Peanut Butter Cookies

(Those little water spots on the glass of milk really bother me, I want to just reach in there and dry them off!) *grin*

I am posting this recipe for anyone who would like to try it.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (I use 1/4 cup, but either way)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together flour, soda, and salt. In a mixer bowl beat butter for 30 seconds. Add peanut butter and sugars; beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture; beat till well combined. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar, if desired (I don´t do it). Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet; impress cookie with fork tines, to flaten a bit. Bake in a 375 degree oven about 10 minutes. Cool about 1 minute before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 48 cookies.

HER HANDIWORK

"She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands."
Proverbs 31:13

I´ve got so many projects going, but what´s nice is that I am actually finishing them. Sometimes things get started and then put to the side, I always mean to get back to it, but it ends up buried beneath piles of future projects.





That is the case with the beading on this tank top. I started this two years ago and was really almost finished. I unearthed it the other day when I was looking for lace to embellish some towels that I had bought on sale. Though my plan was to work on the towels, I left out the top so that would be reminded to finish it up. The towels were done in about 15 minutes so I took the time for the beading on the top and in about 30 minutes I was finished. Imagine that two years ago I could have had this finished up in thirty minutes. Instead of this project taking 2 hours and 30 minutes, it took me 2 years and 30 minutes. I´ve really got to improve my organizational skills in order to avoid this in the future.



(Simple towels, bought on sale and embellished with a bit of lace)

We have been long overdue for the purchasing of new bath towels. So when I saw a sale for new ones I stocked up on a dozen or so. I decided, this time, to purchase whites, taupes and cream colored towels and embellish them with pretty laces and ribbons. My sister sent me a bushel of pretty laces a couple of years ago that I´ve been wanting to use. The other day I spread myself out about the house (oh how nice it would be to have a little studio for these things, one day...), with several projects going at the same time. I was in the livingroom with my knitting, the dining room with the cutting out of a market bag, in the bedroom at the sewing machine, and in the kitchen making cookies, (cookies are in the oven again today, and as I type). But this is what I am talking about, instead of organizing my time into blocks, so to speak, I just try to do a little of each thing all at once. I don´t know why I do this, but I do the same thing with reading (I have about 10 books on my nightstand at the moment), and I am always picking up one or the other each night for reading. That is why I am only on chapter 15 in the newest addition on my nightstand, "Beautiful in Gods Eye´s". Though there are some books, such as that, that I prefer to savor and enjoy, and would rather read with a gentle, slow rhythm.

(Market Bag, using a regular grocery bag as a pattern, and a bit of linen and cotton. Use this when shopping the Farmers Markets and grocery stores)



(Touch of embellishment on the outer bag, using a piece of the lining fabric)

(Folds up nice and tidy for carrying in purse)

Goodness, this seems to be such a thoughtless and rambling post, I´m sorry. *Smile*

(Have a cookie! Oatmeal, with chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and a good handful of chocolate chips for a touch of sweetness)

Sickness in the House

I´ve been down for a couple of days, groaning and coughing with chills and fever. Drinking lot´s of liquids and lot´s of resting. I was glad today, to have been able to get up for a good while. I rarely get sick, or at least sick enough to keep me in bed, but this one did just that. When I was unable to get to church last night everyone could not believe that I was not there and sent many well wishes my way, along with some wonderful, natural medicine (rose hips vitamin C). It worked so well that I was able to rise this morning, stretch out these bones and feel almost normal. I even made a batch of peanut butter cookies, though I did feel the need for a little nap mid-day.

My sweet daughter kept things running smoothly and nursed me along the way, thank you precious one, you are a blessing...

I´ve got some little projects that I am working on, I´ll let you have a peek soon....

Easter

It means so much at Easter time

To keep in touch with friends

To wish them happiness and cheer

And joy that never ends.

That's why this brings a warm "hello"

Especially for you

Together with best wishes

For a happy Springtime too.

Have a wonderful and reflective day with those you love most and best.





And, let´s remember the most important part of Easter, and what Christ did for us, His resurrection.

The Message

After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb.
Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet
as God's angel came down from heaven, and
came right up to where they were standing.
He rolled back the stone and then sat on it.
Shafts of lightning blazed from him.
His garments shimmered snow-white.
The guards at the tomb were scared to death.
They were so frightened, they couldn't move.
The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here.
I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross.
He is not here. He was raised, just as he said.
Come and look at the place where he was placed.
'Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples,
'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee.
You will see him there.' That's the message."

Matthew 28:1-7

SPRING CLEANING

Cleaning naturally and frugally

Have you noticed how many of our household cleaners are labled "Do Not Swallow" " If Swallowed Call Poisen Control Immediately. The list of ingredients are barely recognizable and the fumes barely tolerable.

