A Trip Down Memory Lane--2010

Time slips quietly by without us noticing it.  We are at the end of  a year even though it seems like it has scarcely begun!  Here is a look back at 2010 for The Architect and the Artist.

I started 2010 by picking a new Word of the Year. My prayer life has changed dramatically over the past twelve months...most importantly,  I running to God more than sitting in a pile of worry.

In the midst of trying to get rid of worry, we have had a few scary moments or two.

We became parents of a teen. Does that qualify as a scary moment?

We have enjoyed our mini-schnauzer so much this year.  He turned one in May.

I read the Bible (yes, every word) in 61 days using the Bible in 90 Days plan. I loved getting a bird's eye view of God's Word and seeing how it all fits together.

I was able to meet one of my FIAR sisters!

I grew pumpkins in my garden for the first time.

We had a lot of homeschooling fun: We started a new science curriculum which we love. We continued our cupcake tradition. We studied Shakespeare. I have started the process of getting ready for high school...that is, getting ready to teach high school!

I continued my quest to have meals in the freezer at all times.  I have even branched out into making breakfast ahead of time.  But most of all, I have learned to cook in style!

I had a blog makeover!

My husband became a movie star! Yes, you read that right....the movie will come out January 2012. His part is small, but it was quite the experience for him!

I turned 40!

Most of all, God has been teaching me along the way. I became a Christian over 30 years ago, but I am so glad that I am not the same person that I was...that He has been changing me over time. He has taught me to garden, how NOT to swim like a rock, to realize that He knows all things, and to deal with bandages.

Join me this coming year...I am excited to we what God and 2011 have to offer!

Extra Cooking in December

My friend and I cook once a month in bulk so that we always have food in the freezer.  At the beginning of December we cooked separately and then exchanged meals.  Then in the middle of December we cooked together again.  We figured that we have extra time while on Christmas break that we should take advantage of the time and really stock up.  This time we opted for making more recipes, but only doubling them instead of quadrupling them.  We just feel we need more variety in our meals.  Many of the below meals came from Taste of Home: Freezer Pleasers.  Please check out this cookbook.  It is a definite keeper!

Tex Mex Chicken (which can then be used to make fajitas, Tex Mex chicken salad or pasta)
Cream puffs (we will stuff them with chicken salad later.)
Meatballs (to be used in either spaghetti and meatballs or sweet and sour meatballs for later)
Lasagna
Crescent roll chicken bundles
Stir Fried Chicken with Zuchinni and Ginger Sauce
Green Thai Curry
Fried Rice
Veggie Stir Fry
Crepes (to stuff later with a savory filling)

Word of the Year- 2011

I have been thinking over the last few weeks what my Word of the Year will be for 2011.  If you aren't familiar with this concept, a Word of the Year is basically a concept you pick to focus on for the year.  For 2009 I picked patience.  For 2010 it was prayer.

This year my word is going to be...

So what is grace?  I have always heard that grace mentioned along with mercy.  Grace is getting what you don't deserve.  Mercy is not getting what you do deserve.

Here are some other thoughts of what grace is...

Grace is God's unmerited favor.

Grace in the kindness from God that we don't deserve.

The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Psalm 145:8-9

Grace-A favor rendered by one who need not do so.

So how can I show grace to others?

-By not judging them.

-By showing kindness to those who can't return the favor.

-By giving someone the benefit of the doubt.

-By being slow to anger.

-By letting old hurts go.

-By forgivinig.

-By overlooking others' weaknesses.

-By looking at the log in my eye instead of the speck in someone else's eye.

-By going the extra mile.

-By showing compassion.

-By realizing that we are all imperfect and make mistakes.

-By being Jesus for others.

Any other ideas?  What is grace? How do we show it to others?

 To see how others are naming the year with a word, visit A Holy Experience.

Scripture Memorization

For almost two months now I have been working on Psalm 27 trying to memorize it.  It has been slow going.  My brain just doesn't retain information like it used to.  To be completely honest, I haven't spent as much time as I probably should to get it memorized.  The older the brain the more time needed. But that doesn't mean that I am giving up.  I will continue to press on.
Candace's post has inspired me to push forward. There are at least a couple of Bible memorization challenges that you can read about on her blog.

Since I have been struggling a bit with memorizing I decided to search out some techniques that might help.  Here is what I came up with...

First of all, I am using this method of keeping the verses close at hand that I am memorizing. The cards and the accordion moleskine are perfect to take anywhere.  They travel with me in my purse in case there is a bit of time to work on them.

