Disney Movie OCEANS / Discovery Channel LIFE / EPCOT Flower & Garden Show 2010

A friend emailed me this the other day:

Proverbs 16:1   

The plans of the heart belong to man,

But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. 

A popular saying these days is Be careful what you pray for which implies that you're always going to get what you pray for.   That's not necessarily so but does happen. One of the purposes of regular prayer is to keep your mind and thoughts centered on God and what His desires are.  Many times, His desires will become your desires and you often WILL get what you pray for in that case.    Keep in mind that He can see the past, present and future.  We don't always remember the past exactly, often are too emotionally involved to really "see" the present and have no way of seeing the future.  Keep praying and watch your heart change and see your prayers answered, maybe even in a way that you were not expecting--yes, no, wait, or another way....  The Lord really does know what is best.  As for me, I'll stick with what He plans far above what I plan any day.

Romans 8:28 

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good 

to those who love God, 

to those who are called according to His purpose. 

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DISNEY NATURE MOVIE--OCEANS:

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday with family and friends.  This afternoon my husband and I are going to take in an early matinee of the new  Disney movie Oceans that we've heard so much about.  It is Disney's nature movie release that coincided with Earth Day this past week.   Narrator:  Pierce Brosnan.  Sound:  Skywalker Ranch.   I hope the film isn't just evolution propaganda.   When I was growing up and in elementary public school, there used to be a cycle of Disney nature movies that were shown in the classrooms and local libraries. Does anyone remember those from the 1960's?  I enjoyed them back then, too.

Oceans: Official Companion to the Disney Feature Film

MOVIE REVIEW:  Excellent underwater photography.  A few references to evolution and everyone coming from the sea, millions of years ago...  Minimal though.  Most scenes you would never get a glimpse of except for the skill of the photographers (and courage in many cases).   Go to a morning show or a matinee. Only cost $6.00 on Saturdays at the AMC theatre near us if you go before noon.  

DISCOVERY CHANNEL SERIES--LIFE:
Our family loves watching nature programs (a calming alternative to Jack Bauer saving the world) and have been enjoying the Discovery Channel series Life.  Oprah  Winfrey is the narrator for the series and she begins every episode  with "how many millions of years ago" this or that form of life began.  Aside from that, the programs are absolutely excellent.   The photography and micro-photography (is that a word?) are truly breath-taking.  I believe they are broadcast on Sunday evenings, usually two or more programs back to back.  We DVR them and watch later in the week.

Life

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW 2010:
In case you don't live in the Orlando area, let me show you some of the photos I took at the EPCOT International  Flower and Garden Show.  We were there in March and frankly, I was rather disappointed with the landscaping and lack of blooms. We had very cold weather in early March, so  the flowers had probably not adjusted to the cold ground.   One month later... it was like going into the Land of Oz.  SO beautiful. I took about 50 photos but here are some of my favorites.  

Matthew & Gunnar Nelson (Ricky and Kristin Nelson's twin sons) were performing the night we were there.  Remember Ozzie and Harriet?  Ricky was their younger son.  The American Gardens Theatre has a "Flower Power" retro musical performance Friday-Sunday  each weekend during the flower and garden show.

It's always Christmas in Germany.

Epcot's  Earth Day flower exhibit of dolphins swimming and jumping in the "water".  Pretty neat, huh?

The Flower show ends on  Sunday, May 16, so if you are in the area, I hope you can visit this park.   Have a great weekend.

Making Homemade Whipped Cream

From my windowsill:

MAKING HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM:

Usually when I have leftovers or something simple for supper (I try to make most of my meals that way), I have at least one part of the meal that is special.  One night this week when we had leftovers I made some brownies for dessert (box mix) and homemade whipped cream.

I have not bought aerosol whipped cream in years once I learned how to make this simple treat. Everyone in the family loves it and it tastes absolutely delicious on fruit, cake, brownies, sundaes...

