Thursday, January 29, 2009

SNOW ICE CREAM! Want some?

Having RECORD BREAKING snowfall has its perks.

Snow Ice Cream is one of them.

Here is a YUMMY, simple recipe with just 5 ingredients:
snow, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, milk & sugar.

THIS is thanks to my father-in-love, who while visiting from Arkansas, made it for us EVERY DAY!

Ya'll know them southern folk don't get snow everyday... so they make the most of it. And we'uns benefit.

Hubby made it yesterday for the office staff... after a freshly fallen snow. They couldn't get enough! They are making it again today for a Children's Ministries Meeting.

SO in honor of my Father-in-Love's Birthday TODAY... (Happy Birthday, Dad...) ...

Make some SNOW ICE CREAM and enjoy this smooth, creamy taste you will crave all winter.

NOW... this takes some trial and error... depending on your tastebuds.


FIRST you get one Southern Father-in-Love

SECOND - he mixes:
  • 1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
    (the light tastes yummy too... minus a few calories.)

then add:

  • Vanilla to taste... (start with a teaspoon)

  • Milk to thin it... (start with 1/4 cup)
  • Sugar... (start with 1/4 cup or less)

THIRD

Have your hunka hunka burning love go and cool off by gathering clean WHITE snow from the great outdoors.(save the colored snow for those 'special' people in your life.)















FOURTH






Put snow in a bowl ...



...and add some mixture.


Stir around till you like the consistency.



If the mix needs more of this or that... just add it.



If I, the culinary challenged can do this without 'set in snow' measurements, YOU CAN TOO!

Try it.

Let me know how you like it. We haven't made it for anyone who didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Then I will tell my Father-in-Love he is famous!

ENJOY!

Monday, January 5, 2009

WHAT!!!!...You did NOT?...oh YES I did!

After 44 years of virgin ears...

... I am now pierced! A gift from my son... who thought his MOM should get over her legalistic self... and join the ranks of FREEDOM.

After years of hearing me complain about clip on earrings... hurting... can't ever find any that I like... yada yada... he "encouraged" me to take the plunge.

WHY,
you ask did it take me so stinkin' long?


WELL... I grew up in an era of ... "If GOD would have wanted you to have holes in your ears... they would have been there when you were born."

"If you are in that movie theater when Jesus comes back, you will be LEFT BEHIND!"

I thank the LORD that I was usually a good girl... following the rules... never gave my parents reason to worry.

However when I went to BIBLE COLLEGE I went to my first movie theater... to see the movie Rocky 3... at the $ theater... with all the Baptist Bible College students who weren't supposed to be there either. We all had an understanding, you see....

Then when we pastored our church in Mt. Pleasant, I did the evil of all evils... wore PANTS to church... not just to church but on the PLATFORM to play the PIANO!

I was getting WORLDLY... oh yes I was.

I did always wear make-up though. Not alot... but if a barn needs to be painted... you need to PAINT IT, girls!
Surely I jest... kindof... but I WOULD like to thank my parents... who raised me to love Jesus... be faithful to church... and to progress with the times... and to search within myself... sin or legalism... grace or condemnation...

Just so you know... my mom got her ears pierced at age 65... a gift from my nieces... she LOVED it... that was 4 years ago. She has been telling me to get with it all this time. She followed in the footsteps of our friend Audrey... who was one of the biggest 'opponents' of ear piercing way back in the day... who decided at age 68... clip ons were for the birds... and joined the ranks of the pierced.

I just saw my Gram tonight and she said jokingly in her Alabama lilt... "You done went out and sinned!"

MY 13 girl responded..." I am never gonna sin like that. I don't wanna go to Hell!"
(really she just thinks it will be a pain to have one more thing to worry about every day.)

We laughed.

I posted on my facebook status that "Mary Beth just got her ears pierced for the first time in 44 years."

You should have seen all the comments that generated. HILARIOUS!

AND the questions...Why DIDN'T you ever get them pierced??

Well... read the following verse...

1 Peter 2:13
Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order... Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

I loved ( still love) my family... my pastors... my church. Way back when... in the mid 20th century... these were standards of the church. I respected my authorities. As those over me prayed and moved beyond these things... I, eventually, was set free as well. HA!

As I was thinking about "Freedom in Christ" I came across some great verses. Too long for this post. BUT so many times we use "FREEDOM" as an excuse to sin... compromise our values... our standards.

We need to hear from the Holy Spirit... HE needs to be our voice of direction for TRUE Freedom.

ANYHOO... all my friends and family now have it easier when buying me gifts... and hereafter, when people give me pierced earrings for my birthday or Christmas... I don't have to say, "Thanks... but I don't have pierced ears... " and then commence to see the shock and awe they exude.

One thing... I did kindof like being the 'unusual one'. Now I am a conformity (is that even a word???) ... well... those closest to me would probably beg to differ on that one.

So tell me...Am I going to hell in a handbasket for my actions?
If I am... I know alot of dangling, sparlky, hoopy, ear ring wearers who'll be right beside me.

Right Mom?