Joyfull Living

I found a fabulous recipe for a Valentine's Day cake.  I gave it a try and it is moist, delicious and a gorgeous shade of pink - perfect for Valentine's Day! Easy Valentine's Day Cake 1 box (18.25 ounces) white cake mix 1 package (3 ounces) red Jell-O powder (Strawberry, Raspberry, or Cherry flavor) 1 cup milk 1/2 cup butter, melted 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)  or you can use prepared frosting Assorted candies for decorating (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease one round 9-inch cake pan and one square 9-inch cake pan and dust lightly with flour; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, Jell-O powder, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue beating for another two minutes, until batter is smooth and well blended. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake in the preheated...

TASTY SALMON MOUSSE Source unknown - This is a great story! A housewife was having several couples over for dinner that night, so she wanted to cook something special. She slaved for hours that afternoon and finally created a masterpiece. Salmon Mousse. Just before her guests arrived, she caught her cat nibbling away at the dish on the dining room table. She had worked so hard that she couldn't throw the mousse away, so she smoothed it over and served it anyway. Well, the mousse was a hit. Everyone took seconds or thirds. Proudly she stood to bring the empty plate out to the kitchen and looked out the window. There, next to the house, lay her cat. Dead. She had to confess to her guests that she'd served mousse eaten by the cat and now the cat was dead. The entire dinner party rushed to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. The housewife, who hadn't eaten any because she knew her cat had, lay in bed -- mourning the passing of her cat and fearing that the same fa...

This is the perfect time of the year to enjoy soup. The more I make soup, the easier it seems to get! There are no right or wrong ways to do a pot of soup. I recently came across a newsletter filled with tips on cooking soup that I wished I had read years ago. Here are some of the tips from Living On A Dime Newsletter. Soup Basics: There are 3 main bases or broths that you can use: Chicken Beef Vegetable You can make chicken and beef stock by slowly simmering chicken or beef bones and spices in a large pan of water, generally for 4-8 hours or longer-- the longer the better. You can use as little or as much meat as you want in your soup. Vegetable soup is made by simmering vegetables and spices. It's a great way to use every bit of the vegetables. Save the tips or tops of your veggies, toss them in the freezer and then, when you're ready to make a soup base, add spices ...

Paul prayed this prayer in Ephesians 1:17,18 - “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” As Christians in today’s world, we sometimes want to seem like we have it all together and have the Christian walk all figured out.  We find that balance where we attend church regularly, volunteer to do church work, tend to our families and live morally pure lives.  But as time wears on and we continue on day after day , doing these same things over and over, they may become redundant.  The sermons, the prayers, the reading of the Bible become a routine – a good routine, but may lack passion and we may find ourselves lost in the “doing”.  I love finding a verse that sparks a light in my heart and taking th...

I love printable lists! It seems like if there is a sheet in front of me and I can write on it, tasks are more organized and apt to get done. Over at Mom Advice, there are several free printable you can download. Some of the printables include a weekly planer, a price comparison sheet, monthly budget sheet, weekly meal planner and some great encouraging sheets for children of all ages. Go over to Download Printables and see if there is something you can use!

Recently I have been stiving to eat healthier, mainly by eliminating processed foods and incorporating more whole grains into my diet.  I've been eating "real" oatmeal instead of the instant kind and have been enjoying it. This week at the store I paused in fromt of the oatmeal section.  My eyes strayed to the newest flavors of instant oatmeal "Hazelnut Latte".   Ohh Laa Laa!!  Sounds wonderful!  But...I was trying to stay away for processed foods that are full of sugar.  But...this oatmeal was buy one get one free and another flavor was Wild Blueberry Muffin (also one of my favorites).  I began to reason in my mind, it is oatmeal, it says whole grains and if it tastes this good, surely I will eat more of it!  So I bought it! I was filled with anticipation as I prepared the oatmeal this morning, inhaling the delicious aroma!  As I tasted my first bite, there was a slight disappointment as the taste wasn't quite as intense as I t...

     

Subject: Tech support - INSTALLING A HUSBAND Dear Tech Support, Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 , and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1 . Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do? Signed, Desperate. DEAR DESPERATE, First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.HTML, try to download Tears 6.2, and ...

What is it about boys and trees?  No matter how old they are, they seem to love to climb in, jump out of or simply hang out in a tree!  My son and our neighbor were “hanging out” in the tree the other day and I took advantage of the opportunity to take some pictures and work on my photography and editing skills!  They were great subjects and didn’t even realize it!  Special thanks go to Sharon for the information and links she shares for photography and editing.  I have learned so much and am excited to explore this new hobby!  This gave me a double dose of joy this week!  

"And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40 May we never underestimate the power of the smallest kindness. A smile, kind word, thoughtful card or understanding ear can be an offering of worship to the Lord. May we be aware of ways to be a blessing - for Him- in our daily lives.

Here are some simple, do-able steps designed to save time and energy! In the Kitchen: When preparing your meals, clean up as you go, washing by hand or putting appropriate items right into the dishwasher. Use items and place them directly back in their place. Immediately following the meal, do the clean up. Wash dishes, do kitchen clean up etc.Spending a few minutes attacking the mess means more relaxation time without dreading the kitchen clean up! Put the perishable groceries in the refrigerator right away directly out of the grocery bags, rather than placing them on the counter first. Wash and cut fruits and veggies before putting them away. Cook Less: Cook extra quantities of meat and use later in the week for another dish. Make individual plates or portions with leftovers and freeze for another time. If you have enough, freeze half the meal for a quick meal at a later date. Morning Routine: Choose your clothes the night before work or school. This way you don't waste valuable ...

