way to eat and live.

Now it's time for you to try it. Go make yourself a mango, apple and banana smoothie. Your body will thank you.

Warning! Deranged Pirate Ahead

Don't let the picture above draw you in and cause you to let your guard down. Anyone who looks like a pirate should be considered dangerous.



Their moods can change with the wind. And do you see that parrot? He's worse than his master. He'll bite your finger off in a second.




Now you've really got them cross. Aaarrghhh!

But wait! They've scared you. Now they'll have to switch their tactics and try to subdue you with their charm. They'll try the innocent smile trick.



Oh, they look lovable. They pretend to be lovable.

They'll even try the "isn't my parrot cute" trick to lure you in. They're full of all types of tricky pirate tricks. But once you're close enough...

...you'd better watch out. They'll use the ol' hook to capture you and then you're done for.

Let's all sing...

What do you do with a scurvy pirate,
What do you do with a scurvy pirate,
What do you do with a scurvy pirate?
Make him walk the plank! (Thank you Backyardigans.)

Hope you have a great Halloween. Aaarrghhh!

A Week Away

Mr. Reserved is gone. He's been gone since last Thursday and he won't be home until next Wednesday. Sigh..........it seems like a long week.

He has gone to the land of hunting some 8 hours west of San Antonio. He has gone to the land of no cell towers. He has gone to the land where if you want to contact him, you have to call the ranger's station and they'll go find him. His excuse for this outing is that he needs to go take care of his brother which is really a lame excuse since his brother is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. The reality is that he needs to go be with the boys and.....well....be a boy.

It really is good that he takes this week every year to go be a boy. He needs this renewal, this back to nature adventure. He needs to be with other men to discuss.....men things. He needs to see the stars and feel the dirt and walk the hills. Being so close to God's creation renews him like nothing else can. Although he's physically tired when he returns, his mind and soul are refreshed and he's a better boss, husband and father.

Miss G and I are getting along pretty well. We've had a slumber party every night. We've read lots of books and played lots of games. This year has been an extra challenge for us. It seems that Miss G has gotten the chicken pox and we are now quarantined to the house. Although Miss G had her chicken pox vaccinations, she has had a break-through case. It's a very light case, but she is still contagious. Her spots are starting to blister today and they seem a bit more itchy.

This week opens my eyes and renews me too. It renews my appreciation and love for Mr. Reserved. I miss his physical presence. I miss seeing his face. I miss hearing him breath and his occasional speech. My partner is gone and I feel incomplete.

Miss G and I will survive. Good friends are helping us out and bringing us things from the store. My mother-in-law has kindly offered to come if we need her. We really don't need anything. We want Mr. Reserved. We are trusting in God to bring him safely home and are trying to wait patiently for Wednesday. As Miss G says...."Only 3 more days. That's not a very long time."

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My mother-in-law, God love her, makes the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet. She's a good cook in general, but these babies are guaranteed to keep you coming back for more.



And to the delight of every chocolate chip cookie lover in the world, here is the recipe...

Mary Dean's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour, unsifted
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. chocolate chips or M&M's

Cream 1st six ingredients together. Sift dry ingredients and combine with creamed mixture. Mix in chocolate chips or M&M's. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

**Additional thoughts ~ When I make these I put parchment paper over my cookie sheets. It keeps the cookies from sticking. Also, when I use my large cookie scoop, I up the temperature to 385 and bake them for 11 1/2 minutes. Mexican vanilla makes these cookies extra special. Actually, Mexican vanilla makes anything extra special. If you can find it, buy it!

Enjoy! These are delicious!

McCain is My Man...

...at least for this election. And yes...I know the above photo is NOT him. She's quite a bit cuter, in my humble opinion. She does relate to this post however, so I'm leaving her photo there.

This is my one and only election post and I'll try to make it as short as possible.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I'll repeat...McCain is my man for this election. I'm not 100% behind all of McCain's ideas, but he's the only one with a chance against Obama.

My decision against Obama was final once I learned his stance on abortion. In Michael Gerson's article at the Washington Post, Michael writes,

Obama's record on abortion is extreme. He opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion -- a practice a fellow Democrat, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once called "too close to infanticide." Obama strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision upholding the partial-birth ban. In the Illinois state Senate, he opposed a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of infants mistakenly left alive by abortion. And now Obama has oddly claimed that he would not want his daughters to be "punished with a baby" because of a crisis pregnancy -- hardly a welcoming attitude toward new life.

Many, but not all of you, may know that Miss G is adopted. Her birth mother is my hero. I thank God every day that she did not think of Miss G as punishment and decide to abort her. Babies are not punishments. They are gifts from God. When I think of all the gloriousness that is Miss G, I can't imagine that she might not have existed if her birth mother had chosen abortion. Miss G's exuberance, energy, vitality and joy could have been snuffed out in a few seconds. Every hour and every minute the world looses out on these children....these precious gifts from God. They are God's creations and we are killing them.

For additional information and a video that will stay with you the rest of your life go here.

Please vote. Lives depend upon it.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Our children's group from church went to a fantastic pumpkin patch today. There was so much for the children to do that we didn't know where to start.

Here's some of the motley crew.

There was a giant slide that the kids and some of the parents went down.




There was a play fort area with kid-size buildings and fun games.

They had a petting zoo area where the kids could feed the animals.

The kids and adults played for hours and had the best time.

We rode a hay ride and a barrel train.













There was also a pumpkin launcher where some of the kids played when it was not being monopolized by the Dads. I think the men had more fun with it than the kids.




The kids had their faces painted and decorated a pumpkin.




Although a few kids couldn't make it at the last minute, we had a great turn out and fun was had by all.

A special thanks to our sponsor who made it all possible.