It Works For Me!

    I’d like to jump in here on my previously scheduled post, to touch on a little issue I am currently dealing with:  

  If there is a recipe on my site that is “yours” and I have not cited you as the source, first let me apologize, it is never done intentionally.  If I find a post on a fellow bloggers site, I am SURE to link us up!  In fact, most of the time I’ll email you and say, “I am sharing a recipe of yours today! Thanks for a keeper!” 

   2nd, you have to remember, I have been collecting recipes for over 10 years, some from emails, some from family recipe cards, some I have no idea where they came from….the source is NOT always passed along with the recipe to me. 

The fact of the matter is: 

People love food and they love to share food…PERIOD. 

   I have been turned in for copyright infringement over a cookie, A COOKIE!  to a favorite recipe site of mine.  I have taken care of it, and they understood my side of the story.  They were actually VERY nice about it, saying sorry she is being threatening, and to please not let this stop me from continuing to share recipes on their site. 

  Contrary to what this woman said, I just want you to know I have NEVER EVER claimed to have invented the recipes on my site, I don’t enjoy that side of recipes. Sure, I’ll tweak a recipe, but I don’t like to start from ground zero and create my own, EVER.  Not my thing.  So, when I share a recipe with you, its because we have found a “winner” at our house, end of story. 

  I am sad people have to take such self-seeking paths, like scowering the internet for “Their Recipe” to see if they were mentioned as the creator or not.   Since there are 417,000 sites with this particular cookie mentioned, that is a lot of time and work to contact all those people to make sure they are giving her credit, and using threatening comments and hateful words to demand it, REALLY?!  Asking nicely sure goes a lot further!

  Here ‘s the thing about recipes, they all come from someone, sometime “inventing it”.  I can give you our FAVORITE casserole from my Aunt Regena, and credit her because she gave it to me, but who knows how many people ago the recipe was created!  I can give my best friend credit for Bestie Banana Bread, but who knows how many years ago the inventors name was dropped, as recipe passed from friend to friend! It is my understanding, that copyright laws protect the recipe INVENTOR, not the recipe share-er.

  After Dale shared this verse with me:  Romans 12:18 “Do all you can to live at peace with everyone….”  I knew what I was being asked to do, so I linked up my blog to hers to keep the peace, even though she was not the one that gave me the recipe.  If I have to scout out recipe inventors just to share our “keeper” recipes on here, I am done with the food part of this blog! That is WAY too much to ask!!!!! 

  Anyhow, lets all choose happy sunshine, and get on to the regularly scheduled post!!!! 🙂

I’ve always wanted to do a Works For Me Wednesday Post, but most of the time I can’t think of anything clever that works for me.

  Then it hit me…..LAUNDRY! I can tell what works for us with laundry x 6 people;  5 who are VERY VERY messy, but I will not name names or anything…..daledestinytylanaverypaxton.

  Sooo, I’ve tried folding laundry on the dinner table, super annoying to deal with in the supper/homework rush.

  I’ve tried folding laundry onto the living room furniture, which worked great until kids 2, 3 and 4 arrived. After that, I ran out of furniture!

  I’ve heard of people folding on the bed, but if you know my house, you know that my laundry room is a bazillion feet away from the master bedroom. 

  So, instead, I just take a few extra minutes after the dryer is done, to stand there at the dryer door, and fold directly into the 6 baskets on the laundry room floor.  Each person has their own basket, so once the last load is folded, it’s totally ready to go to each child’s room, to be put away as part of after school or weekend chores.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

The stuff you see flopped over the edges are hanging clothes, they will get put on hangers ASAP.  This is a very wrinkle free way to do laundry since it goes straight from the dryer to neatly folded in, or draped over a basket.

  Also, don’t give into temptation to re-start the dryer just to give yourself some more time (GUILTY!)….did you know that running your washer and dryer accounts for around $30 of your electric bill as it is?  Also, did you know if you shake each item out before you throw it in, that it will dry better, faster?! (Thanks for the tip, Mrs. Baker!)

  This method may not work for you,  but it works for me!  (which is why they call it “Works for ME Wednesday” instead of “Works for YOU Wednesday”!)  🙂

~T

This post linked to:

Works For Me Wednesday

Hot Pizza Dip

   You know me and my obsession with cream cheese?  Well, this Pampered Chef dip marries cream cheese with pizza sauce and lots of gooey cheese.  It’s so stinkin’ amazing!  I make this dip in my toaster oven while supper bakes in the main oven.  So easy!!

• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 cup Mozzerella Or Pizza Cheese
• ¾ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ½ cans (about 8 Oz) Pizza Sauce
• 4 Tablespoons Chopped Green Pepper
• 2 whole Green Onions, Sliced
• Whole Wheat Skinny French Bread, Thinly Sliced
• Olive Oil Spray
• Garlic Salt, to taste

Preheat toaster oven to 350*. Combine cream cheese, Italian seasoning & garlic powder. Spread in the bottom of your mini-baker. Sprinkle chopped veggies. Top with half the cheeses, then spread pizza sauce on top. Top with remaining cheese and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning for pretty. Bake 15 minutes.

While dip bakes, thinly slice ovals of french bread. Spray with olive oil and garlic salt. Bake at 350* for 5-10 minutes or until slightly toasted.

Serve dip hot with warm french bread ovals around it, allowing guests to schmear their own pieces. 

YUMMMMMMMMMM

Enjoy!

~T

This post shared with:

Tuesday Talent Show

Tasty Tuesday

Made It On Monday

Wonka Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Gooseberry Patch

4 little Fergusons Photography: Twin Edition

  This is a twin edition in two ways: Twin as in dual photo sessions to share with you & twin as in Twins!

I had the privilege of photographing the precious twin boys of some friends of ours from Sunday school.  We have been in class together for 9 years now and have built great relationships with each and every couple in there!  I am so thankful for the people the Lord has placed in our lives!

  Without further adieu, here are my favorites from their session.

 

This next family is also from our church, I did not know them well before the session, but I feel like I do now! They had the clever idea of coming in their camo shirts in honor of their love of hunting.  Here are just a few of my favorites from their session……I had to copy and paste from Facebook as I just cleaned them off my computer.  (hoping to avoid another crash by keeping my photo numbers down!)

  I am so very thankful that the Lord is blessing our family with these photo jobs, I had 2 more sessions this weekend that still await editing!  I hope to get a few more sessions in before its too cold, because once that happens, I am out of a job! 

  I don’t know enough about my camera to deal with yellow-orange inside lights and bad lighting.  Dale promised me he’d look into building me a frame of some sort to try to reflect the natural light that comes in our bedroom window in hopes of creating a faux studio of sorts.  We shall see!  I am still feeling a bit overwhelmed and stunned that people are calling me to take their photos!  No pressure, right?!?!?!??!  🙂

   I am so so thankful to be able to “play” at this and still suppliment our income during this rough patch. 

Head to post number 2 for today: Pizza Dip! A Ferguson Family FAVORITE!!

~T

 

 

Creamy Colorful Ham & Veggie Soup

Welcome to Post 2 for today:  It is all I can do to keep from typing how SOUPER- delicious this recipe is…..

Haha.  I crack myself up sometimes.  🙂

Moving on.

I was looking for something hardy to feed my extended family, as we all got together over the weekend, and my best friend, Kasey, suggested this.  I am not a fan of veggie soup really, but when I heard it had a cup of cream in it, I was a bit more convinced that I needed to give ‘er a go.  Not only was it delicious, but it was colorful and pretty too. AND every one gobbled it up!  A keeper for sure, this one will make the rotation again!!!!!

  Here is the trick, this recipe calls for “real” ham cubed and I’d throw in the ham hock too if I had it! Not the processed boneless stuff. Unfortunately for me, I only had the cubed stuff on hand, so I made it work, I will give you the 2 variations below so you can decide which one to make based on your meat status……

Ingredients

• 6 cups Water
• 2 cubes Chicken Bouillon
• 1-½ pound Cooked Ham Cubes
• 6 whole Medium Potatoes, Peeled And Cubed
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• ½ pounds Frozen Peas
• 2 cups Fresh Corn, Off The Cob (canned If You Have To, But Fresh Is SO Much Better!)
• 1 can (14 Oz. Size) Green Beans
• 2 cups Frozen Sliced Carrots
• Salt And Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Or More Parsley Flakes
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Size) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup Cream
• Basil
• Garlic Powder

Boil water with bouillon cubes and ham cubes for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and cube potatoes and cut onion; add to the pot along with frozen peas and corn. Cook 10 more minutes. Add drained green beans, carrots, generously add salt and pepper and parsley. Cook 10 minutes more. Add tomatoes and cream, bring to barely a boil just to heat through. Taste and season with basil, garlic powder and more salt and pepper to taste.  I was very surprised at how much I used to season this, but the end result? Amazing!

It was a huge hit at our family function!