If Mama Ain ’t Planning, 2010: Daily Devotional Planner Format: e-book Price: $9.99 Available at: If Mama Ain ’t Planning! Affiliate Program also available! At my home, If Mama Ain't Planning...things fall apart. This mama needs focus, direction and guidance to run the home. I live by lists, or it doesn't get done! In any given day there is so much to keep track of, activities, meals, things that need to be done etc. if it is not written down, it is easily forgotten. On the spiritual side, having something in print to guide me helps keep me accountable to daily Bible reading, Scripture memorization and putting down what the Lord spoke to me. This is a valuable tool for spiritual growth. In fact, I have prayer journals, notebooks to record my thoughts, lists for goals in one place and in other places, grocery lists, meal lists, things I want to do lists....everywhere!!! When the opportunity to review If Mama Ain't Planning came about, I immediately knew this was for m...

Although I think my home is kept neat and tidy, it is a struggle to keep up with all of the home maintenance tasks. It is beyond my scope of homemaking to keep up with the over and above tasks such as dusting the blinds, keeping the top of the refrigerator wiped down, treating the drains etc. Not to underestimate the importance of these tasks, it's just that I don't think of them on a consistent basis. I recently came across a great site: Home Wizard Personal Assistant which is a place to make it easier to manage your home. There is a wealth of information including some of these topics: Recommended Schedules Free Personalized Reminders Maintenance Library Energy Savings Tips Safety My favorite is the recommended schedules where you simply check the various features of your home and it pulls up a recommended monthly maintenance checklist for you to do to keep your home running smoothly and efficiently. Since lists help keep me focused and productive, I"m looking forw...

According to the National Weather Service our area is experiencing the longest lasting cold snap in 20 years. There have been 13 consecutive days with below freezing temperatures and a few of those days have had record breaking cold. Here in the deep south, we get cold snaps, but they usually last only a day or two. It has been a huge adjustment to have to wear layers of clothing, gloves and jackets for days on end. One minor issue we face is what do we do with our jackets? As I woke up recently one morning, this was the first sight I saw: Apparently, this is our solution - throwing our jackets on the back of the couch! It would be nice to blame it on the boys, but two of these jackets are mine! But my joy today comes from a slow warm up to our seasonal temperatures which do not include numbers below 32! If you are one of my northern friends, you may be laughing and calling me a wimp! That's OK! My joy today is being from the south!

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." At a recent workshop at his job, my husband came home sharing the differences in people as it relates to how they handle and complete tasks. The leader told the group there were two categories: the "Get It Done" group and the "Do It Right " group. Most people are one or the other, but usually not both. One of the unique challenges in our marriage is that he is a " Do It Right" , type while I am a "Get It Done" person. It took a while to appreciate the differences in our work styles. He does not complete as many things as I do, but what he does is done to perfection. I do many jobs and often times find shortcuts or the easier way to finish which in the end may lack perfection. Our found balance consists of recognizing our different approaches and an appreciation of one another for the way we complete tasks. Oh, and I am learning to try to do a more thorough job in my tasks! I Co...

If you are not familiar with International Delight coffee creamer, be prepared to take your coffee experience to a new level! They have scrumptious flavors such as: Amaretto Belgium White Chocolate Macadamia English Almond Toffee French Vanilla Hazelnut Irish Cream and others They are also sharing on their web site delicious recipes for you to create coffee masterpieces at home - for less money!! Check out the recipes HERE. And..to get you started, HERE is a coupon for $.55 off any creamer. Go ahead and indulge!

This weekend our area was hit with some unusually cold weather. I know....it was cold everywhere, but here in the deep south, we are not used to it! But one of the blessings of cold weather is getting to use our fireplace. We kept a fire going most of the weekend, making the home warm and cozy. My husband is the main fire tender, but he had to work this weekend and left me in charge - with instructions of course! Apparently I tend to stack the wood close together and tight. I was raised in the city and some of these lessons come slow for me! My fires seem to fizzle out pretty quick. He informed me that the wood needs air to circulate around it - to fan the flame so that it will blaze. The wood needs to be loose to allow the air to get to it. Guess what??? It worked! Sometimes my attitude towards my home needs a breath of fresh air! We all love our homes and desire to make them a place of refuge and peace with a loving atmosphere. But sometimes I get smothered with all the t...

Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots? He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her, pulling and him pushing, the little boots still did not want to go on. Finally, when the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, "Teacher, they are on the wrong feet". She looked and sure enough, they were on the wrong feet. It was not any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on this time - on the right feet. He then announced, "These are not my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream. "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to. And, once again she struggled to help him pull the ill fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they got the boots off and he said, "They are my brother's boots. ...

The next few nights will be extremely cold in our area. This will be the perfect time for some great new soup recipes! Betty Crocker Soups, Stews and Chilies Cookbook is a free down loadable magazine filled with great recipes such as: Chicken Tortilla Soup Cheesy Potato Soup Barley Vegetable Beef Soup Grandmas Chicken Noodle Soup and many more. The magazine is filled with delicious recipes, full color photographs and helpful hints. Enjoy! Thanks to Money Saving Mom for sharing.