For My Fellow Bakers

Hello, Fellow Bakers!

I got this Biscotti Recipe off of food.com (found here) after looking for a sweet treat to have with coffee. This was the first recipe for Biscotti I tried and it has served me well.

Fantastic Double Chocolate-Pecan Biscotti

Prep time: 15-25 minutes

Bake time: First baking—35 minutes, Second baking—7-10 minutes

Yield: 30 Biscotti

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted) note: I usually sift it with my flour mixture

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of butter, softened

1 ¼ cups of sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups of chopped pecans

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips (mini chips do great as well!)

Confectioners' sugar for rolling, optional

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit
2. Butter and flour a large baking/cookie sheet. (I just use the non-stick spray)
3. In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. (about 5 minutes) *I used my mom's standing mixer this morning and it made this an easy job ;)
5. Add eggs and beat until well combined.
6. Stir in the flour mixture (This is where I just sifted all four ingredients into the mixture) This will make a stiff dough.
7. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips; mix until combined
8. Divide the dough in half or make four smaller logs for easier handling and cutting.
9. On the greased baking sheet, shape into two slightly flattened logs (about 12-inches long and about 2-inches wide).
10. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
11. Bake for 35 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch.
12. Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes then remove to cutting board.
13. Cut the logs diagonally into about ¾ inch slices.
14. Place back on baking sheet.
15. Return to the oven and bake for another 7-10 minutes (depending on how crisp you like them)
16. Cool on a rack.

You're DONE!!!!

      Now for my notes: Like I said, I don't usually just sift the cocoa powder, I just throw all four of the first ingredients into a bowl and sift it into my egg butter mixture later.

      The dough after you add the flour mixture is going to be very stiff so don't think you did it wrong. If you followed the recipe, yes, it will be very stiff but that's how it is supposed to be.

      Because it is so stiff, it is hard to mix in your pecans and chocolate chips. Don't pull a muscle but do try to get it stirred in nice and even. I would suggest a big sturdy spoon.

      For the logs, all I do is dump the entire mixture onto my pan then separate it. From there, I just form rough logs and flatten and form, flatten and form until I'm satisfied.

      I don't sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar (usually because I forget this step until afterwards)

      Cutting the logs can be difficult. You need a serrated knife and after you get through the top crust with a gentle sawing motion just push it the rest of the way. If you push it all the way it tends to break, if you saw it all the way it tends to break. Cutting them is the hardest part of this recipe (other than mixing if you're doing it by hand)

      Some people like them just like this with no extra baking. Make sure you try the ones that break and see if you do. 

      For the second baking, follow the recipe and check often. I usually just turn off the oven and leave them in there for another few minutes just to make sure they're crunchy.

      These things are awesome with tea and coffee. Dip it in your coffee or dip it in some milk. We really like these for an afternoon snack.

I hope you enjoy!

Sunday Hymn

O For a Thousand Tongues

Charles Wesley

O for a thousand tongues to sing 

My great Redeemer's praise,

The glories of my God and King, 

The triumphs of His grace.

My gracious Master and my God, 

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of Thy name. 

Jesus! The name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

'Tis music in the sinner's ears, 

'Tis life, and health, and peace. 

He breaks the power if canceled sin,

He sets the prisoner free;

His blood can make the foulest clean;

His blood availed for me. 

Bible Inspiration

Just a quick note. Isaiah 41:10--

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." 

He will always be there and His love never changes or fails. 

Hebrews 13:8--"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." 

Remember, when all else fails, HE is forever! 

God bless! I hope you have a wonderful day! 

My adventure...

Today started out pretty horrible. I woke up feeling terrible. I'm coming down with my annual cold. It usually comes around the time that I am supposed to sing somewhere but this time it waited a little longer, for which I am very grateful. I am not yet at the coughing stage, just at the stage where I can barely breathe out of my nose and I'm calling my mother "Bob".  My head felt pretty horrible this morning so I ended up lying back down to see if it helped me feel better but to no affect. 

