tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61585555317065393942024-02-01T22:08:32.008-08:00Raspberry Cordial: Non-Alcoholic MusingsMusings, ideas, imaginings and happenings of Alicia and Sonya... two moms raising kids in a crazy world!Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-41169218936009507192012-07-08T17:05:00.002-07:002012-07-08T17:05:32.129-07:00DOUGHY GOODNESS<br />
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Today I felt like making bread! I know its 90+ degrees out, but when you have a craving for homemade bread, nothing else will do but to crank up the oven and toss some flour in the air! (Or something like that!) I got the recipe for my bread out of a cookbook, you know one of those books with recipes in it! This recipe is not one I made up. The cookbook is called "The Good Housekeeping Cookbook." It was a cookbook my mother received when she got married, meaning its well over 30 years old. I really like this book because it gives you basic recipes, you can make the recipes as stated or you can build off of them. They are great foundation recipes! For instance the bread recipe I used is a basic sweet dough, however, I left some flavors out, the bread taste amazing! (Don't let the cup of sugar in the recipe fool you, it is not really sweet). I have also made this recipe using whole wheat flour, and it is even better (in my opinion) than the white. Today I used white all purpose flour because it is what I had on hand. Nothing smells better in the house than bread baking, and it sure is a crowd pleaser at any meal! Enjoy!:)<br />
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<strong><u>BASIC SWEET DOUGH</u></strong><br />
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7 to 8 cups all purpose flour<br />
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1 cup sugar<br />
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1 teaspoon salt<br />
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2 packages active dry yeast<br />
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1 1/2 cups milk<br />
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1 cup butter or margarine<br />
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2 eggs<br />
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(The recipe in the book calls for 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom or 1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel. I left these items out, because I can make the dough into rolls, or loaves to go with any meal.)<br />
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<strong>1. </strong>Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast (and cardamom if you are adding it). In medium saucepan over low heat, heat milk, 1/2 cup water and butter or margarine until very warm (120 to 130 degrees, butter or margarine does not need to melt). With mixer at low speed, gradually pour liquid into dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour; continue beating 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 3 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough.<br />
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<strong>2.</strong> Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough into ball and place in greased large bowl, turning over so that top of dough is greased. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place ( 80-85 degrees), away from draft, until doubled, about 1 hour. (Dough is doubled when two fingers pressed lightly into dough leave a dent.)<br />
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<strong>3. </strong>Punch down dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; cut dough into thirds, or halves, or however you want; cover with towel for 15 minutes. (When baking don't forget to grease your pans, or use parchment paper on cookie sheets!)<br />
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Bake at 350 for 35 minutes<br />
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A while back on my facebook page I asked all 400+ of my closest friends (most of which live in Southern California) if they possessed an earthquake kit in their home. Out of all of my friends only 2 responded with a "yes". I felt both shocked and relieved; shocked because 2 is such a small number, and relieved because I wasn't the only one who didn't have a kit! As of late, the news has been plagued with fires in Colorado, Hurricanes in Florida, power outages in Virginia, and Tornadoes in numerous places. All these forces are things that we don't really have control over, and even the best prepared person might not come out unscathed when facing them, so how do we think an unprepared person would fair? In California we are faced with the possibility of an earthquake. Most locals will brush earthquakes off as no big deal, and consider them just a part of life here in So Cal, however, earthquakes are unpredictable and can cause huge amounts of damage in a matter of seconds. I think it would behoove us all to be prepared for one! <br />
Some steps to work through to prepare yourself:<br />
1. Be informed: know what kind of disasters can occur in your area, know what to do before, during and after one.<br />
2. Make a plan: construct an emergency plan for your family (do you stay put, or evacuate) Know how to execute this plan, practice it!<br />
3. Build a kit: The government recommends that each individual have a 3 day supply of food and water, and medical supplies.<br />
These are just some points to get you started towards protecting both you and your family in unexpected times. To explore these points further please visit: <a href="http://www.ready.gov/be-informed">http://www.ready.gov/be-informed</a> .<br />
I have gone through these steps to prepare my family, and I hope that you will do the same! :) <br />
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*While I enjoy watching about dooms-dayers, I am not one! I believe the Lord will rapture the church before "the end of the world" happens! :) However, the Bible does state in Mark 5:8, " Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the the beginning of the birth pains." This is giving reference to signs of the end times. So family, be prepared so we can continue to be a light until He calls us home! :)Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-29670457904603292512012-06-19T23:54:00.000-07:002012-06-20T00:01:41.897-07:00Living ProofI recently finished school, and since graduation I have been looking for a "better" job. After months of applying at dozens of offices, law firms (my degree is in paralegal studies), and the food service industry (my current profession), I am still gainfully employed at the same place. It seems that the Lord has something else for me where I'm currently at, or at least that is how I am taking it, as no other doors have opened. <br />
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During this process I have completed all sorts of applications, personality tests, math tests (AHHHH!), and so on and so forth! They really make you work just to apply for a job these days! The last job that I applied for was at my church. This was by far the most challenging job application I have ever completed. For the most part it didn't differ too much from other applications: job experience, educational background, references, etc. Attached to this rather standard job application though was a ministry questionnaire. Since this is a church they wanted to know that I knew what I believed on major Biblical topics such as: Salvation, baptism, the trinity, the rapture, and more. Though this took me some time to scripturally write all down, I am sure of what I believe on these topics. What made this so difficult was the last question on this Ministry Questionnaire, " Spiritual Commitment Statement: Please provide us with a brief description of your personal conversion and spiritual walk with the Lord at this present time." I had never sat down and written my testimony before, in fact I had never even spoken it to someone before. It took me several days to write down a few paragraphs, and it was extremely hard for me. I don't often talk about certain periods of my life because I am ashamed of them, let alone write them down for a stranger to read. After writing it though, I had the need to share it with my mother. While reading it to her I could barely pronounce the words through my tears, it was such a good feeling to let all the feelings out. That night while trying to fall asleep I was thinking about that moment and the word "Testimony". The dictionary would define it as "evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof, or open declaration or profession, as of faith.", and that is just what my testimony says about me, it is part of the evidence that God loves me and will fight for me, and never abandon me! So with that being said, I felt it only appropriate to share my Testimony with all of you in hopes that you too will see that God LOVES you just as much as he loves me!!<br />
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I am blessed to have been born into a great christian home, with a family that is driven to serve the Lord. At the age of 10 I accepted Christ as my savior in a Sunday school class at Harvest Christian Fellowship. As I grew, my walk with the Lord did also. I became involved in several youth ministries in my teens, all the way up through my high school career. After high school, I joined the working class and met some non-christian friends. Their lifestyle was a bigger impression on me than my lifestyle was on them. I slowly began to fall away from God's plan for my life. I isolated myself from my concerned christian family and friends and lead a life full of selfishness and disregarded everyones pleas to turn back to the Lord. I remember feeling such bitterness and hate when people said they were praying for me. I thought my life was fine and felt insulted people thought otherwise. I was in denial about my backslidden state. When I was twenty-one I got pregnant from my boyfriend. Both my daughter and I were abandoned by her "father" shortly after her birth. As anyone with children knows, children change everything! I began to reevaluate my life and where it was headed, not for my sake, but for my daughter's. Through this tough time of feeling panic, and abandonment, and just so very lost; I came back to my first love, and recommitted my life to Christ.<br />