Here is a long list of ideas to help with memorization.

Here is some online help.

Here is a way to memorize all of Philippians.

So I have decided that I am going to take the Mega Memory Month Challenge to try to finish off memorizing Psalm 27.  I have barely memorized half of the chapter so hopefully this challenge will spur me on to finish!

Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore

I love missionary stories! Now there is a devotional full of them.  Voices of the Faithful is a devotional book for every day of the year that gives a verse, a story from a missionary, and a short prayer. Each month has a theme such as grace, prayer, God's character, compassion, and Christmas around the world.  Beth Moore has written the book's introduction and an introduction for each month's theme.

I loved this devotional simply because its focus is different from others.  Every story is from overseas.  They contain excitement, miracles, and the power of God shining through in the lives and work of the missionaries. I was inspired by the stories of how God can work in our lives. If you are looking for a devotional that has a slightly different focus, this would be a great choice!

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.  I am not required to give a positive review.  All my opinions are my own.

After Christmas Blessings

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The hum of the dishwasher

Filled stockings

The scent of cinnamon

Short stories

Warm, cozy blankets

Touching movies

The joy of Christ's arrival

That He who created the whole world would come down in the form of a helpless baby

He that is greater than we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20)

Chocolate-covered pretzels

Friends to talk to and hang out with

A clean bedroom for the boys

A great Christmas Eve service

Cream puffs---yum!

That His Grace abounds to us.

The opportunity to give grace to others.

Blessing others in secret.

Have a Blessed Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Mint Madness!

So 'tis the season for peppermint! Tim adores the flavor of mint.  Here are some recipes we have tried or are going to try soon.

Peppermint Marshmallows

Peppermint Patties-these were good and easy!  I didn't add the coloring and I used chocolate chips with a bit of shortening for the coating.

Peppermint Bark

Chocolate-dipped Peppermint Jo Joes-

Dip Mint Newman O's in melted Ghiradelli Dipping Chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed organic candy canes.



Make Your Own Cinnamon Chips for Baking

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I have always loved the Cinnamon Streusal Muffin Mix from Betty Crocker.  What have I loved about it?  Those little bursts of cinnamon!  This past year I bought up all the cinnamon chips in our town when they arrived on the shelves for the holidays.  I thought that I would use these as a substitute to make muffins, scones, and a copycat version of Great Harvest Company's Cinnamon Burst bread. But Hershey's Cinnamon Baking Chips from the store are ok and not exactly what I was looking for. They are way too waxy!  They are also expensive.

A few days ago I ran across a thread on a message board with a recipe to make "cinnamon chips" to use in recipes.  Well, I thought I would give them a try.  What could it hurt?  I was amazed!  This was exactly what I was looking for!  I put these little chips in some muffins, and they were just like those in the Betty Crocker mix!  Here is the recipe.  I think you might be able to substitute the corn syrup with honey or a simple syrup cooked to soft ball stage (two parts sugar, one part water). This makes a lot of cinnamon chips...I made 2-3 batches of muffins with just this one batch of chips.

 Cinnamon Chips


Heat oven to 200F. Combine:

1/3 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 TB cinnamon
1 TB solid all-vegetable shortening
1 TB light corn syrup

Mix with fork until uniform and crumbly.
Spread on foil-lined baking sheet and bake until melted and bubbly. 35 minutes.
Cool completely, then break into small pieces.

Makes 1 cup (approx)

Enjoy some cinnamon-y goodness!

NOTE: The type of cinnamon chips that this recipe makes are not like the Hershey's cinnamon chips that are waxy and melt.  These chips are more suitable for baking in muffins and bread and not for melting to make candies and the like.  I apologize if my first description of them wasn't clear.

Listen and Read Literature Online

My oldest is auditory all the way.  He struggles with doing activities (reading and writing) simply because it is a visual exercise.  Well, I recently found "Loud Lit" which has several novels, short stories, and poems that my son can listen to and follow along with on the screen.  He is currently "reading" Huck Finn this way and loving it.  Go check it out!

Huck Finn

My oldest recently started reading Huck Finn.  Here are some resources I found on the web for this novel...
Listen and Read Huck Finn at the same time!
Map of Huck's Adventures
Mark Twain Scavenger Hunt
Questions on Huck
Questions on Jim
Dialect Exercise
The Quotable Mark Twain

Christmas Gratefulness

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Finishing Great Expectations (love that book!)