To describe the next events I have to tell you this: my family has been watching The Lord of the Rings every Sunday (a weekly movie) leading up to the release of the Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug. My brother-in-law has the extended versions on blu-ray and every Sunday, we would watch one so we would well remember them when this movie came out. Today we decided to go watch The Hobbit. 

Please keep in mind that I, in my miserable state, was not to happy about leaving home. I wanted to snuggle down with blankets and a good movie at home, perhaps some soup, but I've really wanted to see this movie so I went along.  

We went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and ate lunch then had a little free time before the movie so we decided to do a little shopping. I didn't enjoy the shopping because I didn't feel well, and although I don't enjoy shopping much anyway, I usually don't whine and complain. Today, I made an exception. I wasn't feeling well, and I didn't care who knew it. (I know, not very nice of me, but please try to see my side of it.) 

When at last we decided to go to the movies, my mother, my sisters and I went to the restrooms. I had my phone in my back pocket and thought it wouldn't be good to leave it there while I did my business so I set it on the toilet tissue holder. I didn't notice it wasn't in my pocket as I left the stall, or as I washed my hands, or as I left the bathroom, or even as I sat down in the theatre. I only noticed when I reached for it to silence it. Horror struck me. I turned to my mom. "I left my phone in the bathroom!" I said in shock. 

"What?" She said. "Check your purse."

I had checked it already but checked it again just in case. No phone. "It's not here!" 

She turned to my dad on her other side and said, "I'm going with her. She left her phone in the bathroom."

"What?!" He exclaimed. 

We gave him a very fast, very cryptic explanation and hurried to the bathrooms, praying that we would find it. 

I rushed into the stall, no phone. I checked other stalls, finding to my utter despair, no phone. I checked trash cans (just glancing, I didn't dig in them) and not finding it rushed back to the movie theater to check my purse one more time. No phone. My dad joined us in our search, calling the phone. 

I'm ashamed to say I was suspicious of everyone as I left the theater as we went back to the lobby to check again. My dad stood in line to see if anyone had dropped it off at the counter.  

Doubt washed over me. "There went that!" I thought. "Buy a phone and leave it in a movie bathroom of all places. We're never going to find it!"

I heard my dad say "Thank you" and turned to see him holding out my phone.

"Oh my gosh! Where was it?" 

"Someone brought it here. Said they found it in the bathroom." 

We went back to the counter to ask who had returned it but the lady couldn't remember. We wanted to thank them for their kindness. 

I guess I learned today that there are still good people out there. People who care for others. 

So whoever it was that turned my phone in to lost and found, I owe you my gratitude. I am in your debt! Thank you so much and I wish I could do more. Right now though, all I can do is thank you, whoever you may be, and pray that you will be blessed for your thoughtfulness. The only way to repay you I suppose, would be to do a kindness for someone in return. I'll keep it going. Thank you again! Merry Christmas and God Bless! 

And PS, the movie was AWESOME!!!! If you are a Tolkien fan, I'd definitely recommend it! Especially if you like The Lord of the Rings set. 

And the Angels Rejoiced!

I learned today that the father of some of my friends went to be with our Heavenly Father at about 8 o'clock. He was 56. He had been battling cancer, first skin cancer that came back as spots on his liver and lungs, then bone and lastly tumors on his brain. He was such an encouragement and such a wonderful blessing from The Lord to all those who knew him. He worked in the ministry on a college campus. He touched so many lives.

He leaves behind a legacy. A wife and thirteen children and several grandchildren as well. I have the honor of knowing his daughters. They are a sweet blessing to me and just a wonderful gift from God. I had the pleasure of meeting them last year. I got to know the daughters a little better through volleyball.

 

This past spring, there was a homeschool conference that my family attended and Mr. Randy spoke at it. What he said had such an impact on me. He was talking about family and finishing the race. The doctors had told him at the time that he didn't have very long to live but he and his family just kept trusting God. They knew that it wasn't what the doctors said that mattered but what God said. 