While preparing for a little scrubbing that required soap, I thought someone might be interested in my simple method of readying my soap bucket. (smile) I know, everyone knows how to do that, but I have an interesting and very frugal way of doing it, and since most everyone likes to save dollars, I thought I´d share.

As I´ve mentioned before, I try to be conscious of the chemical affects on our environment and have choosen to use products that are as enviornmentally safe as possible. For my multi-purpose household cleaner I purchase a soap bar that is used for laundry. This can also, be used as a multi-purpose soap. If I remember correctly, in the states, Fels Naptha is the most common brand and can be found in the laundry section of the grocery store. It comes packaged in paper and looks like a large bar of soap. Another brand available is call Zote.

Here is a little Social History for you from Wikipedia:

During the 1920s and 1930s, Fels Naptha was often said to be the preferred soap for washing a child's mouth out who had used bad language. Numerous people from this era attest to having been disciplined in this way. The size of the bar made the discipline all the more dramatic.

Aren´t we fortunate not to have lived during that era, whew!

Anyway, back to the soap bucket...Here in Venezuela, we have a large selection of bar laundry soaps, I use a brand called Las LLaves, because I like the fragrance and it´s sudsing power. One bar can be purchased for under $2.00. I remove the soap from it´s packaging and grate it with a cheese grater, into a container. Once the bar is grated I transfer it into a plastic container, where it will be stored.

To ready my soap bucket I pour about 4 cups of very hot water and 1 heaping tablespoon of grated soap into my bucket. With a wooden spoon I begin to swish the water around, vigorously, until the grated soap has disolved and bubbles begin to form. Then I fill up the bucket with warm water to equal about 1 gallon, and swish some more.

I like a soap that will really suds up, and that will rinse away easily. Mrs. Meyers soap, shown in the picture, can be used as a multi-purpose soap, but it doesn´t suds up as much, I bought two bars from a company in the states to see if I would like them, and though I do like some of their other products I was not as happy with the results of this soap for general cleaning. (But it looks nice in the picture, don´t you think, grin)

Because Las LLaves soap makes alot of suds, I only need to use 1 heaping tablespoon per gallon of water. Can´t beat that! Plus, it is environmentally safe, has mutiple uses, including use as a non-toxic insecticidle soap spray for plants, it is an amazing spot remover on clothing or linens, even silks.

A bar of this soap, grated and used as a multi-purpose cleaner will last for about three months. I use is for almost everything, bathrooms, counter tops, cabinets, floors, washing out the fridge, walls ect. When I have really tough stains or mildew, I will first soak them with a bit of diluted bleach, then give them a good scrub with my multi-purpose soap. Though bleach is toxic and not good for our environment, it has its place if used wisely.

I am really happy with the results...If you try this you may have to try different soaps until you find one that you are happy with, but in my opinion, it is worth the effort.

PLACES IN VENEZUELA

Cubiro, is a small, but beautiful colonial town in the mountains of Barquisimeto, in the state of Lara, Venezuela, about eight hours east of Maracaibo, our city.

The climate is excellent, and desirable for those of us living in Maracaibo. It is one of the oldest populations in the state of Lara. Curbiro´s, most attractive feature is the beauty of nature that surrounds it. The views from the hillsides are breathtakingly beautiful. There are many hiking trails full of refreshing views, lovely rivers and waterfalls.

We have been to Curbiro a couple of times for river baptizims with some of our church members. Because Cubiro is relatively far from Maracaibo we usually do this toward the end of the week so that we can spend a couple of days there.

Not far from town is a place called Las Lomas or The Rolling Hills. It is utterly beautiful with much acerage of lovely green grass rambling along the rolling hillsides. There are many artisians shops, wood and clay are the main art form in this area. I purchased a pretty hand carved, mahogany, apple shaped bookend during one of our visits, (Well, I use it for a bookend, as it is heavy and works perfectly).

There are several food vendors along the main road, just below the park area, that sell delicious strawberries and creme, roasted and buttered corn on the cob, traditional Criollo meals and a variety of natural fruit candies. One thing that everyone always looks forward to is the horseback-riding, one of the most popular offerings in the park.

The green rolling hills invite one to picnic, fly kites, have a game of soccer or just a relaxing sit enjoying the gorgeous views. It is such a happy and peaceful place that we have enjoyed tremendously during our stays.

MONDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

Makes two 8oz glassfuls

1 Good handful of Flat Leaf Parsely
2 Large Carrots
2 Stalks of Celery
1 Red Delicious Apple
1/2 Sweet Red Beet

(Colorful and delicious)

(Sweet and satisfying)

A handful of nuts add protien and a healthful way to start the day.