Option 2 goes like this: if you have the ham hock leftover from your holiday function, throw it along with 1 1/2 pounds of ham, cubed, in 6 cups of water; simmer 30 minutes.  Continue as above, eliminating chicken boullion cubes.  You also will not need as many seasonings.

Dig In! It is SOOO good!

~T

P.S.  My Easy Bierocks made Top 3 at Lark’s Country Heart today! Check it out!  www.larkscountryheart.com

This post shared with:

On the Menu Monday

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Tuesday Talent Show

Tasty Tuesday

Made It On Monday

Wonka Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

God’s Word

    So, did anyone else feel the Earth move Saturday night about 11?  We Kansans are TORNADO folks, we know exactly what to do in that circumstance, but an EARTHQUAKE?!  Woah.  Scary stuff.  Apparently Oklahoma had the largest Earthquake in it’s history, 5.6.  Now I don’t know enough about Earthquakes to tell you if Kansas had an earthquake too, or if we just felt the tremors from OKC.  Or an aftershock?  Not sure it was that either, since we felt it simultaneously.  No matter what it was called, it was scary and I believe, a sign of the times…..

Matthew 24:7-8  “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

  Jesus IS returning to take His followers home, are you ready? 

Salvation is as easy as ABC:

Admit you are a sinner, in need of saving.

“There is no one righteous, not even one … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:10 & 23

Believe He died on the cross for your sins.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Confess that Jesus is Lord of your life, and Change your lifestyle so it reflects Christ in you.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

  If you choose to take these steps, contact a church or trusted friend to pray with you, for you and guide you through your Bible as  you dig into God’s word.  Such promises found there!

  On to today’s already-scheduled post, which just happens to be about God’s Word:

  It is my hearts desire for my children to dig into God’s word as they learn to read. So, you can imagine how my heart leapt for joy, when this is the sight that greeted me after school one day….

Destiny reading my Bible.

  She is fascinated to see what I have highlighted. She also loves to have me give her references to look up in her own Bible. Over the summer she added an New Living Translation Bible to her birthday list, she liked it better than her NIV.  Dale and I both love that translation, so we found her this darling pink one:

This inside is really great too, neat illustrations and mini-devotionals. 

Immediately she began digging into scripture and highlighting passages that spoke to her. 

“Mommy,” she says, “God is changing my heart, I can feel it.  I WANT to read His word!”

Oh my goodness, this brought tears to our eyes!!!!  She is GETTING it! And starting the habit at such an early age, praise the Lord!

  The biggest part of helping my children understand who God created them to be, is encouraging their relationship with the Lord.  I know they will never fully understand who they are, until they understand who God is.

A Parent’s Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this treasured child of mine. Although you have entrusted them to me, I know they belong to you. Like Hannah offered Samuel, I dedicate my children to you, Lord. I recognize that they is always in your care.

Help me as a parent, Lord, with my weaknesses and imperfections. Give me strength and godly wisdom to raise these children after your Holy Word. Please supply what I lack. Keep my child walking on the path that leads to eternal life. Help them to overcome the temptations in this world and the sin that would so easily entangle them.

Dear God, send your Holy Spirit daily to lead and guide them. Ever assist them to grow in wisdom and stature, in grace and knowledge, in kindness, compassion and love. May they serve you faithfully with their whole heart devoted to you. May they discover the joy of your presence through daily relationship with your Son, Jesus.

Help me never to hold on too tightly to this child, nor neglect my responsibilities before you as a parent. Lord, let my commitment to raise this child for the glory of your name cause their lives to forever testify of your faithfulness.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

What a promise! Praise His name!

~T

Be sure to click over to the next post for today:  A yummy soup, full of veggies, sure to warm your tummy!

Computer Crash

  As most of you know by now, a couple of weeks ago, my computer crashed.  Thousands of photos and hundreds of carefully written documents….gone.  My CD burner quit working a while back, so I had been backing up photos only at an online website, so thank the Lord, only a few months of photos are lost.  If you are me though, a few months of photos is HUNDREDS!  Including the whole session that went with this one:

The quality is really poor because I had to copy and paste from flickr, but its better than nothing, right?  This whole session was soo awesome, one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments captured in time. I probably shot 200 photos in the 20 minutes we had the butterfly at our fingertips.  Thank the Lord I uploaded this favorite butterfly shot to facebook and flickr that night, because the computer crashed a few days after this photo was taken.

   The hard part is, I accessed all my photos files all the time for this blog. I miss the ease of just going back to a child’s 2nd birthday and clicking a few photos to share.  Now I have to go to the actual physical photo album, pull the photo and scan them one by one.

