Not only that, Ana and Ken Weatherwax spent days helping to paint and remodel our Fellowship Hall. They hung garlands of little white lights throughout. Next Ana made custom Thanksgiving tablecloths for all of our tables. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!! Than she, Sylvia, and Tamara decorated each table with candy, and seasonal decor. Now imagine all this and then add to it the amazing view the Lord has given us out these windows.
Here is the closeup view of where we are BLESSED to meet each Sunday!
God is awesome! If no one praises His name, surely the rocks will cry out and do it!
Back to the dinner: Every seat was full and we very peacefully went forth, section by section, to heap our plates with the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner. Pastor Dale did not sit down until everyone was served. This is his heart. And Sylvia Barnes is a sweet servant of the Lord also.
Now check out this dinner!
A picture is truly worth a thousand words. Thank you Lord for the wonderful blessings you have bestowed on us. A beautiful, intimate country church with believers who love your Word and want the meat of it.
At one point it got to be a panic situation as cars tried to go down On ramps to get off. As we were finally approaching the off ramp a policeman started removing the cones. They opened the 2 far right lanes and we were among the first to get through. Hallelujah!
The moral of the story is: ALWAYS TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE TRAFFIC REPORTS.
Happy shopping!
Anyone that knows Ana knows the dinner was delicious, and healthy too. We were served perfectly grilled chicken, homemade strudel, papaya tuna, my favorite: Ana's mother's noodles, and more. When we were all full out came Sylvia's homemade pumpkin pie and Ana's fresh strawberry shakes.
We all sort of rolled into the living room and had a wonderful time reading and sharing the Word and what the Lord has been showing us. There was such peace and harmony in that room. We all enjoy being together and experienced the type of fellowship born out of a love for the Lord and each other. It felt like being in the upper room with Jesus. I'll leave you with some of the words we were dwelling on from Phil. 4. I am writing these from memory and can attest God said it and this is how He works:
REJOICE in the Lord always! Again I will say REJOICE! Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is NEAR.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer & petitions, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus....This peace, which the world does not understand, only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Seek HIM and you will find rest for your souls.
This was such a fun party!!! I think everyone looks forward to an elegant evening of shopping and being the first to see all the new Christmas Decor. Dale & I shop ALL YEAR for this. There are many one of a kind things that go that night. But not to worry, this is just Phase 1. We have a whole storeroom full of new surprises.
One of the best parts of the evening for me is the people. So many people I have met through this store that I have grown to love and care about. On this evening I like to stay by the door, greeting, hugging, taking pics, & giving out presents.
Another thing I LOVE are the wonderful people the Lord has led here to work with us. Each one of them is an answer to prayer. Over the years we have gotten to know & enjoy each other and look forward to this annual Open House tradition.
Now I had to post this last pic as a joke. It's the Christmas Memory of 2009. Mountain Rose is known for our special gift bags. Well I found a tub of radishes left over from the party and one thing led to another...We do have FUN here. Hope to see you at our ever changing Christmas Store this season! Thank you Lord for another wonderful Open House!
On a recent trip to Idaho with my sisters, I discovered the perfect wine. I am extremely picky about wine, and don't like most wine out there. In a recent post, I thought I had discovered The Tastiest Wine Ever! Well, I was wrong . . . not that the Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc wasn't delicious . . . it's just that this wine is just much, much better. The most surprising thing is that I had my boyfriend Jason, who isn't a huge wine fan either, try it, and he loved it! P.S. there were far too many commas in that sentence! Please exscuse the bad grammer tonight. It's a great sprakling wine that pairs with just about anything. When Jason and I had it recently we paired it with a meal of bacon wrapped filet mignon and delicious mashed potatos. This dinner was in celebration of his recent, and long overdue raise!!!!! =]]] He then suggested we keep a bottle around the house at all times for any occasion! =]
The Moscato D' Asti is fresh and frizzante wine that has bright fruit aromas with flavors of peaches and apricots with a hint of lime. You have to try it, it's relatively inexpensive and you can find it at BevMo, and World Market.
So as of late, I have been on a cooking and baking spree. Last week when my mom and older sister were visiting family in Idaho, my little sister and I both got sick, and had to stay home from school. The only thing we could really eat for a few days was soup and Ice Cream Jello. This past weekend my boyfriend was sick and throwing up all day, and requested Strawberry Jello, and when I got home my older sister who also wasn't feeling well requested my specialty, Ice Cream Jello!!!! So these past two weeks have been Jello filled and quite delicious! Jello just makes everything better, and when you add ice cream to the mix, you definitely can't go wrong. For those of you who have never had Ice Cream Jello, it's 1. Very easy to make and 2. Sort of similar to Jello 1 - 2 - 3.
My favorite flavor of Jello to make Ice Cream Jello with is Orange Jello, but you can use any flavor of Jello you like! Whichever one is your favorite. The orange Ice Cream Jello reminds me of a 50 - 50 bar! MMMMmmmmm so DELICIOUS! I didn't take any picture of it the last time I made it, so I will have to resort to using The Food Librarian's version to celebrate St. Pattie's Day!