Christmas shopping done

Birthday lunches

Time with friends this past week

Cookie dough in the freezer for later

Cold weather

Cozy house

That the Lord is my stronghold

Our good health

Getting dr. appointments out of the way

Finishing Spanish lessons for 2010

Sleepless nights...time to meditate on God's Word

Pizza night

New outdoor thermometer so we can see how cold it is outside

A sense of peace this season

A Christmas party to go to

Cinnamon burst bread

Gift Card Holders

I recently made some gift card holders for Christmas.  I just love being creative and making my own card holders.  I have to admit though that the creativity isn't my own.  I totally love to copy others!  Here are some cool tutorials for gift card holders.

Jolly Gift Card Holders

Pop-Up Gift Card Holders

Slit Latch Card Holders

Coffee Cup Card Holders

Treat Box & Gift Card Holders

Mystery of History

A few weeks ago a friend of mine loaned me her copy of Mystery of History Volume 3.  For the elementary and Jr. High years we use Biblioplan for history. Biblioplan is really just a reading plan that uses Story of the World, Greenleaf Guides and some history encyclopedias.  I had noticed that Mystery of History was scheduled with Biblioplan, but I really thought, "Do I need another history program or book?" Well, I have to say that I will be ordering volume three!  We borrowed my friend's copy for one week and were hooked!  I love the way it is written from a Christian perspective!  There are also more connections that are made...like did you know that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had a daughter (Catherine of Aragon) who married Henry VIII and that their daughter was Bloody Mary?  I had never made the connection!

These books (volumes one through three) will be valuable for us in high school, too.  I am planning on using TRISMS with Zach next year and he can use Mystery of History to do his research.

I am only bummed that the last volume isn't out yet, and that is the part of history that we will be entering into sometime next year.

So if you are looking for a history curriuculum from a Christian perspective you might want to check out Mystery of History!

State Notebooking Pages

The following is a notebook page that I made up so that my boys can explore each state in the union.  I am going to have them use World Atlas to complete the pages.  The box at the top is for the name of the state.  Let me know if you have any questions.

US States Note Booking Pages

Swagbucks- Is it worth it?

This past March I signed up with Swagbucks. With Swagbucks you use their toolbar to search for things on the internet to earn points. Those points can be redeemed for gift cards and merchandise.  I tend to get Amazon gift cards with the Swagbucks that I earn.  This year I earned about $120!!!  If you want to learn more about how Swagbucks works please see these posts:

An intro
More info

If you are interested in signing up just hit the button at the top of this post.  In the interest of full disclosure, please realize that by using the above button and signing up you are helping me out.  Every time you earn Swagbucks with your searches, I will earn Swagbucks also (only up to 1,000 of them).

Christmas Cookies the Easy Way

So I am not sure that I am totally into baking a bunch of cookies this year for Christmas (Yes, my middle name is Scrooge!).  There is so much work involved.  Yet, I want to have some cookies at my disposal in case I need to make a tray of them to take to an event.  So I have started making dough and freezing it!  This is working well.  All I will have to do is pull out the dough a few minutes before I am ready to bake. 

There are three types of cookies in my book: sliced, dropped, and cut-out (sounds like a horror flick, doesn't it? LOL). For sliced cookies, I am rolling up the logs and wrapping them in plastic wrap and foil to put in the freezer. Slice and bake later.  For drop cookies, I am putting balls of dough on wax paper on a cookie sheet, letting the dough balls freeze and then placing them in Ziploc bags in the freezer for later.  For cut-outs, I have read that you can roll out the dough, cut out the shapes, put them on wax paper on cookie sheets and freeze.  Peel them off the wax paper and place in a freezer container.  You can then pull them out and bake when needed.

Here are some of the cookies that we are doing this year by freezing the dough now and baking later.

Thumbprint Cookies


1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans
1-1/4 cups raspberry preserves

HEAT oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add flour, baking soda and pecans; mix well. Refrigerate 30 min.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Indent centers.

BAKE 10 min. Fill each cookie with about 1 tsp. preserves. Bake 8 to 10 min. or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 2 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.


Orange and Chocolate Checkerboard Cookies (These are cool looking!)

Gingerbread Cookies

1/2 C sugar
1/2 C shortening
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 C buttermilk
1/2 C molasses
2 1/2 C flour

Combine all ingredients, except flour, in a large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed for 1 minute. Gradually add the flour and mix for 1 more minute. (Dough may be a little gooey, you could add a little more flour) Refrigerate over night, covered.