In the past couple of weeks, I've been seeing his daughters twice a week. They have been so strong. Jo, age fifteen, was talking to me about the peace. She basically said that she didn't want him to die, but that she had peace. Her faith astounded me. At fifteen she had something that most of us don't have and may never have. 

My heart aches for the family. But, through all of this, this is what they have to say:

"He hath made everything beautiful in it's time..." Tonight my precious daddy went to be with Jesus. Deliverance He promised came, just not in the way we expected. My father is now face to face with the love of his life...he is now resting from his labor. The Lord gives and He takes away, blessed be the name of The Lord..." 

This is from the second daughter. 

"My sweet Daddy entered into the gates of the kingdom of God last night at about 8:00,Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3 KJV) 
I am in perfect peace!;) praise the LORD! 
Love in CHRIST"

This is from Jo. 

Please keep this family in your prayers. I praise The Lord for all that He did, for Mr. Randy's life and ministry and the legacy he left behind. As I said before, his wife and thirteen children remain. The youngest of his children is seven.  Please pray that The Lord will continue to give them the peace that passes all understanding and that the legacy of his life may be remembered.

Thanks be to God for this man and for the blessing of his life. 

Bible Inspiration of the Day

   I finished reading the book of Joshua yesterday. It was very enjoyable but today I decided to skip around. Using the Bible app on my phone, I looked at the verse of the day. Ephesians 2:8-9 says:

   

   "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

   Not of works, lest any man should boast."

   

   This was a reminder to me that I do not, I CAN NOT save myself, it is only through God's grace and mercy do I even have the opportunity. 

   As usual, I read the Proverb of the day, Proverb 15. My mother got me started reading a Proverb for each day of the month earlier this year. So far, I have read through Proverbs probably 6 times and each time there is something else that stands out. Today is was Proverbs 15:5 which says: 

   "A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reroof is prudent." 

   

   Ouch! I have to remember that my parents are older than me, have been through many of the same things I face, and they know so much! My parents are full of wisdom if I will just listen. 

   Then I started reading I Peter 1. The whole chapter was amazing, but 5 verses especially stood out to me. Verses 3-5 which state:

   

   "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

   To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

   Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

   

    We are kept by God THROUGH faith! And then verses 15-16: 

   

   "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

   Because it is written, 'Be ye holy; for I am holy.' "

   

   For me, these verses, 15 and 16, tie into Philippians 4:8

   

   "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

   

   This then led me to Psalm 19:14

   

   "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."

   

   And the reason we should keep our heart? Easy! Matthew 12:34b says:

   

   "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

    We also went to church with my grandparents today, my granddad being a Baptist preacher and he taught on the power of prayer. All I can say is WOW!! He had some awesome points and I came to the conclusion that my prayers should be more earnest. I sometimes just say them to say them, but I need to stop letting my mind wander. I need to be completely focused on God when I pray and remember to Whom I am praying. 

   Thanks for reading. I know it's a long post. As a side note, I use King James Version of the Bible.

   

It is well...

I've been thinking lately about the story of Horatio G. Spafford. You may not recognize the name, but he wrote the song "It Is Well".  I was playing the piano and flipped to this song and it just struck me how beautiful this song is. Here are the words, all 4 verses:

"It Is Well

By Horatio G. Spafford 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea-billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul. 

Chorus:

It is well (It is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, 

Let this blessed assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 

And hath shed His own blood for my soul. 

It is well (It is well)

With my soul (with my soul) 

It is well, it is well with my soul. 

My sin--oh the bliss of this glorious thought--

My sin--not in part, but in whole--

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, 

Praise The Lord, praise The Lord, O my soul!

It is well (it is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul. 

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,

The trump shall resound and The Lord shall descend,

"Even so" it is well with my soul. 

It is well (it is well) 

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul. "

I encourage you to look up his story is you don't know it already. 

That's it for now!! Til next time, 

Emily

Let us never forget...