My daughter is now 10 years old and I am striving to raise her up to be a Godly woman with the help of her Heavenly Father, and my awesome family. My greatest mistake has turned out to be my greatest blessing!! The birth of my daughter woke me up from my denial, and she is my motivation never to go down that road again. Looking back I can clearly see God at work as he used my choices (both good and bad) to reconcile me back to him. It amazes me on a daily basis! <br />
At this current time I feel my walk with the Lord is stronger than ever. Though I still meet challenges everyday, I no longer deny them, but try to face them head on, seeking the Lord's will over my own. I don't always succeed, I'm not perfect, but I have a perfect God. I can see him at work in me and my daughter. Lately I have been learning patience in God's timing and that there is an opportunity for service in everything.<br />
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"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28895A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> the new creation <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28895B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup> has come:The old has gone, the new is here! <span class="text 2Cor-5-18" id="en-NIV-28896">All this is from God, <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28896D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup> who reconciled us to himself through Christ <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28896E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></sup> and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:</span><span class="text 2Cor-5-19" id="en-NIV-28897">that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28897F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)"></sup> And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.</span><span class="text 2Cor-5-20" id="en-NIV-28898"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28898G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></sup> as though God were making his appeal through us. <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28898H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></sup> We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.</span><span class="text 2Cor-5-21" id="en-NIV-28899">God made him who had no sin <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28899J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)"></sup> to be sin<sup> </sup>for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."~2 Corinthians 5:17-21</span><br />
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If you are willing to share, I would love to hear your testimony, and how the Lord has worked in your life! Please feel free to share in the comment section below or email us @ <a href="mailto:raspberrycordialmusings@gmail.com">raspberrycordialmusings@gmail.com</a>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-2228381976595069382012-06-17T18:51:00.000-07:002012-06-17T18:51:14.385-07:00Not Forgotten!Hello Readers! Did you think you had been forgotten? Well, you haven't! <br />
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I'll admit that when Raspberry Cordial was started, I thought it was going to be a walk in the park! I've always enjoyed writing and sharing it with people. Writing a blog was going to be easy, and something that contributed to my cool factor! (Ha!) Well, blog writing is not for the faint of heart, and if it's a walk in the park; it's a barefoot in the snow, uphill walk. I often lack motivation to write, and work on the blog. (This isn't because I don't love our blog and all of our awesome readers, because I do love the blog, and all of you!!) Why is writing on a consistent basis so hard for me?! Why do I feel so un-inspired for something that I love to do?! After pondering this for a few days, I've come to the conclusion that writing recreationally is, well, too relaxed! All my best work has been produced under the pressure of looming deadlines! So, there you have it folks, I am a lazy procrastinator motivated by fear. Now, that I have come face to face with this fact, I am working on changing this! I have worked out some goals for Raspberry Cordial, and even some deadlines for reaching those goals! <br />
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That means there is some new things coming to Raspberry Cordial! There is already some new content in the works, and I hope that you check back frequently to see what is going on over here with us!:)<br />Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-86956539058518808302011-11-07T23:28:00.000-08:002011-11-07T23:28:18.456-08:00Hunting with a 5 year old boy...My kids have piano lessons every other Monday.<br />
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A friend my husband plays music with lives about 10 doors down from their piano teacher.<br />
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We occasionally take walks while waiting for my son or daughter to finish their lesson. Today was a walk day.<br />
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First I walked around the block with my 9 year old daughter while carrying my 9 1/2 month old niece (who was adorable! kicking and laughing the whole time!) We walked around the block in 15 minutes then sat outside doing things to make the baby laugh until it was time to trade kids.<br />
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Then it was the boy's turn.<br />
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"I gotta find Brendan. I know he lives this way. I'm gonna find his house."<br />
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"Oh yeah? Do you know which house is his?"<br />
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"No."<br />
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"How are you going to know which one is his?"<br />
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"..."<br />
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"Maybe you could look for his car."<br />
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"Oh! Yes! Oh! Wait! I see it! There's his car! That has to be his house. Wow. They have nice trees."<br />
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We then walk up to this house with nice trees and my son rings the doorbell. As he's waiting for someone to answer the door, he writes the house number down in his handy dandy notebook with his handy dandy pencil. Well, Brendan didn't answer the door. His dad did. This caused some confusion for the boy.<br />
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"Tell him who you're here to see. " I said.<br />
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"I'm lookin' for Brendan."<br />
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Brendan's dad - awesome guy! - shows Zao inside and points him to Brendan. The conversation between Zao and Brendan went a little bit like this.<br />
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"Hi."<br />
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"Hey Zao. Whatcha doing?<br />
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"Just came to find you and say hi. Bye."<br />
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Zao then turned around and walked out of their house!!!<br />
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Oh, man! This kid is FUNNY!!! Before we continued our walk, though... he wrote down Brendan's license plate number in his handy dandy notebook with his handy dandy pencil... just to make sure he can find him again!!<br />
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So today, I went on a Brendan hunt and was thoroughly entertained by my 5 1/2 year old son!<br />
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~AliciaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-9189527324410031582011-11-07T10:56:00.000-08:002011-11-07T10:56:16.032-08:00TIS THE SEASON TO BE THANKFUL As we're moving into the Thanksgiving season it's great to really take a moment, or many moments, to sit back and reflect on all that you truly have to be thankful for! If you are a fellow facebooker you might have noticed the latest status craze that is going around! There are a couple different versions, 25 days of Thanksgiving, or 30 days of Thankfulness, all of which users post daily one thing on their status that they are thankful for. I absolutely love this! It is so refreshing to log in to facebook and read the wave of thankfulness! It is so much more encouraging to read about how happy you are that you have a job, than to read about how unhappy you are with your boss/coworkers! We truly are blessed in so many ways, and it's great that people are taking time to realize it!:)<br />
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Raspberry Cordial would love to hear what you are thankful for!?!?! Please feel free to share with us, we're all kindred spirits here! :)<br />
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Check out our facebook page to see what we're thankful for each day! <a href="http://www.facebook.com/raspberrycordialmusings">http://www.facebook.com/raspberrycordialmusings</a>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-60940481795530328002011-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:002011-11-07T10:26:08.444-08:00Laura Ingall's Who?!? Greetings Raspberry Cordial buddies! Did everyone have a great Halloween? I know we sure did! We went to the Halloween party at my daughter's Tae Kwon Do school (we go every year) and it was a blast! One of the things they do at this party every year is dance! They do the Macarena and (my daughter's favorite) The Cha Cha slide! It's so cute to see all the kids hop three times, especially when they're all in costume! Another highlight of the annual Tae Kwon Do Halloween party is to see what costume Layla's coach, Erjan, is going to be wearing! He is a total crack up and is in character all night for whatever costume he is wearing! In the past he has been Avatar (the person one, not the scary looking blue things! ha ha!), a caveman, and a cheerleader. This year he was one of those street performers you see in Vegas or at Venus Beach! The kids loved it!<br />