Spring

Spring Cleaning

March bustles in on windy feet

And sweeps my doorstep and my street.

She washes and cleans with pounding rains,

Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.

She shakes the grime from carpet green

Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,

She ushers gentle springtime in.

Author: Susan Reiner

BREAD PUDDING

Don´t know what to do with all those left over bread ends that tend to sit in the empty bag, because you don´t feel good about throwing them away, yet nobody wants to eat them?

When I was growing up, in my childhood home, my mother never, ever threw anything away. She was very conscientious about waste and did her best never to throw anything that was perfectly useful away.

This is where I learned about storing up and using left over odds and ends of bread. We kept a bag in the freezer where we would store those pieces of bread that nobody wanted to eat or that turned stale before it was used up. Once the bag was full enough my mother would pull out the bag and make up a delicious dish of of Bread Pudding.

There are an abundance of Bread Pudding recipes out there, and mine is very different from my mothers, as she tended to make hers more like a custard, using lots of eggs, which I am not too fond of, but most people love.

My recipe has evolved over the years, I am not very good about following recipes exactly, and usually come up with my own version of something. (Mine tends to be more like the mexican Bread Puddings, that I´ve tasted from the Panaderias.) I also tend not to measure things, but I will give you close approximates in this recipe.

Colleen's Bread Pudding

8 -10 cups of stale bread crumbs (torn into bitesize pieces)

3 1/2 cups of milk, more or less (preferably whole, but any will do)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup sugar (or more if you like sweet)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

1/2 cup of raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter an 8x8 square baking dish, set aside. Fill a large bowl with your torn pieces of bread, sugar and salt. Slowly add milk, 1 cup at a time, and with your hands gently work it into the bread. After mixing in the second cup of milk let it sit for a bit, to absorb into the bread. Add most of your can of sweetened condensed milk, about 3/4ths of the can and save the rest for later. Now, from here you will want to be careful not to over add the milk. First though, add your oil and vanilla, then another 1/2 cup of milk. Gently work it into the mixture with your hands, you want the mixture to be wet, but not soupy. Ok, now, if necessary, add more milk until your mixture is thick, but wet. With Bread Pudding there doesn´t have to be exact measurements so don´t worry over this vague amount of milk. You want to be able to see that there is milk, but you don´t want it soupy. If you do happen to over do the milk, no problem just bake it a bit longer. Once you have all your ingredients incorporated, add the raisins and mix in well. Pour the batter into your baking dish, then pour the remaining sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top, and place into your preheated oven. Let bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and set.

Let it cool, then cut it into pieces and serve as is, or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon. It can also be served warm. Bread Pudding has a very dense texture, but is truely a delicious way to use up that old, stale bread. I use a combination of breads, just whatever has been left over and stored in my freezer bag, it doesn´t matter if it is all the same type bread, anything will do, well except garlic bread (grin), but it is a very forgiving recipe.

Give it a try...

DOMESTIC FELICITY

(This afternoons dinner)

Paree and I assembled a baking dishful of ziti for baking. While it was in the oven, I threw myself into the work of scrubbing my stainless steel tea kettle, and tea pot. The tea kettle I have had for years and had quite a build up of grease from sitting on the stovetop day after day. The pot, much younger than the tea kettle, cleaned up in about five minutes.

In all, by the time the baked ziti came out of the oven I was finished with the cleaning and polishing; about thirty minutes. They look so pretty and shiney, and really took minimal elbow grease.

I try to be conscience about the chemical effect on our enviornment and usually use the most natural cleaning products available to me. For the cleaning of my stainless steel kitchen applicances I use baking soda and a lemon, or lime, enviornmentally safe dish soap and a non-abrasive cleaning pad.

I didn´t think about posting this until I was all finished and saw how pretty they looked or I would have taken before pictures, but I will explain how I go about cleaning my stainless steel, let´s take a look at the tea kettle.

First I wet the kettle with hot soapy water, remove it to the other sink or counter, then I sprinkle on the baking soda, take half a lemon or lime, and begin to scrub in a circular motion. I do this over the entire appliance adding more baking soda as needed and squeezing a few drops of the citric juice over it as I go along. I usually do a rinse to see if there are any spots that I missed and if so, work those areas a bit more. Once it looks clean I give it a good scrub in some hot soapy water, then give it a final rinse in warm water and dry it immediately with a soft dishtowel; shiney and beautiful once again.

I never worry about the bottom, because nobody can see it, and it will surely blacken after the first use over the flame of the stove. To me it´s not a big deal.

