Jam Coffee Cake

 

Due to my idiocy yesterday (stabbed myself in the hand, a post for another day)-my husband made the Jam Coffee Cake I had planned for breakfast this morning. I have had a few requests for the recipe which comes from my Mother-in-law Diane!

 

Jam Coffee Cake

1 3oz Pkg of cream cheese

1/4 c. butter

2 c Bisquick Baking Mix

1/3 c. milk

1/2 c. raspberry preserves/jam (or whatever you want)

Topping:

1 to 2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 c. Powdered Sugar

To Make: Cut cream cheese and butter into bisquick until crumbly. Blend in the 1/3 milk. Turn onto floured wax paper and knead (8 to 10 strokes) Roll dough 12x8 onto waxed paper sheet. It is easy to then transfer to the baking sheet. it should look like a rectangle. Cut 2 1/2 inch cuts diagonally on each side. Spread the preserves and fold over cuts so they over lap a little. (this keeps the jelly in; but do expect some to leak out)

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 or so minutes. It should be slightly brown on top. Drizzle the topping over it after it has slightly cooled.

 

Here my hubby making this today.

As you will notice John chose (ahem) not to cut the slits diagonally. Which is fine. I just think it looks fancier with the diagonals.

Bon Appetite!

My New Favorite Food

 

I love it when I get inspired. INSPIRED= In Spirit. Thank you Dr Wayne Dyer! When I am In Spirit I feel good. I feel alive. I feel passion! Isn't that what we all want? When we feel passionate about something we feel the life force pulsing through us. Okay, Okay, before I get to far off track and lose you all-this IS a post about a stir fry right?

I finally got to spend some time with my BFF on Sat night. I could and will one day write an entire post on her! She is amazing and I am so proud and grateful to call her friend. It warms my heart just thinking about it. We are truly lucky that our paths crossed way back in the day when we were silly hormonal 12 years old girls! We didn't know then that our journey would last a life time. But it will-I have no doubt.

She made me dinner. I brought wine and a rosemary and olive oil bread with spinach and artichoke dip.(the unhealthy me that I am!) I had no doubt that her meal would be good. She has always been an amazing cook! But 6-8 months ago she and her daughter were doing '"the Vegan thing". I, on the other hand, have been doing the "meat, pasta, and potato thing". But I have not faced what she has-cancer and the sudden loss of her 40 year old husband. So I totally get why she jumped on board with eating Vegan-I respect that-I admire that.

She made me this awesome rice and a delicious salad! YUM! So I tried to recreate it at home tonight. I also served it with a bacon and cheese quiche. Okay, okay, baby steps right?

Ingredients:

Wehani Rice, Braggs Liquid Aminos, leeks, mushrooms, green peppers, snap peas, red peppers,and red onion.

Basically, you cook the rice for 50 min and then let it sit 10, I cut up all the veggies pretty small except for the snap  peas and sauté them al dente  before I threw them into the rice! I added a little bit of the Liquid Aminos and Voila! And it was sooooo good!

 

 

 

 

I love to be inspired! The End Result-a healthy delicious Stir Fry! So yummy! Thanks Amy!!

Halloween Night ~My Zombie Clown and Rastafarian~

 

It was a chillllllyyyy night here on Sunday wasn't it? Nothing compared to last years balmy Halloween Night. We packed up the golf cart-our preferred way of trick or treating-wrapped in blankets and a couple of adult beverages to warm us and headed out to make our rounds with our-how I want to say "little goblins", but sadly they really aren't little anymore:(

Jack was our Scary Zombie Clown! (although I just thought he was adorable!

Ben wanted to be a "Jamaican Guy", as he stated. So this is my little "Rastafarian" dude!

He is not happy. Isn't it obvious? He was mad about the hat that kept falling over his eyes. It was really bugging him! But he rallied and we ended up having a good night!

Once we were done I took them by car to a house where they have a fake cemetery/funeral set up. It was AWESOME! The owners of the house play there parts spectacularly! The kids really had a good time! (me too!)

We also ran into this guy.

That was fun! He was thrilled for me to take his picture! Although chilly, overall a fun night-but I am so glad it is over-for another year.

 

A Day Of Fun!