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This year Layla dressed up as Laura Ingalls Wilder (Last year for school we did the Prairie Primer which focuses on the Little House on the Prairie series! Our love for the Little House books has only been made stronger after last year's experience on the prairie! I highly recommend this curriculum to anyone!) Before the party all of her friends kept asking who she was going to dress up as, she would tell them, and they would just look at her with an unknowing blank stare, ha ha! When they saw her actual costume though, they finally understood!<br />
We also participated in the event that was put on at our church! They put on a show for the kids called "A Diary of a Shrimpy Kid", and there was also other activities. There was one of those gigantic blow up slides, and my daughter, nieces and nephew were so excited to go on it! No shoes allowed on it though, and my nieces and nephew were all up and on it before Layla could even get her "Little House boots" off her feet! She stated that next year she does not care what she dresses up as, she is going to wear flip flops!<br />
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Halloween is now over and it's time to start brainstorming next year's costume... and time to figure out how to get rid of the rest of this year's candy!?!!Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-76520241392981410222011-10-17T14:11:00.000-07:002011-10-17T14:11:42.982-07:00Make it Monday!This past Friday, I taught our girls (and a friend) how to make tortillas! We're using the Portraits of American Girlhood curriculum for our 4th grade school year and it is SO much fun! Currently we're studying Josefina who lived in New Mexico before it was a part of the US in 1824. Since I have Mexican and Spanish blood in me, all the cooking and food lessons got to be my job for this one! It's exciting!!!<br />
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Here's Layla (Sonya's Girly), Zoe (My Girly) and their friend with their first home made tortillas!!!<br />
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My little Miss-Moody-Moody-Attitudey looks SO happy, doesn't she?!?!<br />
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We started by mixing together about 6 cups of flour (unbleached all purpose), 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, almost 1/4 cup of baking powder, some salt and warm water added one tablespoon at a time.<br />
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Don't even bother with a spoon... just get in their with your hands. It's really important that you add the WARM water only one tablespoon at a time. If you add too much, you end up with yuck. If you add too little, you can always add more!! You basically want it to be like slightly dried out play dough. Soft and pliable, but not overly sticky.<br />
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The munchkins can't efficiently mix it all the way, so I had to get in there and help. I'd advise you to keep one hand clean and firmly holding the bowl at all times!! <br />
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Now here's where I don't have a lot of pictures... my hands were covered in tortilla dough!<br />
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At this point, you want to roll your dough into 1-2 inch balls and set aside. I usually stack them in another bowl. If they sit too long and dry out, add a splash of water and knead it in your hands for a minute.<br />
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Next you'll roll out your balls on a lightly floured surface one at a time. I use a piece of heavy duty pipe (some sort of metal) which is also what my mom, grandma and great grandma used. They're never perfectly round because well... I'm not a machine! I'm an imperfect human being! Even my little guy got in on the tortilla rolling action. He made a happy tortilla :)<br />
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Once they are rolled out, you will cook them. I cook mine on a cast iron tortilla grille. Using a clean kitchen towel, press and turn until slightly browned. Pull it to the edge with the towel and flip so you can cook the other side. Here is Grammy Sandee-Mom (as my kids call her or Grammy to Layla) demonstrating!!<br />
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ENJOY!!!!<br />
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Another option is to make Sopapillas!! Once you've rolled your torts, cut them into quarters and fry in hot oil. Flip part way through, drain on paper towels or in a paper grocery bag, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon! We enjoyed ours with Abuelita Chocolate Syrup and Honey!!! Here are our girlies enjoying their sopapillas! We hope you enjoy yours!!<br />
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~Alicia<br />
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<br />Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-86060279603436157962011-10-15T22:54:00.000-07:002011-10-17T19:05:07.356-07:00Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes!!!!<a href="http://tipjunkie.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tip Junkie handmade projects" border="0" src="http://www.tipjunkie.com/images/TipMeTuesdayButton1.png" /></a><br />
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In our last post I told you a little bit about a recipe for Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes that I had found which inspired me to alter some recipes I have and make my own cupcakes from scratch instead of an altered boxed mix!!<br />
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Here's what I started with!!<br />
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Salt, cocoa powder, caramels and coffee!!! I don't drink instant coffee... I just use it for my chocolate cake recipe, so I just get the cheap stuff. Works the same!<br />
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Here we go! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin (or in my case, my muffin stone) with paper bake cups.<br />
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I know my stone is ugly... but ugly stoneware is loved and well used stoneware!!!<br />
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Next in a large bowl, combine:<br />
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3 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)<br />
2 cups granulated sugar<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
2 tsp. baking soda<br />
1 tsp. table salt (I used iodized sea salt)<br />
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Mix with a wire whisk.<br />
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In a large measuring cup (I use a 4 cup glass measuring cup) combine the following:<br />
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2 cups of HOT water<br />
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil<br />
4 Tbsp. instant coffee granules (5 or 6 will give you a stronger coffee flavor)<br />
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar (YES vinegar!!!)<br />
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (YES a WHOLE tablespoon!!!)<br />
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No need to stir this, just put it all in the measuring cup. I forgot to take a picture of this step! Please, forgive me!!<br />
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Next, pour the ingredients from the measuring cup into the dry ingredients and combine with the whisk. Trust me - the whisk is enough, no need for a spoon.<br />
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Fill your cupcake liners about 3/4 full with this yummy nummy batter (which is OK to snack on! No eggs = no salmonella!!)!<br />
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Bake for 20-25 minutes! Make sure to bungee shut the oven! Oh wait... that's just at my house! See!!<br />
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Long story short... my oven is old and has a broken spring! If I don't bungee it, the kitchen gets HOT and the gas runs NON stop!!<br />
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While you are waiting for the cupcakes to bake, unwrap your caramels and place them in a bowl until needed. Also pour a couple teaspoons of coarse Kosher salt into a small bowl.<br />
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Now it's time for frosting!! This is an altered butter cream recipe. It is good!!! I fire up the Kitchenaid for this one!!<br />
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In a mixer (or large bowl and use a hand mixer) combine:<br />
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1 cup vegetable shortening<br />
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract<br />
1 pound powdered sugar<br />
1 T. Meringue powder (found at Joann and Michaels with the cake stuff)<br />
10 tsp water added one at a time<br />
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This is pretty simple, put everything but the water in the mixer (or bowl), turn it on. I use the "2" setting on my mixer. You want it high enough to mix it, but not so high that it throws the powdered sugar out. Add the water one teaspoon at a time. I used 10 tsp, use more or less depending on the humidity. You want it slightly firm and you'll see why later!!<br />
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Cupcakes are done! Pull them out of the oven. Let them cool in the pan for 5ish minutes.<br />
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Aren't they beautiful?!?!<br />
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Now move them to a cooling rack to cool for another 10-15 minutes. At this point you can put your next batch in the oven!<br />
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Next you're going to scoop out a small amount from the top of the cupcake, put in a caramel, sprinkle with some of the coarse kosher salt then replace the top pressing down. It won't be completely flat.<br />
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I did this while they were still slightly warm which made the caramels melt a little bit!! YUM! <br />
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Now it's time for the frosting!! You can just spread it on. I used my fun gun thingey!! It's kinda like a pastry bag, but without the bag.<br />