12 years ago today, a terrible tragedy occurred. Lives were lost, people were hurt. We, as a country, had to step back and look at what was happening.

I was 6 years old. I was at home on that day, my mother was teaching me and my sister. My dad called from where he was working in town and told us that it had happened. He then asked that we bring my sister's radio/cd player to his job so we could hear the latest news. We did so and I remember sitting there, not completely understanding what was happening, but being afraid and very saddened by what happened. 

To the unsung heroes, those who have their lives, sacrificed themselves to help others, to those who just lent a hand, thank you! We are forever in your debt. God bless you! To the families of those hurt or killed in this tragedy, I am so sorry for your loss. God bless you! 

Let us not forget what happened that day. It was a day of sorrow, of pain, of courage, of love. I thank God for each and every person who worked to help the people hurt, the rescue teams, the firemen! Thank you for your service. God bless you! And God bless the USA!!! 

Doctor Who, Nancy Drew and a Destin trip

I went to Destin for my senior trip. You know, they classify a senior trip as your first big trip without your family. So, my senior trip was in August. It was AWESOME!!! I went with six other girls whom I love dearly and wish I could see more often. We spent seven nights in a villa and it was fantastic. The beach was wonderful and the weather was good except for a couple of rainy days but those days we watched movies. 

   

    This is our luggage. One dodge Durango, seven girls, all their stuff and about a seven hour trip. It was quite crowded to say the least. We even took beach hats! Here's a picture of Cara's brother wearing all of them. :D

It was loads of fun. We stayed at the beach or the pool almost all the time. 

Epic sand castle they built. We all built one but nobody took a picture and we ended up knocking it down ourselves. 

I was so encouraged by this trip. The girls were all so sweet and great room mates. I had only briefly met a couple of them but they were terrific! Like I said, this was in August. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more pictures soon. I usually write blog posts on my phone but I took a ton more pictures with my camera so I'll have to get those on here from my computer. 

While I was in Destin, one of the girls with us, Beth, got me started watching Dr. Who. I haven't watched them since then, not because I'm not interested, but because they make me miss her and I want to watch them with her anyway. (She lives in Colorado so we can't just have slumber parties, sadly *sniff* ) She showed me some pretty awesome ones! I liked the one about Van Gogh. I had watched one episode before I met her. It was called "Water on Mars" or something and the doctor was David Tennant, but she showed me a couple of other episodes that were pretty cool! 

So my little sister and I have started playing Nancy Drew interactive computer games. They are loads of fun, but some of them are kinda creepy. We have finished I think about 9 of them and we love them! I grew up reading Nancy Drew (listen to me, I grew up! I'm still growing up!) so naturally when we found these I wanted them. We have I think around 13 of the games but we haven't finished all of them. If you haven't played them before, they really make you think about what to do. They have puzzles and such. I do not recommend cheating. They are much more fun if you just play them. 

Also coming up, my trip to Michigan with my grandparents to meet a relative. Here's a sneak peak:

My senior recital!!!!

I have been taking piano lessons for most of my natural life. 13 years to be exact. So I had a senior recital to commemorate this accomplishment. I still have a year to go, but I have made it through high school!! 

I thought I would share some pictures. The recital itself went well, except for the fact I caught a summer cold a week before the performance date, and having to sing, that complicated matters very much. So, my voice was rather hoarse for singing. But it went rather well considering it. 

So, here are some pictures from that. Mostly the cake. It was awesome. My mom made it for me. And some of the little treats. I will see if my friend took some more but this is all I had time for. :)

It is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on the cake. I love it!! My mom did an awesome job. 

These were chocolate treats wrapped in paper from Hobby Lobby! I love that store. I could spend hours there!!!!

My teacher surprised me with a bouquet. It is GORGEOUS!! 

My program included music from "Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables". I had an awesome time. 

Also, my friend is back from Colorado!!!!!!!! I missed her so much! She was gone to Summit for 2 weeks. It was forever but she made it back in time for my recital. 

Till next time!!! 

~Emily

You never know what you have...

...until it's gone. 