This is what the Ice Cream Jello should like after it sets for several [at least 4] hours. Ice Cream Jello is alot of fun to make, and it's really simple. Here's the recipe for anyone who wants to try it out! Take a picture of it and let me know how it turns out! =]
Ice Cream Jello Recipe
1 Big Package of Jello (6 oz.) any flavor
1 Small Package of Lemon Jello (3 oz.)
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1 envelope of Knox Unflavored Gelatin
1/2 Cup of cold water
2 1/2 Cups of Boiling Water
2 Cups of Vanilla Ice Cream*
* You can use Vanilla bean Ice cream if it's all you have in the freezer, but you will end up with little black flakes at the clear bottom layer of your Ice Cream Jello
Directions
1. Combine all flavors of Jello into a medium sized round mixing bowl
2. Add unflavored Knox Gelatin
3. Add sugar
4. Stir in boiling water until all Jello and Gelatin are completely dissolved.
5. Add cold water and vanilla ice cream.
6. Stir mixture until all ice cream is completely dissolved. You can melt the ice cream down to cut down on prep time, but make sure to measure out the 2 cups when the ice cream is still frozen
7. Put into a smaller sized glass pyrex dish, or individual serving cups and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
8. Enjoy!
*** You can either make this loaf in the bread machine, or remove it to put the swirl in the middle, and bake it the rest of the way through in the oven ***
Makes 1, 1 1/2 Lb Loaf in Bread Machine
Ingredients:
1 Cup Water
2 TBSP Butter, Softened
3 Cups Bread Flour
3 TBSP Sugar
1 1/2 TSP Salt
4 TSP Ground Cinnamon
2 1/2 TSP Yeast
1 - 1 1/2 Cups of Raisins
Filling Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup melted butter, or 1 beaten egg
Directions:
1. Measure carefully placing all ingredients except raisins in bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
2. Add raisins at the signal, or 5 to 10 minutes before last kneading cycle ends.
3. Remove bread from bread machine pan after the rising cycle is complete.
4. Grease one 9×5 loaf pan.
5. Make the filling by combining sugar and cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of water.
6. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12 by 10 inch rectangle. Brush with beaten egg or butter and sprinkle the filling on top. Spread the filling evenly.
7. With the short end of the rectangle facing you, fold in both long sides of the dough about 1 inch. Then, roll the dough toward you, gently pressing as you go to form a tight log. Gently roll the log back and forth (or pinch it) to seal the seam. Place in the prepared pan seam side down.
8. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes, or 400 for 60 minutes.
*** For a shiny loaf, use the remainder of the beaten egg to brush the top of the loaf ***
Nothing beats Cinnamon Rolls for Breakfast! I have been going a little crazy with the Breadmaker Mania! I absolutely LOVE this thing, and I have been craving Cinnamon rolls for soooooo long!! So, the other morning Jason and I decided to make these tasty treats! I prepared the dough the night before so we didn't have to wait the 2 hours for the dough to rise, and another 20 minutes to cook them. They really are simple and fun to make with the whole family. They're a little messy, but Jason and I had alot of fun making them!
Recipe:
Cinnamon Roll Dough - Bread Machine Method
3 TSP Instant Dry Yeast
1 Cup Warm Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Melted Butter
1 TSP Salt
2 Eggs Mixed
4 Cups Flour
Directions:
1. Put ingredients in Bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer
2. Select Dough Cycle
3. Refrigerate overnight, or roll dough into a rectangle about 9 x 18
4. Spread butter and filling mixture onto the dough.
5. Roll the dough into a long log shaped form and pinch the ends over.
6. Take a dough cutter to cut into small segments.
7. Place Cinnamon Roll segments onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes.
7. Let cool, and frost
8. ENJOY!
Filling:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 TBSP Cinnamon
1/3 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Sugar
Directions:
1. Mix Sugar and Cinnamon together
2. Spread Softened Butter over dough
3. Roll and Bake!
Icing:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 TSP Vanilla Extract
8 TBSP Meteld Butter
[For whiter icing, add milk]
So, about a month ago or so, I casually mentioned to my boyfriend that I thought having a breadmaker would be something fun, new, and exciting for me! Jason and I both love bread, and recently I have been experimenting with breadmaking, and was looking for an easy way to keep bread around the house for a relatively low cost . . . bread is pretty expensive sometimes, and we often have trouble finding the perfect bread. Well Jason joked that if I made him a loaf of bread a week for a month that I could have one, not telling me that he had already ordered one the first time I mentioned interest in making bread. Like I said before, we LOVE bread.
I was very excited to get this breadmaker and the very second he handed it to me, I popped it out of the box and went to work on making some bread. The first loaf turned out quite tasty, but we decided it was a little heavy for sandwhiches - it was very filling. Then I made a loaf of cinnamon raisen bread, which was delicious and smelled wonderful while it was cooking. The entire apartment smelt like a bakery. The smell of baking bread is one of my favorite things.
The other night for dinner, Jason and I decided to make homemade pizzas from scratch using the breadmaker to knead the dough. Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS,
The recipe came with the instruction manual to the breadmaker, but we tweaked it here and there. We can say good bye to frozen pizzas from now on. These are just too easy to make, and too delicious to pass up!
Recipe:
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons active yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add ingredients to bread maker in the order suggested by the manufacturer of your breadmaker!