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If you do it this way, make sure you swirl from the outside in!!<br />
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Next you add a drizzle of caramel sauce (I just used an ice cream topping that was in my fridge!), a sprinkle of salt and I topped mine off with a few chocolate covered coffee beans!!!<br />
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DE-LISH!!! I really liked the mild coffee flavor of the cake!! Using a caramel candy instead of caramel topping made this easier to eat... I didn't have caramel oozing all over my hands. It was still messy, but not as bad as it could have been! I did the vanilla frosting since it reminded me of the whipped cream that Starbucks puts on their Salted Caramel Mocha Frap! To make the coffee beans, I just melted down a few milk chocolate candy melts (Wilton makes them, I got them in a bulk bin from a local grocery store), threw in some of my own Dunkin Doughnuts coffee beans and put them in clumps of 3 on wax paper to dry. Good stuff!!!<br />
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If you try this, please share with us what you thought!! I've only made them this one time but I am SO excited about them and could not wait to share!! And please - share our blog with your friends!!!<br />
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Have a great rest of your weekend!!!<br />
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~AliciaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-46855441147645648232011-10-14T15:36:00.000-07:002011-10-14T15:36:37.947-07:00Coming soon...Hi Friends!<br />
With getting into the swing of the new school year we've neglected you!! Sorry about that!<br />
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We do have a couple of FUN things coming up to tell you about!! Today we made some Tortillas and Sopapillas from scratch! Pictures and such will be up soon!!<br />
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The thing I'm most excited about... Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes!!! I saw a recipe on Pinterest, but it was basically brownie mix with some instant coffee and a caramel hershey kiss shoved inside once it was done cooking. I'm all about doing things from scratch and I've got an amazing idea! Once I have it perfected, I'll post step by step photos with a full recipe and instructions!!!<br />
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I LOVE experimenting with baking, though I usually get my inspiration from others! Is there something weird you'd like to see me try and make?! Let me know! I have a husband and 2 kids who LOVE to taste test as much as I love to bake!!<br />
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~AliciaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-43378612682352436642011-09-06T13:45:00.000-07:002011-09-06T13:45:38.254-07:00"Just Tivo It!"This weekend while spending some time a friend I was talking to her about how we watch the few TV shows we like to watch - we hook one of the laptops up to the TV with cables of some sort or another. Her 10 year old daughter was right there as we were talking and asked why I couldn't just watch it while it's on.<br />
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"We don't have cable TV, and our antenna doesn't work."<br />
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"So can't you just Tivo it?!"<br />
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"No, we don't have a Tivo because usually a DVR requires a cable TV subscription."<br />
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"You don't have TV?!"<br />
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This young girl (whom I adore, by the way) was floored that we don't have cable TV! My kids are no longer phased by it. We've been without it for over a year and a half now. We have Netflix so they can still watch some of the stuff they like and we rent movies (for free!! hehe!!) at the Blockbuster Express boxes (Blue Box!) every once in a while.<br />
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It really got me thinking... this generation, these kids that we are raising are SO used to instant gratification. We have cell phones that do things that I never imagined as a kid! I'm not <i>that</i> old, but I am in my early 30's and if I'm perfectly honest with you, I will tell you that I was <i>SO</i> embarrassed to have my first cell phone. I passed my drivers test and less than a week later, my dad brought home a phone... OH-MY-GOSH... what was he gonna make me do?!?! Take that brick with me everywhere?! Well he did, and it came in handy. I sure as heck couldn't call daddy from my pager when my beat up 1976 Mercedes Benz (my first car, by the way) refused to start in the mall parking lot while it was pouring rain outside. The cell phone helped. Back then, did I think that something smaller than that brick would be able to check my email, order pizza or give me directions to those Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy concerts I was always driving to?! Heck no!<br />
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My children will never know a world without GPS, mobile email, iPhones, iPads (both of which my kids can work better than I can - they are only 5 and 8!) or TV's without remote controls! I want to give them whatever purity I can - plain simple things. All these things are good and do have a place, but we can honestly live without them.<br />
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We don't need to go to the grocery store to buy cookie dough to make cookies... let's make the dough to make the cookies!!<br />
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We don't need to run out to buy a loaf of bread... let's make some!<br />
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We don't need to keep up with the Jones'... let's be happy with what we have and not depend so much on material things. There is so much more to life than all these electronic gadgets and do-dads, so much more than all this "stuff" that society makes us believe we need. I have decided to try and teach my children the difference between a "want" and a "need". It's something we've been working on. Something we need to do better with. Something that I hope they will understand as adults.Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-36678835098950466542011-08-22T22:25:00.000-07:002011-08-22T22:25:36.942-07:00LOAD 'EM UP!!<br />
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<br />
In my house one of our favorite things to eat are potatoes. Potatoes are good for you, cheap, and best of all, filling! I love making baked potatoes for dinner, they are a great thing to have when you are busy doing lots of other things and don't have the time(or energy!) to cook. Even though they are a great thing to have for dinner, they take an hour to cook in the oven. Yes, I know they can be cooked in the microwave, but I'm just against microwave cooking (It doesn't taste as good to me). The crock pot is a great way to "bake" your potatoes! <br />
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Here's how to make <b>Crockpot Baked Potatoes</b>:<br />
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<b>1. Wash and dry your potatoes.</b> ( After I do this, I also like to rub just a little bit of olive oil on them and sprinkle them with sea salt)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/potato_15lbs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" qaa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/potato_15lbs1.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<b>2. Cover each potato in aluminum foil and place in the crockpot.</b><br />
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</b><b>3. Cook on Low for about 8hrs </b>(This is great if your out running errands, or have to work during the day! You can get things done and then dinner is ready when you get home!Which means you can spend time with your family and not slaving in the kitchen!)<br />
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<b>4. Load up with your favorite toppings!</b><br />
I like my potato with butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. (I know how Plain Jane of me!) Some fun toppings to add could be: bacon bits, chives, cheese (pepper jack is yummy!), bell peppers, chili, broccoli, cauliflower,or mushrooms. The possibilities are endless!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/bakedpotato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qaa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/bakedpotato.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We hope you enjoy crock pot baked potatoes as much as we do! We would love to hear how you load up your potatoes!Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-70553889257425096052011-08-11T23:57:00.000-07:002011-08-15T12:07:16.813-07:00Happy Campers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/summerfun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/summerfun.jpg" /></a></div>With the summer starting to wind down, I thought it would be great to take my daughter camping; after all, what is summer without a camp out! (hint: it's not summer without camping! ha ha!) To make it an official summer I had to plan a trip, so last weekend we got away to the great outdoors of Grammies Wilderness (OK, OK, it was Grammies Yard, but it was still a great escape!) This was an awesome alternative to packing up and heading out somewhere, not only did it not cost me anything (besides food), it was so low stress (compared to real camping where you have to pack up food, and clothes, and equipment, etc)! My daughter and I experienced just the right amount of the "wilderness"(I like camping but I also like running water, flushing toilets and a comfy place to lay my head)! This idea of a backyard camp out is great for any age kid, from toddler to teenager, it's always fun to camp out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping7.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