Today, a cousin of mine, Trey, died. He was 24 years old. He was in an accident July 3rd. He fell from a moving vehicle and hit his head on the pavement. Over the weekend, it seemed that he would come through it, but there was an aneurism on his brain preventing his waking up from an induced coma. This morning, about 4:30, the aneurism ruptured. 

Please pray for our family during our time of mourning. Pray especially for his parents and sister. 

Thank you all for the prayers. I appreciate them so much. God bless each of you. 

Farm Life: Ups and Downs

So, we've been doing some work in the garden. (Or rather, I've been sort of working in my Granddad's garden, the big pretty one) and it got me to thinking about life on a small country farm. And from this, I decided to write about the ups and downs. 

1. Goats

Ups:

     •We have fresh milk. 

     •We know that it is organic

     •Fresh cheese

     •Cute baby goats (and they really are adorable!!! <3 )

Downs:

     •They only milk for part of the year

     •They eat a lot 

     •Contrary to popular belief, they do NOT eat everything. They taste everything but they are actually very picky eaters. 

     •The baby goats grow into...you guessed it...adult goats (not near as cute) and sometimes the adults can be ornery. 

All in all, I've enjoyed having goats. It has been a pleasurable experience (for the most part) having goats. 

2. Next up: Chickens!!

Ups:  

    •Fresh Eggs

    •Again, organic, we know pretty much what they're eating but you can never tell with chickens. 

    •They eat almost anything. Leftover vegetables from the table, vegetables that go bad, pretty much anything!

Downs:

    •They eat almost anything (including the things you really don't want them to eat...umm, also including my cherry tomatoes that finally got ripe :(

    •They make messes that you wouldn't believe 

    •They are some of the dumbest animals you will ever see. 

But, chickens are a pretty good investment for us, I suppose. 

3. Gardening

Ups:

    •Fresh veggies!!!!! (Who wouldn't like that!)

    •May not be an up for everyone but I enjoy the harvest and putting vegetables in the freezer or canning them

    •The sunshine and spending time with my granddad. 

Downs:

    •Weeds. I don't like weeds

    •Weeds is all I can think of other than when vegetables start coming in you can NOT have a busy schedule or you'll have lots of bad vegetables. 

I personally love gardening. I haven't had much time this year, but I like to garden and work with vegetables. Wherever I live in the future, I hope that I will be able to have a garden, even if it is tiny. 

I hope you have enjoyed my post on small country farming. Maybe I'll post more about it later. Right now, fresh cooked veggies are calling my name!!!!

Ciao!! 

P.S. This is a photo of the basket I took to an Aunt this morning. Isn't it pretty?? 

Happy Mother's Day

To all the Moms out there, thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for being there for us, for kissing our scraped knees to make them all better, for wiping our runny noses, teaching us to live, teaching us to love, to laugh, to cry. For teaching us to pray. 

My mother did all these things and so much more. She taught me to cook, to be a lady. She taught me to look for the good in people instead of always seeing the negative. She taught me what it means to be a woman of God. She has been nurse, cook, chauffeur, maid, laundry-lady, teacher, drill sergeant, lawyer, surgeon, comforter and a load of other things. She has been a wonderful example for me and my sisters. 

So a special thanks to my mom: Thanks, Mom, for always being there. For being strong when I am weak, for always being able to offer advice on my numerous problems, just for being my Mom!!! I love you and I hope it was a great Mother's Day. 

Adjust the sails

My family (myself included) watched a movie the other night and it struck me how much the woman wanted to change who the man was. Mind you, he wasn't that great. He wasn't a very good husband, but it reminded me so much how I am. If I don't like something, I want to change it and change it fast.

My mind says that I should be happy, that everyone should be happy because I am. But that's not the way it works. I have to constantly remind myself that it's not about me. My selfishness is only getting in the way in matters like this.

I have to remember time and again that happiness is a choice. Even in situations where I believe I have every right to be angry, I must remember this. I have found that if I will let go of the anger and hurt feelings and just choose to be happy, things are better. But that isn't easy because of the selfishness in me.