Here are the steps to make this treat for your family.  It only takes about 10 minutes to make. Honest!  Only 3 ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, put one cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp. vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Chill the bowl with or without the ingredients in it (I use a stainless steel one)  and beaters for about 5 minutes in your freezer.  I don't usually put the ingredients in but the beats had just come out of the warm dishwasher and I wanted everything chilled quite well.

I buy the cream from Sam's Club in a one-quart carton.  It's about $2.29.  In the grocery store you pay about this much for a small 1/2 cup carton.  I use vanilla often as a flavoring in coffee grounds when making fresh coffee so I also have a large bottle of that on hand.  I keep my sugar in the refrigerator since we don't use it often.  If the whipped cream will be served on a sweet like the brownies here, I only use about 1/4 cup.  If it's to be used on fruit, you might want it a little sweeter.   You could substitute honey for the sugar if you prefer.

Adjust the portions of vanilla and sugar depending on your own personal tastes.  Beat on high for about 5 minutes until the cream thickens and peaks. 

When it's ready, it looks like this.

All the men in my house like to lick the beaters.  Whoever happens to be home is the lucky one.  :)

Serve.  That night we had it on brownies. Mmm...  :)

Sometimes it's the little things that make something rather ordinary (brownies) into something special, and those small things may be what your family remembers the most.

Ligonier National Conference Orlando June 17-19, 2010

LIGONIER NATIONAL CONFERENCE / ORLANDO / JUNE 17-19, 2010

I just registered our whole family to attend the Ligonier National Conference which will be held in Orlando in June.  If you have never heard of Ligonier Ministries, go to this link.  It is an excellent biblical teaching ministry with Dr. R.C. Sproul as its founder.  I listen to him on his radio  program called Renewing Your Mind at 8:00 a.m. many weekday mornings.  Our older son has attended the conference for the past 5 years. My younger son and myself went last year to a couple of the sessions but we have never attended the entire conference.  We are looking forward to attending this time of refreshment and teaching as a family.   Here is an excerpt about the conference:

Learn to apply eternal truth to difficult challenges. 

Christ has redeemed us to be a light that directs others to Him. Fulfilling this call requires us to be able to deal with the most difficult questions asked about the Christian faith. If we are unprepared for the darkness around us, it will be harder to counter it with the truth of God’s Word. Join us as we look at some of the toughest questions Christians face. Our goal is to equip you to answer questions that all Christians and non-Christians find perplexing. 

Earth Day / Miserly Moms Living Frugally / Alive at 25 Driving Safety Course / Yard Flags and Decor

From my windowsill:

Earth Day, April 22, 2010:

Recycle or Freecycle, Restore or Rebuild, Replenish or Replace, Reduce or Remove, Reuse whatever you can.  Remember though, to worship the Creator, not the creation.

Genesis 1:1   

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

Genesis 1:29-31 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;  and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.  God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 

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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY:

Here are two broadcasts from one of my favorite programs, Focus on the Family, that I heard this week.   My kids were raised indirectly by Dr. James Dobson, 

The New Dare to Discipline

and although he is no longer part of Focus on the Family's regular broadcasts, they still have some excellent podcasts which I save to iTunes.  I like to listen while I'm at the YMCA or walking in the mornings. 

The title of each is:  Frugal Living in a Tough Economy.  The guest speaker is Jonni McCoy, author of Miserly Moms: Living Well in a Tough  Economy.  I'm always on the hunt for new ways to save money with continuing to be a mom at home as my primary goal.   When I stopped working in the corporate world almost 21 years ago we took more than a 50% decrease in our total income.  We cut back and cut back and of course, gave up quite a lot, but gained oh, so much more.  Being home with our two sons has been a blessing beyond what I could have ever imagined and I am so glad I did.  You can live on one income. It CAN be done. with patience, prayer, biblical counsel and a little imagination and resourcefulness thrown in.  :)  Also, by being frugal, you can surprisingly be quite generous.  Try it.

Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy

Part 1, broadcast on April 19

Part 2, broadcast on  April 20

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FREE DRIVING SAFETY COURSE:

From The Happy Housewife (one of my favorite blogs for moms):

The National Safety Council has created a program called Alive at 25 for parents like me. This program helps parents and kids work through real life examples that reinforce good driving skills. Midas is currently offering this program free to anyone who registers on the website. 

I signed up for this yesterday for my 15-year-old son who is learning to drive now.  For this safety-conscious mom, this was a no-brainer.  

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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN YOUR OWN FRONT YARD:

Everyone loves to express themselves differently and I love to see that there are such a variety of people around me.  On a morning walk in our neighborhood I noticed how differently people's yard accents express who they are.  

These displays make me smile and also make me glad that my neighbors are not all just like me.

Some like the lazy days of spring and summer.

Quite a few had American flags on display to show their patriotism and not just on holidays.   We put ours up on holiday weeks.

There are the nature lovers.  Save the manatees...

the sports fans...

CLICK ON Read More to finish this article.

How to Peel Garlic / Best Mashed Potatoes Ever

From my windowsill:

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PEELING GARLIC

I use garlic often, in as many recipes as I can get away with it.  I buy it from Sam's  in a long 2-lb. bag from Sam's Club.  $2.98.  What a deal!  One of those tiny  boxes with only two heads of garlic  in the grocery store is about the same price.  I don't even look at the garlic in liquid (what is that?) in the grocery stores.

I use it in soups, pasta anything, sauces, salads, casseroles, pot pies...many things are enhanced with the flavor of fresh garlic and it is so good for you as well.   I keep it handy on a rolling cart in my kitchen with the onions.

If you are timid about using fresh garlic, here are some simple instructions on preparing it for cooking.  If you read my blog yesterday or the day before on the  Romertopf stew or the soup I made when I cleaned out  my frig, I used two HEADS (not cloves) of garlic in each.  

First, open your trash can (we have a foot pedal on ours), dampen your fingers and rub the dry garlic.  Much of the thin, flaky skin will come right off.  Pinch off the tops.

Separate the cloves, the individual sections of garlic and lay the large ones on a cutting board.  I don't mess with the small ones.  I use a glass cutting board rather than a wooden one so it can go into the dishwasher if needed.  (This is especially helpful when I cut meats on the board.)  These are the large cloves from ONE head of garlic.

Using a sharp knife, cut off the ends and peel away the rest of the light-weight skin.

At first it may take about 10 minutes or so to do this. I've done it so often that it takes me about 2 minutes to peel a head of garlic.  Here are the results.

Depending on how much you love garlic, you may only want one head at a time in your food. We enjoy having two and no, no one has ever commented on our breath!  :)

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BEST GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

My kids have always loved mashed potatoes.  From the time they were little they would ask for them and try them often at restaurants and at friends' homes.  But it wasn't until our friends John and Abby  brought these garlic mashed potatoes over one night for dinner that our sons declared these were by far, the best  mashed potatoes they had ever eaten.   The only change that I made was to substitute heavy whipping cream for créme fraiche.  That was several years ago and I have made them this way ever since.

INGREDIENTS

• 8-10 medium sized potatoes, red or brown skinned
• 1 whole head of peeled fresh garlic (no need to chop)
• 1 cup, maybe more, of heavy whipping cream (less expensive by the quart at Sam's Club)
• 2 tsp. of salt, maybe more to taste
• Dash of pepper

DIRECTIONS

It's hard to use a hand mixer and take a photo at the same time, so there's not one of that process. :)

1. Boil the potatoes together with the garlic for about one hour.  I cook in a pot that can handle a hand mixer.  Less dishes to wash afterwards
2. Drain.
3. Place the pot on a potholder on the counter.  
4. Add cream, salt and pepper.
5. Mix on high until the potatoes are a  smooth and even consistency, about 3 minutes, adding more cream if needed.
6. Taste (my younger son ALWAYS does this). Add more salt if needed.
7. Enjoy and try to remain humble with the compliments.  :)