Friday the kids and I went to a new friends house-a fellow Homeschoolers who graciously opened her home up to us so the boys could be boys for an afternoon! I am certain if a girl wanted to attend and liked Go Karts, dirt bikes and archery they would not have been turned away! 


I was in picture taking heaven!!! The property was beautiful and had it's own lake (pretty much) and a Mill House!! It was sooooooo cool!


So here are some pics of the day! I want to thank you Sonja for your hospitality and patience at entertaining 13 boys!!! Phew! That was interesting!!! You did a great job!! We look forward to spending more time with these new friends!

Hike To Streaked Mountain

It was an amazing day here in Maine on Tuesday. After the boys did their school work I decided we needed to get outside and take advantage of the great October weather! We headed to Streaked Mountain which is in the small town of Buckfield. The ride there itself was worth it with all the orange and reds on the trees! We took the dogs and I hoped that it would be okay to let them off leash to really burn some energy! It was-my dogs are super friendly to anyone or any dog so no worries there! And I AM A POOP PICKER UPPER! So all is well!


I know that I have done this hike before with both my boys a few years ago-I obviously was in better shape because I do not remember huffing and puffing as I did on Tuesday! And I certainly can't believe John and I did this hike with Ben on our backs when he was 1! But we did!
It was a short but challenging hike-especially on the way down with the water from the rains the day before making everything especially slick. I went down once but saved my camera and myself without major injury so that was a plus!

Didn't look too intimidating at this point....

 Jack...being Jack.

Here we go-Molly is so happy!

 Jack's new shoes-had to put them in here-they make all the difference-so Jack speaks the commercial verbatum!

 Ya okay, I need a rest, huffing and puffing!

 This is a Molly happy face! She is so psyched to be out with us and running free!

 Oh Happy dogs!

 The first View

 getting nearer to the top.

 Jack taking a rest-as he should-he pretty much ran to the top!

 Oh come on! Water? Great- swimming dogs=wet dog smell for the ride home!

 Picking mint leafs at the top!

 Directions-this is a good thing for any hiking this chick does!

 "Mom, is this drinkable water?" Ahh sure Jack, why not? No one has gotten sick yet!

Great day-good hike-my qauds are still thanking me two days later!!!!




Karma and Good Vibes To All~


Stacy

What is Grace?

My children do not like the title of My Blog. "Finding Grace in a pile of laundry". I don't take offense. (well I sorta did for like a minute, but I got over it) They do not understand. What is Grace anyway?
So I looked it up on my handy dandy Dictionary.com and these are  the "official defintions of Grace-

grace

   [greys]  Show IPAnoun, verb, graced, grac·ing.

–noun

1.

elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

2.

a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

3.

favor or good will.

4.

a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior: It was onlythrough the dean's grace that I wasn't expelled from school.

5.

mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.

6.

favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity.

7.

an allowance of time after a debt or bill has become payablegranted to the debtor before suit can be brought against himor her or a penalty applied: The life insurance premium is duetoday, but we have 31 days' grace before the policy lapses.Compare grace period.

8.

Theology .

a.

the freely given, unmerited favor and love of god.

b.

the influence or spirit of God operating in humans toregenerate or strengthen them.

c.

a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christiangraces.

d.

Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God'sfavor or one of the elect.

I certainly don't want to bore you with definitions but # 1 and #8 are the definitions that resonate with me. THAT is what I was going for in titling my blog.

How do we, Moms, Wifes, Home Schoolers, Women-the list goes on- find Grace in our everyday, mundane chores that we need to accomplish? How do we find elegance, beauty, form, manner, action even God-a higher power as we so choose to call Him- in the never ending pile of laundry?

Well, it certainly isn't easy. Do I find "It" every day, every time, I find myself buried in the chores that keep a household going? Ahhhh No, definitely NOT! But I strive for that, I yearn for that! I WANT THAT!

I know how to find it, I know how to get it. Do you?

BE PRESENT

IN THE MOMENT

NOW

So when I am dreading that pile of laundry 4 loads deep. I take a moment, breath, and  feel gratitude for the washer and dryer that made THIS all possible! I thank the children who wore two different outfits throughout the day and the husband who came home with sand in his pockets from work. I feel glad to have a dog who has chewed almost every pair of my underwear who make DOING laundry so regularly so imperative!

Grace-that is what I am going for!

Karma Baby and Good Vibes To You!




Stacy