There's another big factor in all that. My pride. It hurts to say it, but that's another big thing. I'm too proud to say I was wrong and that I'm sorry even if I was completely in the wrong. It's hard to admit it, for me anyway, to say that it was my fault and that I'll try to do better or whatever the situation may be. Instead I make excuses as to why I did what I did. That just causes more trouble because then I want once again to change things.

I said all that to say I ran across an inspirational quote yesterday that made me think of all this. It was by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. It says: "When you can't change the direction of the wind - adjust your sails."

When I want to change everything around me and can't, I have to choose to be happy, otherwise, I'm going to have an even more terrible time. The things I don't want to do, if I choose to be happy, won't be as much of a chore. That is my way of adjusting my sails.

It is a beautiful morning in Alabama. The birds are singing and the sun is shining bright. And today, I'm gonna be happy.

~Emily

Updates

You know how I said I was trying to eat healthy? Well, that didn't work out too great. I shoulda known not to try something like that right before the wedding. Which, by the way, went wonderfully! I am planning to post some pictures soon.

My sister has now been married for 2 months 4 days. They're happy. That helps me to get past missing her so bad. I got them to pose for a picture at a bonfire we had the other day.

Aren't they cute? I love them both so much!!!

I want to say that I honestly believe that God had a hand in my life over the past year. I know He is always guiding me, but this is so abundantly clear!! First of all, the day that JJ, my sister met her soon-to-be-husband, I met a girl who would become a close friend. I met her older sister next, then after getting to know them a little more, I met their sister. Since then, (I met them in July of last year) they have become some of my best friends. They are wonderful people. I love them so much! They helped me through JJ getting married. I would have had a much harder time getting through it had it not been for them. They are awesome. I feel like I've always known them and I haven't even known them a year!!

Well, that's all for today. Y'all take care!! God bless!!

Eating Healthy

     So, yesterday started my quest to try to eat healthier. That meant no more sugary drinks, no more chocolate (at least on week days. A girl's got to have her chocolate), no more unhealthy snacks, nothing like that.
   
     I did pretty good yesterday..considering we didn't have anything I wanted to eat that was healthy. I finally decided on an apple and some dried fruit and a sandwich. It was on wheat bread. I ate that and some soup for supper last night and I must say, I might have enjoyed it, except for one minor detail.

    Yesterday was the day that my sisters decided to open their chocolate and Cheetos. Of all the days, it had to be yesterday. I didn't eat any and I haven't been doing too bad, but still. I rode home from my older sister's soon-to-be-house with M-n-Ms and Cheetos in the car and I didn't eat a single one. (It was torture)

    It actually wasn't all that bad, I'm just feeling dramatic today. This morning, I got up and made some smoothies for my Mom and myself. They were pretty good! I'm not a big smoothy person, but I liked this one pretty good.

    It was called a Banana Bread Smoothie. I got the recipe off of Pinterest (I finally got Pinterest and I absolutely love it. If you want to follow me, my username is camoandlace95) and here it is:

Banana Bread Green Smoothie
Ingredients:                                              (Makes 2 big smoothies)
  ~1 ripe banana, frozen
  ~1 cup of milk
  ~2 handfuls of Spinach leaves (fresh are best)
  ~1/4 cup of walnuts
  ~1/4 cup of oats
  ~a sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:
  Combine the ingredients in blender, light stuff on the bottom (spinach, oats, cinnamon, walnuts) heavy stuff on top (banana and ice, if you choose to use ice) and pour the milk on top of all of it.
  Blend the heck out of it (quoting word for word) until nice and smooth. ENJOY!


  So, it turned out big, like I said. My mom has some Coca Cola glasses, the heavy glass ones, and they were nearly running over with green deliciousness. I figure next time I'll half the recipe and see how it turns out. Now, I didn't have walnuts so I used almonds and it still turned out great.