One thing to be careful of when cleaning stainless steel, is not to use anything too abrasive and to keep your movments going in the same direction, otherwise your surface will look scratched and old.

Dinner was delicious, dishes done, now I´m off to find another occupation to keep me busy for rest of the afternoon...

THE FRUIT OF HER HANDS

You all have been waiting so patiently for this post, your such dear, sweet friends...

First, let me tell you that Ling, guessed right off that this was a turtle, but because she said it was a pin cushion she was partially wrong, and therefore her answer was incorrect. (Remember I never said it wasn´t a turtle, but that it wasn´t a pin cushion in the shape of a turtle.) In addition, I couldn´t let the game end after only the first answer, could I? (Grin)

Let me tell you about this darling stuffed turtle -

Over the years I´ve tried encouraging my dear friend Rosie, to give her hand at sewing or crafting. She always felt that she didn´t have the talent (you be the judge, I think she does), but some time after she married she broke down and bought herself a sewing machine, after all, every women needs a sewing machine, right? Then she jumped in with both feet and took a pattern making class (Wow! quite a challenging way to start). (Smile)

If I remember correctly, her first project was a skirt. I can´t remember if she ever used it (maybe she can tell us), but I do remember being so proud of her for her determination and accomplishment.

Because this was close to twenty years ago and because we´ve rarely lived in the same city, or country for that matter, I don´t remember all the details, but I think she may have done a little sewing for her darling daughter Danielle (say THAT fast, 3 times!), when she was just a little girl.

However, there hasn´t been much coming out of her craft room through the years, so you can imagine the suprise and delight I had when I was gifted with this sweet stuffed turtle, many years ago, made by her own hands. She did a fabulous job, and I was truely touched that she chose me to be the reciever of such a precious gift.


This little turtle is very dear to me, having travelled across nations and oceans, weathering many hugs and kisses by my dear children through the years, she still stands strong and sturdy, and I hope to have her for many long years to come. I plan, one day, to pass her down to my own precious daughter.

A NOBLE WOMEN

"Beauty is more than skin deep - it starts in the heart"

I was recently gifted a wonderful book called "Beautiful in God´s Eyes" The treasures of a Proverbs 31 Woman, By: Elizabeth George.

No, I have not achieved the Proverbs 31 status, I´m not even close, but I enjoy trying...

Reading through the first few chapters of the book helps me understand the character, value and loyalty of the Proverbs 31 woman. Further on in the book I found what her mission is and what kind of heart she has, how disciplined she is and what her vision is for her home and family. She´s an extraordinary woman, a rare treasure; the Bible calls her virtuous.

The book uses scripture from Proverbs 31: 10-31, which tell the story of a wise mothers instructions to her young son, who will one day be a king, of how to be a Godly king and how to find an outstanding wife.

I gleaned much from the pages in these few chapters - learning that a Proverbs 31 women is noble. A noble woman is pure, modest, kind, thrifty, strong, honest, hard working, industrious, and holy. She is a wise woman building her home for God.

My aspiration each day is to grow into the Proverbs 31 woman, it is my greatest desire. I am not a wife of noble charactrer, but I desire to be and genuinely work toward that goal, knowing that I will not always achieve success.

This book is about the journey to becomig a Proverbs 31 woman, and though this woman is a picture of perfection I understand that I am real and really not perfect, but that does not keep me from trying.

I remind myself to enjoy the journey, I am sure that this hardworking woman, has a good sense of humor and zest for life, and is alot like you and I, in that she finds herself tired and frazzled at times, needing to stop to put her feet up and allow herself time to just sit and rest.

I am anxious to finish reading this book and I highly recommend it to anyone aspiring to become a Proverbs 31 women - definitely a worthy read.

TIED UP IN STRING

This has been a full week for us here in Maracaibo. We´ve had a wonderful week, overflowing with blessings and an amazing time of meetings in the church, we had a full house each and every night. Our Pastor, Pastor Rice, preached five fabulous sermons and we saw many visitors and conversions each night.

We tremendously enjoyed our visit with Pastor and were sad to see him leave, but we were much encouraged and are truely thankful for his sacrifice in coming to us here, in Venezuela.

Pastor was gracious to take an armful of gifts that I´ve been busy making recently, tied up and packaged, ready for gifting. I have some ideas for new projects that I will begin soon, to get me ready for our visit to the states this summer. The time is fast approaching and I have several things I´d like to complete before then.

Thank you all for your patience during my absence this past week. In addition to the busyness, we continue to have computer problems, so this limits our computer time. Hoping to reslove this soon.

Anyway, I haven´t forgotten about the little story and pictures, I will get to that soon, until then , dear friends, may God bless you, as He does me...