First we had to set up camp! I set up the tent all by myself (the kiddo "supervised" ha ha!), and I only had to look at the directions one time! We set up our tent on the deck because I was paranoid about bugs getting in (I'm sure I really had nothing to worry about though)! We didn't have sleeping mats so we laid down the cushions from the patio furniture inside, it was actually pretty comfy! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping6.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>After all the hard work of setting up the tent, there was a rumbly in our tummies! Camping makes you hungry! We built a fire so we could cook some dinner! (FYI the insides of old washing machines make fantastic fire pits!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>Though I didn't catch my own dinner, I did buy it at the grocery store. We cooked up some pork chops and fresh grown veggies from the garden in true camping fashion. We wrapped them up in foil and let the campfire do the rest.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping4.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>After Dinner comes...Dessert! There is no other dessert to have while camping other than S'mores! So of course we had some and then S'more! ( I don't know if you can tell by the picture but we got the extra large marshmallows. They were gianormous!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping5.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
(If you don't have access to a fire pit or fireplace to roast your marshmallows, set up some candles and create a makeshift camp fire, it's still great fun and works good for s'mores!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping3.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
While we were sitting there watching the fire, my daughter says,"Hey Mom, shouldn't we sing a song, or tell a story or something?!" I told her I didn't have any stories so we could sing a song if she wanted. She then stated that she didn't know what song to sing, so I busted out with a bad rendition of KumBaYah ( I thought it was a great campfire song), but she looked at me like I was a weirdo! After a few more s'mores we decided to go to bed, lets face it we were both pretty excited to sleep in the tent!! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/camping1.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>We got all snuggled in and then giggled and chatted for a while about the happenings of the day. We drifted off to sleep underneath the stars (they're really Christmas lights that are in the tree above us, we're in the city so there really aren't too many stars to see!) It was a great camp out and we both enjoyed our time together! There is something about camping that is magical and mysterious, no matter if you're in the middle of the woods, your backyard, or even in your living room! <br />
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(Even if your kids have started school, it's still technically summer! Take advantage of the great weather and do a weekend backyard campout!)<br />
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HAVE FUN CAMPERS!<br />
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~Sonya<br />
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</div>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-47235197080908707602011-07-31T11:48:00.000-07:002011-07-31T11:48:34.206-07:00A Time For Everything Lately, I’ve been feeling a little stressed out! Sometimes being a single parent can be a bit overwhelming! Even with the incredible support system my family provides for me, I often think about how much easier things would be if I had another half. I wish I had a husband to financially/emotionally/mentally support me so that I could be a housewife/mommy all day long! I am constantly being updated via facebook and twitter of all these amazing moms and the numerous amazing things they do on a daily basis. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/time-warp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313px" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/time-warp1.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
For example: "Today I went to the grocery store, cleaned the house, completed the laundry, landscaped the yard, wrestled an alligator, and knitted an afghan for all five of my children's beds, oh and we did two full days of school in half the time it normally takes us”. I then sit back and wonder where do they find the time to do these awesome things?? I certainly feel I miss out on doing a lot of cool things with my daughter in the 8 hours I spend at work everyday. I sometimes feel that our weekend is just time to catch up on all the day to day chores we get behind on the rest of the week. By the time it's all said and done....not one alligator is wrestled, and well that’s just not cool! Weekends, especially summer ones, should be a time to relax and enjoy your family, and by all means have some fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/time-flies-clock-10-11-20061.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256px" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/time-flies-clock-10-11-20061.gif" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div> <br />
With that being said, I guess it’s all about time management and prioritizing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This really got me thinking about the things I put an emphasis on in my life. Of course work is a big priority. I need to work to take care of my daughter and myself. Another big one is tae kwon do (my daughter is a black belt!); we spend lots of hours there every week. I also have school (I started again this last term). I look at this list and I wonder if I’m prioritizing the right things. These are very important things and I definitely will not take them off my list, however, I feel my list is lacking and needs to be added to. As a mom I am generally with my child all the time (aside from work),so, why is it that I feel like our time to enjoy each other is the time that’s left after everything else is already completed; the time when we’re both tired and grumpy and just ready for bed, not really when we’re at our best. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recently read a poll that said, men and women on average spend 5 hrs a day engaged in leisure activities, 2 of those hours being consumed by watching television. Now, I’m not a big television watcher (I usually watch maybe an hour a week), but I am on the computer quite often. If I cut computer time each day I could then replace it with time that I spend solely with my daughter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could do whatever: read, watch a movie, talk, knit an afghan, or even wrestle an alligator! Now this is just an example of how we think our time is full up, but really we’re just not filling it with the right things. Take a conscious look at what you fill your time with, and I bet you will be surprised at how much of it is taken up by meaningless and mundane things.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Supermom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Supermom1.jpg" t$="true" /></a></div><br />
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The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it may not feel like there is enough time to be the “Super Mom”, but there is always enough time, its just how you choose to spend it! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span> <br />
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~Sonya<br />
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What are some ways that you find time to fit it all in?Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-26605945146658060482011-07-18T13:50:00.000-07:002011-07-18T13:50:13.933-07:00Make It Monday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br />
It's Monday and for us this Monday starts Vacation Bible School! Since the kids have a packed dinner for VBS, I decided to make dinner for lunch today and share what we made!<br />
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We call it: Buttery/cheesy noodles!<br />
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And my kids LOVE it! Sometimes it's hard to get them to eat whole wheat pasta, but when I prepare it this way they ask for MORE!<br />
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I used a box of whole wheat Rotini pasta. Cooked according to package directions and drained well.<br />
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Added: about 1/4 cup of margarine (or butter), few dashes of salt and Parmesan cheese to taste! At other times I have also added shredded chicken, cooked peas or other veggies or any other leftovers I have in the fridge!<br />
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My kids LOVE it and they now have full bellies before we head out for an evening of too much fun!!<br />
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I hope your family enjoys this quick and simple recipe you can Make on Monday!!<br />
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~AliciaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-33408472647499832372011-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:002011-07-12T09:28:37.851-07:00Summer Fun (And yummies!!)Hi Everyone!<br />
Sorry our posts have been so few and far between! Too much Summer, I guess!!<br />
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I made the most amazing (and fun) dessert for 4th of July and just had to share! I will admit, I was inspired by a recipe in the Food Network Magazine, but in typical "me" form, I massively altered the recipe! Here it goes! I hope you enjoy it!!<br />
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<u><b>S'Mores Ice Cream Sandwiches</b></u><br />
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You will need:<br />
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Graham Crackers<br />
Marshmallow cream<br />
Nutella<br />
Chocolate Ice cream<br />
Ice cream scoop<br />
Foil or heavy plastic wrap<br />
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How to make 'em:<br />
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Break graham cracker sheet in half like you would for a s'more.<br />
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Spread a couple teaspoons of Nutella on one half and a couple teaspoons of marshmallow cream on the other half.<br />
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Put a small scoop of chocolate ice cream on one half.<br />
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Top with other half and slightly squish (it works best if the ice cream is a little soft).<br />
