Summer Treat

I came across this recipe in the May issue of Southern Living magazine and tried it over the weekend. It is very good and super easy, so I thought I would share. I made the Lemonade pie, but they also had a recipe for Raspberry-Lemonade pie and a Lemon Pie Dip that sounded pretty tasty as well. I may have to try those too! ;)

Creamy Lemonade Pie
2 (5-oz.) cans evaporated milk
2 (3.4-oz.) packages lemon instant pudding mix
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2 (3-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, partially thawed
1 (9-oz.) ready-made prepared graham cracker crust
Garnishes: whipped cream, fresh mint sprigs, lemon slices

1. Whisk together evaporated milk and pudding mix in a bowl 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Beat cream cheeses at medium speed with an electric mixer, using whisk attachment, until fluffy. Add lemonade concentrate, beating until blended; add pudding mixture, and beat until blended.
3. Pour into crust; freeze 4 hours or until firm. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Jean Voan, Shepherd, Texas
Southern Living, MAY 2007

Progress

I took some pictures of our house today. As you can see, we have made progress from the first pictures I posted in March. Gone are the batter-boards! Last weekend all of the cement blocks were positioned. It is still hard for me to visualize where everything will be. I just see a lot of red dirt and blocks! :) This weekend, Kelly’s uncle is going to help us get the mounds of dirt that you see all smoothed out. I’m looking forward to getting the foundation poured. I have been told by numerous people that things will speed up for a bit once this has been done. We’ll see! TGIF!

The Five Finger Prayer

I wanted to share an email that my Mom sent to me today. It would be a creative way to teach your child, childrens' Sunday school class, or heck even yourself for that matter…how to pray. I’m going to show it to my Sunday school class this week:

The Five Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty”.

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance. And like the middle finger they seem to be right in the middle of all that we do and have in our lives, whether we like it that way or not—thus our prayers for them are vitally important!

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them. Plus, it can serve to remind us that in our weakness, God’s strength is what sustains us.

5. And lastly comes our little finger—the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest among you.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Weekend Fun!

The picture to the right is of Jade and I modeling the hottest new shoes on the market for Spring 07’. They are going fast and you don’t want to be left out, so be sure that you visit Jade at The Cottage Boutique to get yours! By the way, when you wear these high-fashion shoes this spring and summer, don’t forget to wear your novelty Santa Claus socks with them!!!!!! HA! That’s for you Jade! Anyway, to let you know what this picture is really all about, last weekend Kelly and I had dinner with our long-time friends Jason and Jade. We ALWAYS have fun when we get together, no matter what we are doing. This weekend was no exception; however, we did do something that we hadn’t done in a very long time…we went BOWLING!!! Yep, I know that those of you speed dialing The Cottage Boutique to secure yourselves a pair of these beautiful puppies are disappointed. However, you may just call Magnolia Lanes to see if you can work out a deal! ;) Jason and Kelly were the brains behind this adventure and Jade and I both stuffed socks in our purses before we left home. We hadn’t talked to each other on Friday, so neither of us were sure if we were REALLY going. Anyway, it was funny because after dinner when it was confirmed that we were going to go bowling we both whipped our socks out not knowing that the other had done the same thing! Now, Jade said that she grabbed the first pair of socks she could find, because Jason was rushing her out the door to meet us. I, on the other hand, just think she was trying to make a “fashion statement”!!! :) While she was sporting the “Festive Holiday” look, I think I should have been wearing a poodle skirt to accent my ankle socks! I’m sure those bowling around us were quite entertained. A good time was had by all! Happy Tuesday!

Gobble Wabble

I had just finished my previous post when Kelly and his best bud John Ross came home with the fruit of their labor this afternoon. They had been turkey hunting with little success all day when they came across this “bruiser” turkey as they like to refer to him. Poor little fella! I guess you can tell by Kelly and John Ross’s smiles that they don’t feel too sorry for him. Way to go Guys!

I'm Back!

It has been a while since my last post, but I’m back! Things have been very busy with work. I was in Nashville for a week at our annual International Convention. We had almost 4000 people in attendance with five of seven countries represented! It was definitely all work and no play but I still managed to have a good time. :) This year, our Convention speakers were Al Gore, Jehan Sadat (internationally known Middle Eastern activist), and Kevin Sharp (country music singer and cancer survivor). They were all very interesting speakers, and it was really neat to get to see them in person.
Kelly and his Dad have really gotten a lot of work done on the house. I will have a few pictures to post in the near future. I hope everyone had a good Monday!