Turtle, turtle…(in my best Dana Carvey impression voice from Master of Disguise)
Making It All Work
Parenting isn't about Perfection!
Don’t throw out your old coffee maker!!!
If your like me you love love love your Keurig. I got one a little bit ago and I could never part with it now. When I got it I retired my old coffee pot to the pantry. Then my dad told me to pull it back out and used it to make Iced Tea. My dad who drinks iced tea all day every day uses his to make gallons at a time. So here is how he does it. 
First thing you need to do is clean it out really good so you don’t have any coffee residue in your tea. Then you place 3 family tea bags in the basket. No liner is required since they are already in bags. 
Then take a gallon water jug and fill it up with water. Then fill up the coffee pot water compartment to the top line. Leave the rest of the water in the water jug. Then turn on the coffee pot. 
Once the tea is brewed let it cool for a short bit. I waited about 15-20 minutes. Then using a funnel pour the tea into the jug. 
Keep pouring…. 
And viola. You now have a gallon of iced tea. Just refrigerate and enjoy. If you like sweet tea you can pour a little of the water out and add the sugar before you add the warm tea. By doing it this way the sugar crystals dissolve completely giving you a better tasting sweet tea. Hope all my ice tea loving friends try this out. My dad swears by it and has been doing it for well over 10 years. ;0)
What do you believe in??
Every Thursday I go to a woman’s bible study with my best friend Donna and some of my other friends. We just started a study on different religions. As a social worker it is important to understand others’ beliefs so that when you work with them you don’t accidentally offend them. I try my best to respect cultural and religious differences of everyone. So far we have done Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism. I have to say it was very interesting to get a better understanding of what their beliefs are. I thought I had a good understanding of both of these denominations and for the most part I did know much of what was taught but there were some fundamental differences and beliefs that I didn’t know.
Some of what I learned was disturbing to me and other things were quite calming. I do appreciate that both of these religions do promote kindness and a giving heart. What I do find disheartening is that from my understanding fear is a huge part of these religions and the thought that your deeds get you into heaven more than believing in Jesus Christ. As a Christian I believe that the ONLY way into the kingdom of heaven is through believing and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Good deeds are fantastic and should be done as a way to show your love for God and to be Christ Like but alone they do not guarantee your salvation. This is what I believe according to the Bible.
The only real issue I have had so far about these lessons is that each of these religions have sects that although may have the same core values have very different out lying values. Mormons for instance have many different sects including the Latter Day Saints and the Fundamentalist. Although they share the same core values their practicing faith and values are very different. I think that we should have discussed this a little more. The reason being is that the media sensationalize things a lot. For instance Sister Wives on TLC focuses on a polygamist family that are Mormon but they are a member of the Mormon Fundamentalist movement. While fundamentalist Mormon’s promote polygamy Latter Day Saints do not. So I think discussing the differences are important. Hopefully even though they weren’t discussed a seed was planted for the woman to research this themselves.
This week we are studying Scientology. I personally don’t know much about this religion so I am very interested to learn about it. I will be teaching Islamic religion in a couple of weeks. Interesting note: Most people believe that Muslim in the name of the religion but it is actually called Islam and Muslim is used to refer to the group of people who practice the religion. I hope that everyone at some point in their lives look into other religions. I think by doing this it will draw you closer to whatever religion you are and make you a more well-rounded person.
Peas and Cheese (My grandma’s special recipe)
Growing up I always wanted to cook and help in the kitchen. When I was little I stayed with my Grandma Collins a lot. She was such a wonderful grandma. She knew how much I wanted to help so created this recipe that I could make all by myself. This recipe is soooo simple and yet every time I make it everyone just raves about it. Here is the recipe:
1 can of sweet peas
1 8oz. block of cheddar cheese ( can be sharp or mild)
5 dill pickle spears
1/2 cup of mayo
Open and drain the can of peas and pour into bowl. Cut the block of cheese into small slices. Then cut the slices down the middle and then cut those pieces into little pieces. (As a child this was my favorite part because I could cut them myself using a butter knife.) Place pieces into the bowl with the peas. Next take the pickle spears and cut length wise. Next cut the pickle slices into small pieces and put into the bowl with other ingredients. Finally add the mayo and stir.
I made this recipe for my husband’s 40th birthday and EVERYONE raved over and over again. Every time I make this it takes me back to my childhood standing in my grandma’s kitchen with her in her apron and me in mine. I was truly blessed to have such a Great Grandma!! I miss her everyday but she lives in my heart always!!
S’more Cones for Camping
You need Joy waffle ice cream cones ,Kraft mini marshmallows,and Nestle Chocolate Chips. Now the best part about this is you can use any flavor marshmallows and any flavor chocolate chips you want. The flavor combinations are endless!! You can also add nuts or anything else you would like. Once you load up your waffle cone you wrap the entire thing with aluminum foil. Then you put them on the campfire. We had a grate that we laid them on. But you could use a grill or I bet even an oven would work. The main part of the heat is to melt the chocolate and the marshmallows. On the open campfire it took like 10-15 depending on how stuffed the cones were. You can always take them off and check them and put them back on if need be. On the grill I would say the same time would work and for the oven I would do 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Here is another variation on the S’more Cones that include fruit from Quirky Momma. I’m soooo gonna try this on the next camping trip!!