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Wrap with foil or plastic wrap and freeze at least one hour or overnight.<br />
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ENJOY!!!<br />
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These were a huge hit with my family on 4th of July and we can NOT wait to enjoy them again!!<br />
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Let me know what you think and if your family enjoyed them!!!Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-69191165750436258772011-07-03T21:53:00.000-07:002011-07-03T21:53:01.444-07:00God Bless America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/happy4th-300x1301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/happy4th-300x1301.jpg" /></a></div>In honor of Independence day, I thought I would post some great words from some great men! It is of my opinion that The United States of America would not be the country it is had it not been formed under Godly principles. It is the adopted thought now that there should be separation of church and state, but when we look at the words of our founding fathers and of those who helped mold our country, it is clear that this was never their intent. As a proud American it is my sincerest prayer that our nation will get back to these moral/Biblical principles. (If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14)<br />
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"It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue." ~John Adams<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/gc-old-american-flag1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/gc-old-american-flag1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>"I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service." ~ Benjamin Franklin</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Old_American_Flag_1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Old_American_Flag_1_1.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of man and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/declaration-of-independence-38151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/declaration-of-independence-38151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who, that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?" ~ George Washington<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/5592_pd73758full1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/5592_pd73758full1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
For more on what our founding fathers had to say about our nation visit <a href="http://www.wallbuilders.com/">www.wallbuilders.com</a> ! <br />
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I wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July!!!<br />
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~Sonya</div>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-62348586828407185302011-06-22T20:50:00.000-07:002011-07-25T20:09:26.936-07:00Going On A Fairy Hunt<a href="http://tipjunkie.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tip Junkie handmade projects" border="0" src="http://www.tipjunkie.com/images/TipMeTuesdayButton1.png" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/summerfun.jpg" /></div>Our first summertime fun activity is all about fairies, or at least their houses! (I know it sounds girly, but trust me even boys get into this one!) One of our favorite things to do is building fairy houses. Now in case you don't know what a fairy house is, it is a small structure for fairies and friends of nature to come and visit. Fairy houses are made out of things only from nature. <br />
A fairy house is kind of like a real house, its all about location, location, location. Take a nature walk around the yard or the park and find the perfect spot to build your fairy house. Some things to keep in mind when searching for the perfect location: shade, water and food source, etc.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
We found this puddle of water by a leaky sprinkler in the yard. Looks like a perfect swimming hole for fairies to me! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The leaky sprinkler head just happened to be by this collection of toadstools! What luck!! I'd say we've found our perfect building location!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> While on your search for the best real estate in all the land, keep your eyes open for things that you can build your fairy house with. Remember, fairy houses can only be built with things from nature! Things to look for would be: bark, flowers, rocks, wood chips, leaves, snail shells, feathers, sticks, seeds, etc. Also, be on the lookout for other fairy houses! There could very well be fairies living in the area already, and you just didn't know it! (If you have time it might even be fun to go out before you involve your kids and make a few simple fairy homes throughout the yard, this way they'll find actual fairy homes; this gets them really excited! Trust me! ha ha!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We picked these fresh berries from the garden so that our fairies could have something to snack on after they went swimming!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Fairyhouse8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Fairyhouse8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are some items that we've gathered! Look we actually found a a piece of bark that looks just like a door! OK, OK not really! My Uncle made this door and it was just too cute to resist using it for our house!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We did find a piece of bark that had a heart shaped fairy house window though! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After you have found your ideal building spot and gathered all your materials, its time to get to building! There is no specific blueprint to follow, just your imagination to guide you!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/fairyhouse4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Fairyhouse9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/Fairyhouse9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The finished product! Looks like a fairy dream house to me! I wonder if any fairies will visit tonight?<br />
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The best part about this afternoon?! We created a wonderland in our everyday surroundings, and it didn't cost me a penny! OK, that's just a bonus! The real best part is being able to spend time with my daughter; exploring and creating something together. That's the good stuff!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When you're finished don't forget to take a picture with your fairy house!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> (We would love to see your fairy house, email us at <a href="mailto:raspberrycordialmusings@gmail.com">raspberrycordialmusings@gmail.com</a>) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope you have a great time! If you would like additional ideas and perhaps even a book to go with your fairy house building endeavor check out <a href="http://www.fairyhouses.com/">www.fairyhouses.com</a> . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-22814793966036021472011-06-19T21:10:00.000-07:002011-06-19T21:19:56.637-07:00Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuI40DSf2cYfb7gmfNgv8zThTLEFKuKyFgrsO4ip24jQFowmIz-ohQ18o-2GCMz-HAqGQynE1uFEsjHV8ADdCx1uRhyjIeSxviJwprRR_hlSEIh3kjuNW2tP5UmGYzqu1ti0JxD8cxYM/s1600/schools+out+resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuI40DSf2cYfb7gmfNgv8zThTLEFKuKyFgrsO4ip24jQFowmIz-ohQ18o-2GCMz-HAqGQynE1uFEsjHV8ADdCx1uRhyjIeSxviJwprRR_hlSEIh3kjuNW2tP5UmGYzqu1ti0JxD8cxYM/s320/schools+out+resize.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div> <br />
No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks! OK, we didn't actually blow up the school as the famous Alice Cooper song suggests; but it's official, school is out for the summer! My daughter is so excited she can barely contain herself! Though her traditional school work is finished, we have set up a summer schedule for her, this is to help her stay on track. Her schedule consists of such things as reading, math drills, practice of her violin, and also of her taekwondo techniques. This will help keep her focused during the summer, and make the transition back into the school year much more pleasant! (ha ha!) <br />
While I want her to have a focused summer, I also want my daughter to have a fun summer! So, in the event that she checks off everything on her schedule during the work week, on the weekend we will have some good ol' summer fun! Which brings me to the reason why I am telling y'all this! Throughout the summer I would like to share some no cost (sometimes low cost) summer fun ideas for you and your family to enjoy! So be on the look out for our Summer Fun Posts! I hope that you will try them out and share with us how it goes!<br />
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~SonyaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-89202686358632129922011-06-13T19:43:00.000-07:002011-06-15T18:45:25.922-07:00Make-it Monday!!It's Monday! We have something really fun for you to make this week!! Just make sure you pick up a mop next time you are at the dollar store!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br />
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This week we are making a Mop-Horse! We made these with our kids this past weekend and they all 3 LOVE them!! I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of them up, I'll try to add some soon!<br />
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You will need:<br />
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1 mop (see photo below to make sure you get the right kind!) from a dollar store.<br />
Brown craft paper or a brown paper bag - the big kind from the grocery store.<br />
Small amount of newspaper<br />
Stapler with staples<br />
Markers or crayons<br />
Packaging tape<br />
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So the mop you get should have this kind of head...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bestmop.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Mop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://bestmop.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Mop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This part of the mop will be your horse's tail!<br />