Roll out on floured surface, using 1/3 of the dough at a time, keeping the remainder of the dough refrigerated. Bake cut out shapes @ 375* for 5-8 minutes.

Favorite Card Designs

{Tri-Shutter Card}

Lately, I have been exploring making some creative cards.  Splitcoast Stampers is a great place to find tutorials for different fun types of cards. Many of these tutorials have a video at the end that takes you through the creation of the card step by step.  Here are my favorites:

Wiper Card

Tri-Shutter Card

Gatefold Card

Spiral Pop-up Card

Flap Card

Joy Fold Card

Where Would I be Without Him?

He is everything to me...

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Glistening snow on the trees

Christmas shopping with Tim

People I can go to for advice

Hot coffee on a cold day

Christmas movies

Sleeping in until 10 am on a Saturday

A haircut and highlights

The end of the semester

Zach enjoying literary analysis

Fun science experiments with Noah

A warm puppy on a cold lap

Chex Mix

The anticpation of Christmas

The beauty of God

The arrival of His Son

Bible in 90 Days...Are You Game?

If you have been reading my blog this past year you know that I read the Bible in 61 days this past summer.  I was encouraged to do so through an online group hosted at Mom's Toolbox.  Amy is starting another session January 3rd!  I have decided to become a mentor to encourage those that sign up and want to follow through on this commitment.  It is one of the best experiences with the Bible I have had.  I loved reading the Bible this way!  If you are interested in doing a "rapid read" of the Bible please visit Amy's Blog to sign up.

Edible Nativity with Candy

Yesterday I talked about an idea called an "edible Nativity" in which you makes cookies to represent each character in the Nativity story. I was really hoping that I would be able to make these for my students in the Jr. High class, but with 15 or more students that is A LOT of baking. I have found that I just don't have the time this year. So I came up with the idea of doing the edible Nativity with candy that I can buy at the store.  Each bag of candy will be accompanied with the following information: the name of the character, the candy that represents him/her, and a Bible verse.

I have to give credit where credit is due...my husband, my son (Noah) and a dear friend who helped me with these ideas!

{Jesus} Lifesavers- "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

{Mary} Treasures- "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. " Luke 2:17-19

{Joseph} Lifesaver Pop (Because he was the "pop" of the "Lifesaver")- "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph." Matthew 3:23

{Angels} Almond Joy-But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Luke 2:10

{Herod} Nutroll (He was a little nutty)- "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed" Matthew 2:3

{Star} Starbursts-“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

{Wise Men} Smarties-"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem." Matthew 2:1

{Shepherds} Jolly Ranchers (Happy sheep ranchers, that is!)-"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:20

Check out more holiday ideas by clicking the button below.

Edible Nativity

I love this idea from Kendra at Aussie Pumpkin Patch!  Please visit her blog as she has lots of awesome ideas and gives far more information in her post than I will.  Here is what I had planned to do to make these for my Jr. High Sunday school class, but I am realizing that I am running out of time. I have decided that I am going to still do an edible Nativity, but with candies that I can buy at the store.  Check back tomorrow. I will post what my plans are for an edible Nativity in candy form.
These are cookie ideas to make an "Edible Nativity".  Each cookie represents one of the important roles in the Nativity.


{Angel} -- "Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy." -- Mexican Wedding Cake (a cookie for a time of "great joy".)
{Donkey} -- seven layer bars --These look like horse feed!
{Mary} -- ".. thou art highly favored.. Blessed is thee among women." -- Fudge or some other type of "highly favored" treat!
{Joseph} --  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (a common cookie for a common man)
{Baby Jesus} -- "And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes"-- Buried Cherry Cookies.  Cherries hidden in chocolalte cookie dough...Jesus is hidden in our hearts.

{Manger} -- "and laid him in the manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." -- Haystacks

{Shepherds} -- "And there were.. shepherds.. keeping watch ofer their flocks by night." - Chocolate covered pretzel rods (A shepherd's staff).

{Herod} -- "Herod the king... was troubled." -- Peanutbutter cookies because Herod was a bit nutty!
{Wisemen} -- "they presented unto him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh." --Snickerdoodles (Rolled in spices-cinnamon...representing the spices or gifts that the Wisemen brought.)
{Star} -- "for we have seen His star in the east." Peppermint candy (There is a star in the middle of each candy.)

Check out more holiday ideas by clicking on the button below!