Oreo Truffles

This is an easy, good, no bake dessert.

45 Oreo cookies, divided (one package)
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz semisweet baking chocolate, melted

1. Crush nine cookies to a fine crumbs in food processor; save for later
2. Crush remaining cookies into fine crumbs and place in medium bowl
3. Add cream cheese to cookie crumbs and mix well
4. Roll mixture into 1" balls, place on wax paper lined cookie sheets (divide among 2 sheets for ease of working)
   
5. Chill for about a half hour
6. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in microwave
   
7. Dip balls into chocolate and return to tray
8. Sprinkle the tops with reserved cookie crumbs
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 with the second tray of balls
10. Refrigerate for one hour until firm
11. Store in covered container in fridge
    

Another Merry Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with Kevin's family this past Sunday, December 21. The kids (our boys and their cousin) were so excited by the gifts we let them exchange gifts among themselves early. I thought this was really cool picture of Ms. Cousin peering over the big princes coloring sheets. The glow from the sun helped too.

Don't know what caught Thing One and Thing Two's attention, but the picture is priceless.

The boys had been wanting their own "Big Boy Bibles" as they called it for some time now. We had bought them in October as Christmas gifts, but just couldn't wait to give the boys the bibles. They REALLY wanted the Bible; whose going to refuse a request for a bible? So after getting the bible, the promptly asked where the covers where. HELLO - we need to save something for Christmas!?!?

Thing two, figuring out the Hot

Wheel's Wii game, now that he has a steering wheel.

A Star Trek show gone bad. Okay, maybe not. Kevin playing with his new camera tripod.

Merry Christmas

My handsome gentlemen after our Christmas Eve Service at Burke Community Church.  They all looked really nice.

Our living room, Christmas morning, after filling two bags of wrapping paper and tissue paper. 

What the room looked like BEFORE cleaning up.  Lots of stuff everywhere.  The boys were so excited by everything.

One of the crafts I made for the boys.  Homemade Home School T-Shirts.  They thought it so cool that the shirts where in "their color and tye dyed"

Another gift, their big gift, were Wii remote attachments.  The set include a steering wheel, tennis racket, golf club, 

and baseball bat.  Of course, each set had to be a different color.  Can you guess what the colors were?

Laundry Basket Boys

Some things in life never seem to change. We'd finished folding laundry - last week maybe - and were sitting around reading "Hardy Boys". It didn't seem to take long before the boys found their way into the laundry basics. They were totally content, just sitting there, listening. Guess they like small places. Found a photo from about four years ago. Then, they could share a basic. To funny!!

Another Not Wordless Wednesday

NEGATIVE SPACE ART PROJECT

We've been working through "Snowflake Bentley" last week and this week.  Today, we worked on Negative Space.  Don't recall where I found the idea for negative space, but it was a fun art project for the boys to work on.  Here's what we did:

1. start with two favorite colors of construction paper
2. cut one in half and set one half aside
3. fold larger sheet in half (optional) to give kids a reference point
4. draw a design or half of a scene on smaller piece of paper
5. cut out scene or objects
6. lay out the parts cut from the half sheet along the fold forming half the design
7. the remaining parts are placed on the opposite side of the full sheet in locations opposite those from which they were cut
8. glue parts down

Home Made Bird Feeder

My son's Cub Scout Den will be making home made bird feeders this week and I wanted to have a practice run before Wednesday night.  As an adult, it wasn't to difficult to make, but I can already picture the questions that may arise when the kids start making them.  Following are the things you'd need and directions.

Items needed:

• empty and dry 16 to 20 ounce bottle WITH cap
• approximately three feet of twine
• scissors
• tack (I'll explain in directions)
• 6" dowel (these had a diameter of .5 cm and came 12" long.  I cut one in half)
• markers, duct tape, or whatever to decorate
• bird seed

Directions:

1. approximately 1" up from the bottom, poke a couple holes on the side of the bottle with tack - this is easier than getting the scissors into it.
   
2. on opposite side, do the same
   
3. now, push dowel through the holes on one side and then through the other side, leaving some dole out on both sides
   
4. approximately 1/2" up from dole, poke a couple starter holes, with tack
   
5. cut the bottom, for the bird opening, 1" to either side of the dole
   
6. next cut up, each side, approximately two to three inches
   
7. repeat steps 4, 5, & 6 on the other side
8. now, the rope needs to be tied, around the top of the bottle
9. tie the two ends together so that it can be hung from a hook or tree limb
10. fill with bird seed to the point that it is not falling out of bird feeder

Snowflake Bentley

We've been rowing a book called "Snowflake Bentley" this week. It is a biography of William Bentley who became fascinated by snowflakes at an early age. He studied them, drew them, and learned how to photograph individual flakes. The story was a 1999 Caldecott Medal as well.

Yesterday's art assignment that we worked on photography and I let Thing One take a few photo's (before the batteries began to run out). Here is some of his handy work:

Our Christmas tree looks a bit blurry, but thought it was neat how the lights kind of "melt" into the tree.

One of Thing One's current favorite books to check out at the library - Hardy Boys. He's even reading them a loud, very cool.

Thing One got Thing Two and me working on Snowflake Math together. Think it's the first photo with me, in it, actively doing school. :)

The "boys" in the house, seem to enjoy taking self portraits. So, in honor of that tradition, here is one of Thing One.

Wordless Wednesday

Who are you??

Not a loaded questions, really.  Just take it at face value.  

It's one I've been mulling over today, kind of being stirred by the Holy Spirit.  Of coarse I've come up with the usual answers:

• Wife
• Mother
• Child of God
• Teacher
• Taxi driver
• Maid
• Cook
• Mason Jar, iced coffee, drinking lady (kind of how I'm known at church)
• laundry lady
• Meanie for enforcing rules
• Assistant Den Leader to Bear Den 1
• Sister
• Daughter
• Friend
• Neighbor
• Sports Mom

It makes me think, that although most of these titles are good, are they what really matters in the long run?  Why do I work at these jobs?  Am I doing these jobs because God has called me to them or because they are what I am?  Is my purpose, or focus, to get the job done or to glorify God?  Will my love for God show through these tasks?

Hhmmm!  A lot to pray over and seek answers.

What was lost is now found!!

Okay, so it's nothing of great consenquences, but none the less, important to me.  I have a cookbook, Casserole Cooking From Taste of Home Books.  There are a number of recipes that we enjoy from this book and it got buried beneath some piles of papers.  Was disappointed when I thought it was lost, but got over it.  Was happy when it was found.

Ah, can still make:

• Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Tater-Topped Casserole
• Sunshine Casserole
• and others

P.S.  Does this count as Monday Musing?

Not a Wordless Wednesday

It's been a bit challenging to keep up with Monday Musings, Wordless Wednesday, Science Friday.  Thanksgiving and a cold got the best of me.

In trying to consolidate postings, I remembered this picture.  We'd planned on giving the Bibles as Christmas gifts, but when the boys began asking for big kid bibles, it was hard to not give in and let them have it early.  Both were excited to get their new Bible.  They've enjoyed learning how to look up passages and learning to read from them.