{SIGH}  Being a grown up is hard sometimes.

  2 computer techs have looked at the crashed hard drive and deemed it UNsalvageable, so it is currently on its way to Washington for 1 last attempt by a friend of a friend computer genius & his crew to look at it.  Praying for a computer miracle!

  The documents?  Well lets just say I might be just as sad about those as the photos.  I stayed up from 11pm – 5 am one night last month writing blog posts…..the hard kind, the ones that make me cry and are super hard to share.  They will be re written and shared in due time, but I can tell you right now, I have no doubt in my mind that my computer crashing had everything to do with what I was planning to share with you. 

  This attack on my computer is no different than our Tahoe dying, our pipes bursting, our lawn mower breaking (Remember that week? With Cherries On Top.) Tonight, Dale’s chain saw wouldn’t run while he attempted to cut wood for our fireplace.  Satan is running rampid around our home seeking to distract and defeat us.  Guess what? These attacks WON’T WORK!  The Victory has already been won, and its OURS.  We bind satan in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and command him to leave us alone!!!!!!!!!!! 

  2011 will go down in history as our toughest year yet, but I have no doubt, that as we look back, and see one set of footprints in the sand, it’s because HE carried us through when we were unable to stand on our own. 

Like I told you in the Fall on Jesus post:

Sometimes you run towards Christ,
Sometimes you can’t run, so you walk towards Him.
If you can’t walk, you stand, facing the right direction.
If you can’t stand, lean.
Lean on Him, for He IS the right direction.
And if you fall?
Fall on Jesus.
In Him there is hope, life, and the promise of a bright future

I am praising my Lord and Savior for this DAILY!

   So, moving on……

  I am a part of a group called 365 Chicks.  My commitment in joining this group, was to take a photo a day for a whole year.  Daunting, but fun!  I was doing so well uploading each and every night…………..until the computer crash.  After that I was so sad and lost my fire to do it, so I skipped a week or so, but I am back at it again.  I thought it’d be fun to share it with you today.  I have never been more thankful to have my photos in an online album like this!

  At the end of my 365 day challenge, I though it’d be fun to do a blog post about it, so consider this your official sneak peek!

(again, poor quality during transfer from flickr to here)

Here is the link to my 365 Album:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4littlefergusons/sets/72157627245902299/

Go check it out!  And please, help me pray for a computer miracle!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a fantastic weekend!

~T

Easy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole with Creamed Peas

This is the “real” post for today, I just had to share the first one because it totally cracked me up. 🙂

EASY CHICKEN & STUFFING CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• 8 whole Chicken Breasts, Cooked, Seasoned And Shredded (I like to use boneless thighs)
• 2 cans (10.75 Oz) Organic Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 2 sticks Butter
• 4 packages (6 Oz) Pepperidge Farm Dressing With Herbs
• 2 cups Sour Cream
• 3 cups chicken broth water from cooked chicken (Or Canned Broth If You Prefer)

Preparation Instructions

Boil chicken in a pot of salted water until done. Remove chicken breasts, reserving liquid. Place chicken in a medium bowl and shred with 2 forks.
Melt butter in a medium skillet with 2 packages of dressing mix. Add enough of the chicken water (or canned broth) to reach a thin consistancy, about 3 or so cups.
Put stuffing mixture into a lightly sprayed casserole dish. You will want a large 10×14 Pyrex or the deep pampered chef rectangle baker. Add shredded chicken, covering evenly. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup, spread on top of chicken layer. Place the rest of your dressing on top. Bake at 350* for 1 hr or until hot in center.

Enjoy with a side of Creamed Peas, they taste AMAZING together!

 

Yup, I said Peas. 

You will eat them and you WILL like them.   

Oh sorry, I thought I was talking to my kids for a sec.  🙂

  Actually, I hate cooked peas, but I will eat these creamed ones.  My kids eat an entire double batch in one meal.  Yup, they are THAT good!

Quite wrinkling your nose, I’m serious!!!!  Gone are the pale, mushy peas of years past. These are tender with a hint of crisp and maintain their GORGEOUS green color!  I double the following recipe and the kids STILL gobble up every last bite.  Just try them once and I’ll leave you alone, I promise! 

CREAMED PEAS

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• ½ teaspoons Sugar (optional)
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 dash Pepper
• 2 cups Frozen Peas

  Melt butter over medium heat in a 1 quart saucepan, and whisk in flour until well blended and smooth. Now very gradually stir in the milk. When milk is combined, add optional sugar, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sauce beings to boil. Stir and boil 1 minute. Add frozen peas and stir. Cover pan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Do NOT overcook! Soggy peas will ruin this dish, you want them tender but firm.