   Mom and I both agreed that it was eatable and I enjoyed it after I got over it being green (really, you can't taste the spinach). I have a ton of recipes for smoothies that I want to try out so I'll try and keep y'all posted on how everything goes. Until next time, here's a picture of my smoothie. Hope you enjoy it!!!

       ~Emily

I don't quite know how to begin this post. I want to apologize for not writing more. I want to tell you all about what has been going on in my life and I want to mention movies and people and Christmas and a whole lot of other stuff. So, let's begin :D

OK! So, the apology: I'm sorry for neglecting you so and I hope to do better. I hope you are not too angry with me though I will say I have missed you and have meant to post several times. I had a nice long post all written out and had about a million pictures to put on it but our internet was completely nuts at the time and I couldn't upload...Sadly.

Next, what has been going on in my life. Well, my sister's wedding date was moved back to February. From June so it was quite a move. I'm happy for her but sad to see her go. She is really happy and extremely excited and our friend KattyRae has her hands full getting a wedding shower planned and well, things have just been really busy.

Now, on to Christmas! Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the way everything is. It's cold,  families get together, great food, talking to friends you haven't seen in a while and lots of other stuff. This Christmas was awesome. We watched the "Nativity Story", it was my first time to see it, and "It's a Wonderful Life". If you haven't seen them I would recommend both. They are fantastic movies

My soon-to-be--brother-in-law got to meet the family at Thanksgiving and he was invited to join us again at Christmas. He seemed to enjoy himself and the family had a good time too so that was all good.

On to movies!! I saw "Red Dawn" in theatres. It has been forever since I saw the old one so I can't really compare the two. I know that the new one seemed to have a ton of language which I didn't care for at all. I saw the "Hobbit" a few days ago with some friends and it was fun! No, I don't just go to the movies but I enjoy going when it is a good movie. I'm supposed to see the "Hobbit" again soon with a whole group of people and this time in 3D so I'm excited. I like the Lord of the Rings trilogy but they're not my favorite movies. Like a friend said, I just can't justify a Good Wizard. But the movies are pretty good. Some parts of it are disgusting but the "Hobbit" wasn't that bad. The book was supposedly written for a younger audience so the movie is less ugly. Now do not, I repeat NOT, take it that I said that it was not bad. It had some trolls and orcs that were pretty ugly but I didn't find them as bad as the LOTR. I wouldn't recommend this for younger children but use your own judgment.

Well, I have enjoyed it. See y'all soon!!!!

~Emily

"The Day They Came to Arrest the Book" book review

   
     The following is a book report I wrote for school:

