Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Birthday and Thank You cards

I made a set of cards for my SIL for Christmas.  She wanted cards for all occasions.  Here are two of the cards that went into the set.

I used stamps from Taylored Expressions for both of these cards.  The candles in this card are from the set For the Love of Cupcakes.  I am not sure what stamp set the sentiment comes from, but I am pretty sure it is from the same company.

The Dragonfly and flowers in this card come from Discover your Wings  The design for this card comes from my friend Jami.  She made a set of cards like this with different colors for her niece.



Sunday, December 26, 2010

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas yesterday.  I was far away from family in terms of physical location, but that didn't stop me from joining in on the festivities.   I am so thankful for SKYPE.  My family had "me" on a laptop and moved the laptop to let me see everyone open their gifts.  It felt like I was there with them.  They even took a family picture with me in it!

Does anyone else use SKYPE to talk to family or friends?  I think it is one of the best inventions ever (and it is free)!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Book Review: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

I had the wonderful opportunity to choose a book to read and review.  I chose Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski.

I debated reading this book because I knew it would be challenging to read...not challenging in an educational way, but spiritually challenging. I knew going in that I wouldn't be able to just read this book and quickly move on. I was right, but I am so glad that I made the choice to be challenged.

The book is about two college students who decided to challenge themselves to live out their faith by becoming homeless for 5 months in 6 different cities. The author, Mike, realized it was easy to claim Christ as his everything, but he had never had to put that claim to the test while living his middle class life and attending a Christian college. He decided to really live out his faith and step out in a radical way.  Mike shares his experiences, thoughts, and emotions of those 5 months Sam and he lived on the streets. I love the deepness and honesty of this book through the laughter and tears, the good and downright awful, the beautiful,ugly and sometimes very stinky.

Don't read this book unless you are willing to be changed, willing to DO something whether what you do to live out your faith has to do with homelessness or not.  If you are willing to do that, then this is a must read. :)

If you are interested you can download the first chapter of the book to check it out.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. The review is my honest opinion of the book.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Best Toffee Ever

I decided to make a few batches of toffee for my tenants at the apartments as a way to say "Merry Christmas." The recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com.  I really like the recipes on that site and this one called, Best Toffee Ever, was definitely a winner!  My changes to the recipe and comments are in italics

For this recipe you need:


2 cups butter (My dad recently taught me that you get unsalted for baking and then you add your own salt and this keeps the recipe consistent--thanks dad!)
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped almonds (for me 1/2 cup was plenty)

Directions:
1.In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. (For the 2nd batch I partially melted the butter before adding the sugar and salt and liked how that worked) Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 degrees F (137 degrees C). Stir occasionally.
2.While the toffee is cooking, cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.



3.As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Putting a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.

4.Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.


Package up and you are ready to go!

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