Happy Supper!

(make the peas, be BRAVE)

~T

This post shared with:

Tastetastic Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

Gooseberry Patch

On the Menu Monday

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Tuesday Talent Show

Tasty Tuesday

Made It On Monday

Wonka Wednesday

World’s Shortest Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl

“Will you marry me?”

The girl said, “No”. 

And she lived happily ever after

and went shopping, dancing,

always had a clean house, 

never had to cook,

stayed skinny and farted whenever she wanted.

THE END

BAHAHAHA!  This Fairy Tale had me in hysterics when I first read it!!!!!!!!  I couldn’t resist sharing it with you today!

“THIS is my Happily Ever After?” ~Snow White

  I always tell Dale I’d chose “Real” with him than “Happily Ever After” with anyone else!  🙂

Hope this brought a smile to your face like it did mine……click next to see today’s “Real” post.  A yummy family favorite!

~T  🙂

Mexican Dip Dinner

Dip for DINNER?!  Yup! And boy were my kids excited about this one.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 6 cups Liquid (use Drained Tomato Juice Then Water Or Chicken Broth)
• 1 cup Uncooked Brown Rice
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 4 cloves Garlic, Pressed
• 15 ounces, fluid Tomato Sauce
• 15 oz. diced tomatoes, drained. Save juice!
• 2 cans (6 Oz Each) Tomato Paste
• 15 ounces, weight Can Of Pinto Beans, Rinsed And Drained

In a large pot, brown the beef with onion and garlic. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain grease. Add water, rice, *seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer UNCOVERED for 60-70 minutes.(less if using white rice) Stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The mixture will seem very watery at first, but after simmering, it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs and all the ingredients meld together.
Serve warm with tortillas chips for dipping and other taco garnishes of your choice, as well as Gringo Queso Dip (recipe below).
YUM!
This dish freezes well.

*Another option would be to skip the seasonings and do a Taco Seasoning Packet instead, I’m planning to try this next time around!

Gringo Queso Dip

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

• 1 block Velveeta Pepper Jack Cheese (16oz)
• 1-½ cup Whole Milk
• 1 cup Prepared Pico De Gallo
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
• 9 ounces, weight Frozen Creamed Spinach, Chopped
• ¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (more Or Less, Depending On Preference)

Cube the Velveeta into crock pot set on low until fully melted. Then stir in milk, (only a bit at a time, you may not use it all, ours got too runny!) pico de gallo, parmesan, spinach, and cayenne. Cook another hour or until creamy and heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

DIP, it’s what’s for dinner!

Y-U-M!

~T

This post shared with:

Made It On Monday

Wonka Wednesday

This Chick Cooks

Cast Party Wednesday

Tastetastic Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

On the Menu Monday

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Tuesday Talent Show

Tasty Tuesday

Ultimate Beans & Rice Linky Party

Hubcap Hubbies, Cowboys & Indians and A Horse (of course)

  We had a great evening last night celebrating Fall Festival at church & going to visit my Grandparents and a few teachers and friends.  I chose not to take my camera in with us to the church Fall Festival, & I was glad I didn’t! It was all we could do to keep track of our little horsey in that big crowd.  🙂 

  As you can imagine, it is super-duper late at this moment, as I am staying up to get these photos ready for you.  So without further adieu, here they are:

These first few are taken Friday after school, Destiny wasn’t home and Pax was napping, so there are none of them alone.

Pax has spent the better part of our weekend in this Cowboy hat from Tylan’s costume.  He is so proud of himself when he can get his short little arms up high enough to get it on and off his head.

*Take note of this typical Male move right here……Come on, who teaches them this stuff, really!

The Ol’ Stink Eye

Yes, that IS a Hubcap. 

Found in the shed and wired to his belt……..So stinkin’ hilarious!

This next one is one of those unintentional shots that turn out so fun!!

Didn’t Destiny do a great job on these last few photos?! My little up and coming assistant!  🙂

  Hope you had a fun evening and your sugared-up kids CRASHED right into bed and slept all night long for you…..mine oldest 3 had 4 pieces of candy which is SUPER DUPER exciting at our house!  We brushed teeth extra extra good tonight, and no sugar for a while!  I grew up with my mom telling me this, but another mom last night reminded me: white sugar knocks the immune system for 5 hours!  I am not willing to deal with that now, since the pukes and bronchitis are going around!  Ew.

Happy Tuesday!

~T