     The book The Day They Came to Arrest the Book  has stood out to me among many that I have read this year. It has really made me think.
     It begins by introducing you to a few of the characters at a public high school, George Mason High. Barney Roth, a senior student; his friend, Luke; and their school's principal, Mr. Mick Moore, whom the students have nicknamed "Mighty Mike".
     The story itself is begun by a teacher, Nora Baines, who is teaching a class on 19th century history. The first book on their reading list is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The students are to read a portion of this book as homework. From there, the story gets more and more interesting.
     When Mrs. Baines's class is resumed the following day, a black student, Gordon McLean, and a girl named Kate state that some of the material in the book offensive. Gordon finds it racist, that it speaks of African Americans in derogatory terms. Kate, on the other hand, finds it sexist, in that the women in the book, in her opinion, are stupid and are also looked upon as inferior.
     Mr. McLean, Gordon's father, complains to Mr. Moore that it is offensive and should be censored. Mr. Moore, it is discovered, does not like the controversy and therefore usually deals with book censorship without consulting the school board--which, by the way, is against school policy.
     Mrs. Baines is infuriated by this because Mr. Moore tries to convince her to censor the book without making a fuss. Mrs. Baines tells the school's new librarian, Deirdre Fitzgerald, about the conversation in Mr. Moore's office. Ms. Fitzgerald is just as upset.
     The students seem torn. Barney doesn't like the idea of banning a book and Luke seems to feel the same way. Kate, on the other hand, is all for throwing the book out of the school, as is Gordon.
     A group of parents complain to Mr. Moore and school policy is upheld. The board is elected to decide whether the book should be banned. Among the board members are: Ms. Fitzgerald, a black professor, a newspaper editor, an activist, and two others.
     At the hearing, several arguments are given. One party says that the book should be thrown out in its entirety. Another says that it should be banned, but not completely censored--meaning you would have to have written parent and teacher consent to get the book out of the library. The third party says that it should be allowed to stay on the shelves without censorship of any kind.
     The vote from the meeting is four to three in favor of censorship but not complete removal, just putting it on a separate shelf, or as one character states, "putting it on house arrest".
     Things continue to heat up. Barney, as head of the school newspaper, writes how he is all for letting the book stay public in the George Mason Standard.
     Barney then decides to talk to the school's former librarian, Karen Salters. Mrs. Salters makes it clear that she did not leave the school because she wanted to. She says that she was forced to resign by Mighty Mike.
     She tells Barney that Mr. Moore has been censoring books for years--even going so far as to rip pages out of books that he found offensive, even the Bible. She says that she finally had had enough of his nonsense and argued with him. Mr. Moore decided that firing her was not a good idea as she could go public with all that she knew. He therefore decided to make her working likfe miserable until she resigned.
     Things reach such a climax that it becomes national news. Another hearing is planned, this time on television.
     The hearing goes pretty much the same as the first until the end. A young black student stands.
     He speaks his mind concerning Huckleberry Finn. He says that he is glad that he was able to read the book, that he wasn't forbidden to do so. He speaks strongly.
     The vote from the first hearing is overturned and Huck Finn is enabled to go free, so to speak.
     The Day They Came to Arrest the Book ends in more of a question than an answer. Mr. Moore has just been thinking of how they could change board members and Kate, Barney, and Luke are discussing the outcome of the vote. Kate can't believe that she stood up for the rights of blacks only to have a black student tell her it wasn't any of her business what he read. Barney and Luke are glad it's over and don't harbor any bad feelings toward Kate even though she insulted them several times over their feelings about the book.
     At first, beginning this book, I didn't thinkI would like it.I'm not normally one to try and involve myself in controversy and this is ver controversial. On the one hand, you have those who say Huckleberry Finn is racist and sexist and on the other hand, you have those who say it is actually speaks against racism and sexism.
     My personal opinion is more to the latter. I have nothing against blacks and I certainly have nothing against women being a woman myself, but I believe that every book out there is offensive to someone somewhere.
     In conclusion, I believe that The Day They Came to Arrest the Book is a great book. It faces some very controversial issues, yes, but in its entirety, I believe this book should be read by every student.

     The End
   

     Be warned, though, if you do get the notion to read this book, it has some language in it. Not very much, but this author seems to find that it adds emphasis to curse. I disagree, but I was willing to overlook it since there wasn't very much.

     Talk to ya later!

     ~Emily
   

My lovely sister's engagement photos

     I promise that I haven't forgotten you. I've just been really busy. :)    

     As promised, several photos of the happy couple. These are some of the official engagement photos:

     I was gonna put just one, but they're so darn cute!

     Talk to ya soon!

     ~Emily

Good News

     We had some great news Thursday. My sister is now engaged as of Thursday night. It is amazing. I'm so happy for her but sad at the same time because she will be moving out in no time at all it seems. They have a rough date set in June, but it could be moved back anytime. The date is set to accomodate his brother who is overseas with the military right now. He is supposed to get back in May, but they don't know for sure. Also, her husband-to-be is finishing college and will graduate in May, so they are planning around that.

     I'm so glad to see how happy they are together. They are always talking or texting or chatting on the computer or somehow communicating with one another. It's so sweet to see them together.

     I knew that he was going to ask her before she knew. She was talking to me about him and telling me how happy she is and I could only nod and smile. I can see it every time they are together! If it is alright with them later, I'll post a picture of them together.

     Talk to y'all later!!!

     Emily