A Big Thank You & Other Stuff....

 I want to begin this post by showing y'all what I just received in the mail.

My newest friend over at "Becoming Jody" surprised me with this adorable prize and lovely card,

so to her I say,

"THANK YOU"

 For Valentine's Day Eloise gave out these little treats instead of sweets.

 As you can see, each fruit had a tag with gold ribbon.

They said:

"You're the apple of my eye"

"I'm bananas for you"

&

"We make a perfect pear"

I saw this idea a few weeks back on the net, but I regret to announce that I forgot to write down all the info, so I could give proper credit.

I've got to do better about that kind of stuff.

 A few of the homeschoolers got together at the park to celebrate V-Day.

 The Park renovation is really starting to look nice.

 Unfortunately the peddle boats are only available for rental on weekends.

I should have checked....another thing I've got to get better about.

Avery didn't let this little set back stop him from having fun though.

 F.H.A.

Future Homeschooler of America

 The puppies even had a blast.

When we got home Gumbo had to tell Daddy all about those pesky ducks that knew how to walk on water.

LOL

Gumbo tried to run out on the pond and get them, but soon found himself doing the doggy paddle back to shore!

Well I have more to post, but I'm out of time.

Till Next Post,

~Me~

The Best Valentine's Day Ever....

The delicious hand dipped berries that hubby had delivered were fabulous. It is also wonderful to think that this day commemorates the day 18 years ago that we officially began "going out". That being said, I must take a moment to gush about the one that I am most passionate about. He is truly amazing and he's been up to some really awesome stuff lately.

"Who?"

"What Stuff?"

Well,I thought you would never ask.

His name is Jesus and he has been creating quite a stir around here. As a matter of fact on this Valentine's Evening He made a way for us to bring a tub into the local prison and we

baptized 12 women in the name of Jesus

and one woman was so stirred, that she continued to pray until

she received the gift of the Holy Ghost!

Thank You Jesus For The Greatest Gift of All.

Ooooh La La....

 There is a local sweet shop that specializes in these lovely little pastries. They are common in France, but are a rare find on this side of the "Pond".  Locally they are only sold at a store called "Sucre" in New Orleans. Sucre caught the attention of a few celebrities and has been featured in magazines such as "O". These little morsels are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the taste buds, but not so appealing to the pocketbook. Being the curious chef that I am I tried to imagine what ingredients and methods would yield a treat so delicate, yet crisp to the tooth. I couldn't figure it out, so I pushed the thought of them out of my head.

 A couple of days ago I was browsing around T.J.Max, when all of a sudden this beautiful cook book screamed my name. So of course you know what's next.....

 You have probably noticed that what the French call a "Macarone" is not the same as the gooey coconut mounds that you will often find at Chinese Buffets.

 The pastries themselves usually only vary in color and are made of ground almonds and powdered sugar that has been sifted to remove any lumps and a meringue made of egg whites & super fine (caster) sugar.

 After stiff peaks had formed, we added a touch of blue coloring. Next we folded in the almond/sugar mix. Then we piped  1 1/4 inch circles onto parchment lined pans. The macaroons had to rest for 30 mins before baking. After we removed them from the oven we had to let them cool completely. There are dozens of ways to fill them, but we decided that the blue would work for the "Blueberry Cream Cheese" filling.

Genius I know!

 Here is Eloise with the finished product.

It must be all that French blood in her.

 I wish you could taste them.

~Someone needs to talk to Bill Gates or those guys over at Apple and tell them to get busy working on the "See-Smell-Taste" computers. ~

Bonus Pics:

Above are a few of our young ladies who attended our Valentines "Making a Treat for Someone Sweet" fellowship party.

 Above/Below: samples of our creations.

We had a fun evening of creativity & fellowship.

THERE....ARE YOU HAPPY BEPPI?....I FINALLY POSTED.

Love & Prayers,
~Me~



A Change of Heart

I am currently in school to be a teacher. One of my assignments is to establish my core beliefs about teaching and learning with the understanding that these beliefs will evolve as I gain more experience. So as I'm pondering this my mind wandered, as it often does, to the subject of Valentines day. I was amused to realize how much my thoughts about life and love have "evolved" over the years. When I was a teenager I thought the best gifts had to be big and expensive. As I sat thinking about this notion I realized that the few gifts that really stood out in my mind were actually the least expensive. One V-Day when my daughter was a baby and my husbands workplace was being sold, my husband had to be creative. Not sure where he was going to work next he had to be careful with every penny. My husband racked his brain to recall every request I had recently made(i.e...change air filters...replace light bulbs...) He also stocked the kitchen with a few of my favorite snacks. After everything was ready he took my daughter so I could relax at home and do whatever I wanted ;-)sigh......worth more than gold! Another such memory happened just yesterday. My husband gave me a goodie bag with a few little items in it, but the thing that stood out was a C.D. that was probably on the clearance rack due to it's age. When we were dating it was my favorite. I kept it over a decade, but then Katrina hit and it along with everything else was gone. My hubby had to call around to find it. It was inexpensive, but oh so thoughtful. I love that guy! I better call & tell him! Then back to my :-( homework which is how I got on this subject in the first place.