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First you will draw and cut out the shape of a horse's head on your brown craft paper. Make 2 - one for each side. Have your child decorate it with eyes, hair, mouth etc. then using the packaging tape, attach the handle to the back side of one of your horse faces. I used 3-4 strips of tape.<br />
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Line up the 2nd side of your horse face and start stapling around the edges. Before you get all the way around, stuff in some newspaper. Don't bother stapling the bottom, I just added some more packaging tape.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/horseys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/horseys.jpg" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div> <br />
Then let your kids run around and enjoy!! We did this as a part of our jousting tournament and we had a blast! The best part was that we had all but the mops on hand so we only spent $1 to make this awesome craft!! Have fun and please share your photos with us!!Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-86234375590759969032011-06-12T13:33:00.000-07:002011-06-12T14:21:39.198-07:00Magic Words Remember when you were a little kid and you asked Mom for seconds on dessert, she would say, "whats the magic word?" to which you would reply, "PLEASE"! The result of this magic word was more dessert! Score! Is the word "please" still in the English language these days; and what about "thank you", does it still exist? These are little words that can make a big difference. I thought that it was common courtesy to use these words, but I rarely hear them.<br />
I once heard that saying "please" is admitting that you need help and realizing that the fulfillment of that need takes time from someone else. Saying "thank you" indicates that you truly appreciate what was given to you, and that you were not entitled to it. Wow, let me break that down! I need help, and I'm not entitled to it, so I should be appreciative when I receive it! (But I thought the world revolved around me! ha ha!)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/pleaseandthankyouresized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/pleaseandthankyouresized.jpg" t8="true" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When it comes down to it, manners are really all about thinking of others! Take into consideration those that are around you, and then act on that consideration. Do this and you too can have good manners. The best way to teach your children manners (and pass on this dead art) is to lead by example. Children are little mirrors of their parents, what you see is what you have taught them! So, if your children's manners are not the best,perhaps, your own manners need some brushing up. Sometimes we do not even realize that we are demonstrating bad manners. All you have to do is stop and think. At first it make seem like an inconvenience, but after a while it will become like second nature to you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/proverbs31-261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/proverbs31-261.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Keep in mind the person walking behind you into the market; hold the door open for them. Make an effort to not be on the cell phone when you walk up to the register to check out. Say, "thank you" for your service (regardless of if it was really great service, that is a whole other blog post brewing right there though! ha ha!) Kindly, let the person with their blinker on, over, instead of speeding up to avoid letting one more car get in front of you. When you accidentally bump into someone because you were texting instead of looking where you were walking, say, "excuse me" and apologize. I realize that we all lead busy lives, and in these lives the world does revolve around us and our families, but these small courtesies will cost you only seconds a day, and in the grander scheme of things they will make your world and someone Else's a better place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/betterworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/betterworld.jpg" t8="true" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Imagine if everyone exercised good manners! Well, that will never happen you may think to yourself. Well you are absolutely correct, not everyone will aways use manners, it's true! However, you can cause a small wave of kindness in a sea of self-centeredness. Revive common courtesy by teaching it to your children. Teach your children that the world does not revolve around them, and that they should appreciate everything, even the smallest things, for they are not entitled to anything. Teach them to be mindful of other people's needs and not just their own. Teach them to be helpful. Instilling your children with your morals, and values, and showing them how to respect people around them, will not only make your family life more pleasant, but it will pay off for years to come. These lessons will assist your children as they grow up and pursue their own personal and professions lives. Just think how bright your courteous children will shine in this dark world of rudeness! :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Sonya</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-17637098484210796752011-06-06T13:34:00.000-07:002011-06-06T13:34:46.860-07:00Make-It Monday!!Happy Monday friends! It's that day again where we tell you how to make something! Could be a craft, could be a recipe or... a Coupon Binder!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br />
Last April my husband was laid off from his job. I saw a few of these crazy ladies on Facebook who save TONS of money by using coupons, so I decided to give it a try! Admittedly, I have not been doing very good lately because it does take a few hours a week and I just haven't had the time. Also, my precious coupon binder (pictures to follow) has gone missing. I don't know if it's in the garage or at a store somewhere, but it's gone and I'm sad. One day I will find or replace it!<br />
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To start, you need a 3 ring binder, page protectors, a pencil pouch with the 3 holes, stuff to go inside said pencil pouch (instructions on that below) and baseball card holders.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">I use a 2" binder. This one I got at Target for $3.89. It has the clear cover so you can insert photos, etc. As you can see, I have a picture of my family in the front. I do this as a reminder of why I spend hours each week clipping coupons, matching deals online and in ads and going to as many as 10 different stores each week. Also, it helps me tell the front from the back! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">On the inside front I keep coupons I haven't cut out or sorted yet. I also keep my lists here after I've made them. As I make each list (one for each store) I use a paperclip to hold the coupons for that trip to that list. Sometimes I don't use them all, so I put them here until I have time to put them where they go.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">This is my super rad Strawberry Shortcake pencil pouch. You know you're jealous. I got it at Dollar Tree!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Inside of my pencil pouch I have sticky notes, scissors, rubber bands, paperclips, a calculator, pens, a pencil, a sharpie marker and for some reason a penny.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span><br />
<div class="fbPhotoCaption"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">After the pencil pouch comes store specific page protectors. This one is for CVS. It contains the current sale ad as well as any store specific coupons. When I have them, this is also where I put my Extra Care Bucks (coupon good for a certain dollar amount off a future purchase). I have one page protector for each store I frequent. This makes it easier to keep track of the sale ads too.</span></div><div class="fbPhotoCaption"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010059.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="fbPhotoCaption"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br />
</span></div><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom" data-ft="{"type":"action"}"><span class="fsm fwn fcg"><a class="uiLinkSubtle" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1459891420423&set=a.1459886460299.2062289.1327536643&type=1"><abbr data-date="Wed, 12 May 2010 15:21:39 -0700" title="Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 3:21pm"></abbr></a></span><button class="like_link stat_elem as_link" name="like" title="Like this item" type="submit"><span class="default_message"></span></button> </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Next comes my categories! I just used regular page divider things that were $0.97 for a 5 pack at Target. You can get nicer ones, but I'm cheap so I got these! My categories are </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*meat & dairy </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*frozen foods, drinks, juices </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*cereal, breakfast foods, breads </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*flour, baking, oil </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*pasta, rice, seasonings, crackers, cookies </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*paper goods, household and cleaning supplies </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">* personal care, meds, pets </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*sauces, condiments, dressings, jellies </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*canned goods, soups </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">*restaurants, etc.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010060.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Here is one of my coupon pages. I use the trading card pages that you find over by the baseball, Pokemon and other cards of that sort. I found them in a pack of 30 pages for $4.99 at Target. I have about 80 pages in total, but I'm crazy.