Friday, November 28, 2008

Autumn Give-Away!

I love Autumn! It is my favorite time of year. Beautiful golden colors against blue skies. California sunsets are incredible. I see God, how wonderful he is in blessing us with such a feast for the eyes. The aroma's of spiced baked goods, the chilly nip in the air, the frosty mornings and cozy evening by a warm fire. I even love the rain. I love to hear the raindrops and wind and smell the fresh fragrant air, and feel the cool water splashing on my face. Everything about fall is beautiful.

So I am in baking mode. Busting at the seams with busyness. Its a wonder I have time to even post this. Some of the things I have already made are my homemade pumpkin pie~

pumpkin cookies with maple frosting~

I made tons of these luscious cookies. We passed them out to the kids at BST last week.

And a Cranberry, Pear and Walnut Torte with Cream Cheese-Orange Frosting~


This year I plan on making several varieties of fudge and giving plates of them as gifts. I have been working the last several years at perfecting different fudge recipes. I just made Coconut Creme fudge for the first time the other night and WOW! It is so YUMMY! I will also be making Butterscotch Fudge and Chocolate Mint Fudge, and my secret recipe Pumpkin Fudge. YES, it is a secret recipe as it took me awhile to develop it to the way I like it. So, since I cannot share the recipe with you, I have decided to do a random give-away for 1 lb. of Pumpkin Fudge. I will be using the Random Integer Generator to pick a winner. Simply leave a comment to this blog entry to be automatically entered into the contest. I will pick a winner Monday morning, December 15, 2008. No anonymous comments please! Have fun, and Happy Autumn!



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Post Note: I will mail fudge anywhere in USA. Sorry, no out of the country entries will be accepted this time. Also, winner will be given the option of choosing to have their fudge with or without walnuts.
***to answer post #7, yes there is free shipping... for the winner that is :-)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Here is a sobering reminder that we have so much to be thankful for... and even more to be praying for!

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the 1 million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare,
even for the United States and Canada.
If you can read this message,
you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore,
you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

So remember as you are celebrating "THANKS GIVING"....
Enjoying that 20 lb turkey with all the trimmings...
Surrounded by your family and/or friends...
That you are among the few persons in this world to be so privileged.
Don't fail to truly give thanks from your heart.
Remember those that are less fortunate.
Take them before the throne of God and ask our dear Lord Jesus,
"please show me how I can use our blessings to help the lost and dying world. I am not my own. I am bought with a price; with the precious blood of Jesus. Lord, take my life and use it to carry on your work and purpose... the salvation of souls!"
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am, If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:" (Isaiah 58:6-10)
HAPPY THANKS GIVING!