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010061.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Here is a photo of one of the blank pages for your reference.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010064.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Behind the last tab is where I keep all my restaurant and fast food coupons in a single page protector. I sort through this and my other coupons about once a month and pull out all the expired ones. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010065.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Right behind the coupons I have the nutrition facts for various restaurants. A lot of places have these at the front or you can print them from online. We like to know what we're eating, so we like to have these.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/May2010066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Finally, in the back is another pocket with extra paper (usually scraps from my online printed coupons) and sale ads for other non-grocery stores and Costco - gotta have those Costco coupons! Now, I'm not at all one of those "extreme" couponers and if I'm being really honest - they irritate the living daylights out of me! I buy only what my family can use (I don't clear the shelves of sale/coupon items). I do try to keep a small stockpile of certain things (toothpaste, toothbrushes, deoderant, canned goods and non-perishables), but it's not a huge stockpile and I have found that it comes in handy when someone unexpectedly needs to stay the night or if I have a friend in need!</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">I hope you enjoyed this post and that you can save yourself some cash by making (and using) a coupon binder!! If you want to know who I follow on Facebook, let me know! Maybe I can get their permission and have a whole link-up post!</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">~Alicia </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span>Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-47431650787122584052011-05-23T13:01:00.000-07:002011-05-23T13:01:05.660-07:00Make-It Monday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">We've missed a couple (or was it a few?) weeks, but we're back with a VERY simple Make-it Monday!!!</span><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/makeitmonday.jpg" width="228" /></div><br />
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Sweet Potato Pancakes!!!<br />
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They may sound not so yummy, but my family loves them more than plain 'ol boring pancakes!! Here we go! Bake a few sweet potatoes... not yams! Make sure they are indeed sweet potatoes. There is a difference! Just bake them as you would a plain potato in the oven or microwave. Let them cool some then remove the skins and puree the insides in a blender or food processor. You will need to add some water to give it a pancake batter consistency. Don't worry about adding too much water, just keep adding a little at a time until it's nice and smooth.<br />
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At this point my favorite thing to do is to portion it out into 1 cup portions and freeze it in individual zip top bags! This way you're ready for Sweet Potato Pancakes anytime!<br />
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Next you will make you pancake batter. Any kind will do - the just add water stuff, a from scratch recipe or my go-to: Bisquick! Add 1 cup of sweet potato puree to your pancake batter along with 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. Cook them as you usually would and ENJOY!! The sweet potato adds extra vitamins and nutrients and your pancakes taste just a little bit sweeter without any extra sugar!!<br />
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Have a fantastic week!!Raspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-69878346275639892342011-05-17T22:47:00.000-07:002011-05-17T22:51:19.953-07:00Smart Music<a href="http://s1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/?action=view&current=violin.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m486/raspberrycordialmusings/violin.jpg" /></a><br />
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I recently began listening (which means my daughter did too) to nothing but classical music, I heard that children who listen to and are exposed to classical music tend to be "smarter" than children who do not listen to classical music. Now all this hype, called The Mozart Effect, started in the early nineties when some research on the matter was put out by the University of California at Irvine. I must admit from the bits of research I've read its both interesting and amazing to me (I'll spare you all the details and scientific terms, as this is a blog and supposed to be lite reading!) As with any coin there is always a flip side, there are many who argue that it doesn't matter what type of music you listen to, it does not make you smarter. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong! <br />
I cannot say for sure what side is correct, I just don't know. However, I will say that there is definite educational gain to be had from listening to classical music! Since, we began listening to classical, three months ago, we have been exposed to concertos, sonatas, opera, chorales, composers, conductors, minors, majors; and on top of that there are so many cultures intertwined, from Austrian composers to French and Italian operas...and even then the list goes on! How can all this not be gainful?!<br />
Sometimes while listening to the music we will try and picture what type of action goes with that music, for example, this sounds like a girl sneaking out to the kitchen in the middle of the night to get cookies, or this sounds like something sad just happened. I love that my daughter is listening and interpreting, and feeling the music, and I don't even have to worry about it! So much of what is on the radio these days is not child friendly, heck, not even adult friendly. There is a lot of "junk" out there. It warms my heart that my daughter loves to sing along with opera (I don't know how she does it?! The operas are usually in a foreign language, and well, very high pitched, none the less it is extremely entertaining for the both of us! ha ha! She loves when the fat lady sings! He he!) I know you've all heard the saying "garbage in, garbage out", is that not true for the music we listen to as well? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying, " that if you don't listen to classical music, you're listening to garbage." (please no angry emails or comments, ha ha!) There is a lot of great music out there, and as parents we all get to make the executive decision of what we expose our children to. I just thought hey, there's a chance those smart people at the university are right, why not give my daughter every advantage I can, especially if it's as easy as turning the dial or pressing play...I like to think of it as vitamins for the ears. If nothing else we have found something new that we enjoy!<br />
Those are just some of my thoughts on classical music and it's benefits, but I want to leave y'all with this question: If listening to Mozart can make you smarter, will listening to Lady Gaga make you dumber?<br />
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~SonyaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6158555531706539394.post-87902011343997097972011-05-01T18:40:00.000-07:002011-05-01T20:47:57.015-07:00Kids Say the Darndest Things The other night I was sitting, reading a book and my daughter was across from me playing. She had turned the couch into a makeshift boat for her sock monkey collection and herself! They had to get upstream to be saved from the piranha! (At least that was the storyline I picked up from her narration lol!) I stopped reading and was just sitting there giggling at her playing! There are so many times that she says funny things and doesn't even know it! <br />
To this day my mother still reminds me of when I was a child and how I would ask for "chicken Popeye's" for dinner instead of "chicken pot pies", and how whenever we arrived anywhere; I would be in the back of the car saying, "don't forget the baby"! (Obviously I wasn't much of a baby if I was able to say that ha ha!) <br />
Over the years I have jotted down a few things that my daughter has said that have made me laugh or smile! I thought I would share some of them and see if they could bring a smile to your face as well! Most of them are from when she was a bit younger...but I'm sure when she is "old" with children of her own I will remind her of how cute and hilarious she was as a child!<br />
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-After collecting her allowance money,"I'm doper, I'm stronger....I'm richer than you!" (That's when I stopped listening to Kanye West in the car ha ha!)<br />
- after falling on her bottom, " Ow www Mom, I think I broke my butt knuckle!"<br />
- What did the three wise men bring Jesus? Layla's response " Gold, Milk, and Sugar" <br />
- steak sauce is "snake sauce" and she doesn't want A1 she wants "A2"<br />
-in reference to my niece's contact lenses. " Oh, Emily you look so nice you have your eye tacs in!"<br />
-"See ya later crocodile"<br />
-"I want a peanut-colada smoothie."<br />
-"Mom, it's not an apple tree, it's a papercot tree!"<br />
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Those are just a few of my all time favorites! Layla just recently turned 9yrs old and she usually gets the words right for what she's talking about now ,and sometimes surprises me with really BIG words (however, her spelling is quite hilarious still! It's very creative! For example julery = jewelry.) Time passes by so fast and the things to laugh at are new everyday, I wish I could remember all of them! I encourage you to keep a notepad on the fridge or somewhere handy. When something tickles your funny bone write it down. This way you can laugh in the present and in the future!<br />
I would love to hear some of your top favorites of what your kids have said! Kids are so funny and one can never tell what they're going to say!!<br />
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~SonyaRaspberry Cordialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821086324768877393noreply@blogger.com4