Challenge No. 19 - Transport

Our challenge this time is sponsored by the wonderful Peachy Keen Stamps and the theme is 'Transport'.

Peachy Keen Stamps is a family owned and operated leading clear stamp manufacturer based out of Northeast Wisconsin. Our stamps are made with the highest quality polymer on the market today, giving them their unique peach tint. The whimsical images designed by Kathy Jakopovich coupled with their durability make them a favorite amongst scrapbookers, card makers, and artists alike. These stamps are sold exclusively online at www.peachykeenstamps.com and at independent stamp and scrapbook stores worldwide. Please visit our website for a complete list of retail locations.

The prize up for grabs is a wonderful set of stamps, specially chosen for us by Peach Keen, to go with our theme.  Take a look at these,

If you need some ideas, our design team have been busy creating these wonderful cards:

Patricia

Issy

Kitty

Mandy

Donna

Kym

Sarah

Shirley

Alison

Aren't they wonderful?  You can get more details from the individual blogs, so please pop over and take a look.  Here's the rules:

1. The card must be for a man/boy.
2. You need to follow the theme/sketch that is set.
3. It must be a new card.

The challenge will close at 12 midnight (BST) on the 26th September 2010.  Leave your name and a direct link to your entry (not just to your blog) below.  If the link tool is not there for some reason then leave the details in the comments and I'll add you in when I'm doing the draw.

Heritage ~ What Are We Building?

We each have an heritage.
And we are leaving one behind.
Where have we come from?
And what are we building?
Who is in our family tree?
And WHO is the Maker of us all?

We have been placed by HIM in the
family we are in.
None of us have perfect families,
but we have a PERFECT God.
Are we living our lives for HIM?

HE uses all things to mould us into HIS image
and to shape us for HIS use.
Are you mouldable?
Am I?

~ My Dad and his sister Fran around 1940 ~

~ Beverley, Fran, Don, and Walter ~

Continuing to number the "ordinary" blessings
in this life that HE has given...

771. A legacy to leave for our children

772. The ability to be useful in HIS Kingdom in this home ~
what a thought!

773. Heritage to discover

774. Following in HIS paths

775. Leading our young ones to do the same

776. Making memories

777. The first day back to school and the beach was quiet ~ perfect!

778. Walking at the beach with our children ~
these days are passing too quickly!

779. Thirteen-year-old who comes alongside me
and joins hands with mine

780. Eleven-year-old who joins in on the other side

781. The fresh fall weather

782. Sounds of the ocean and birds and crickets

783. The girl that notices and thinks and says some of the same things
I am thinking! How precious!

784. The flowers that are picked just for me and given with love ~
thank you Fraser! :)

785. Train rumbling by

786. Boys that run

787. Girl that jogs alongside and chatters

788. She asks "What are we having for lunch?" ~
I ask for ideas. We go home and make it together! :)

789. And "What are we having for dinner?" ~
And planning the rest of the day's meals together
hand in hand in joy...the days are flying by!

790. Returning to "order" and "schedules" and "back to school"

791. Clearing out and cleaning up

792. Fresh beginnings

793. The return of rain

794. The energy to do the things that need to be done

795. The wisdom to let some things go :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

Bite That Tongue!

Oh I talk A LOT!
I always have...just ask my parents!
AND my husband! :)

BUT...what does the Bible say about this??

"In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:
but he that refraineth his lips is wise."
~ Proverbs 10:19 ~

"Be not rash with thy mouth,
and let not thine heart be hasty to utter
any thing before God:
for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth:
therefore, let thy words be few.
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business;
and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words."
~ Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 ~

"The tongue can no man tame;
it is an uruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father;
and therewith curse we men,
which are made after the simlitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not so to be."
~ James 3:8-10 ~

Oh. Dear. Me.

The Scriptures really do say it all.
Do we take the time to consider what we are speaking about,
and to whom?

Should they be listening to what I am saying?
Should I be saying the things that I am?
Am I following this Scripture?

"Let your speech be alway with grace,
seasoned with salt,
that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
~ Colossians 4:6 ~

And these?

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying,
that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
~ Ephesians 4:29 ~

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,
and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
~ Ephesians 4:31-32 ~

Oh that the LORD might put a watch over my tongue!
And that I might have wisdom to use my words
to please and honour HIM!

"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise:
and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."
~ Proverbs 17:28 ~

Blessings,
Camille

Beware of Dinos...(and Mrs. Cooley Finds her Inner Mrs. Frizzle)

I want to be Mrs. Frizzle. (If you have no idea who I'm talking about, grab some Magic School Bus books--they're the best!) When I say I want to be Mrs. Frizzle, I'm talking about wanting to create an environment in which learning is visible everywhere, and the theme is integrated into all aspects of the curriculum! In Mrs. Frizzle's room, her class is magically taken on learning adventures in the Magic School Bus. Although I don't have a magic bus, I want the learning that is taking place to be so much fun that it feels as if a Magic School Bus has whizzed into the room and transported everyone into another time and place!!! {I also want Mrs. Frizzle's themed outfits and earrings.} Anyway, this week, I have channeled my inner Mrs. Frizzle, and have tried to make the classroom into a room that revolves all around dinosaurs! The picture above, and the one below, are two of our classroom dinosaurs! It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but the dinosaurs are pretty big--the T-Rex almost touches the ceiling, and the Brontosaurus is about as tall as the white board! I used the two dinos in my lesson about carnivores and herbivores, and I had the kids draw and label food items for each of the dinosaurs. My personal favorites were the "grassy poptart" made especially for our herbivore dino, and the meatball made for our carnivore dino!


We made fossils using play-doh and shells! This is the fossil display station.

This is Pete the Paleontologist. When I introduced Pete to the class, he didn't have any tools at all. We studied pictures of Paleontologists, looked at real photos and slides from the Sue T-Rex Exhibit in Chicago, and then created tools for Pete. We labeled them together on the poster!

Crab Bisque

My Mum-in-Love and Emma and I
enjoyed time together at a little tea shop a few months ago.
It was a delightful day.

Mum and I ordered soup for lunch and it was YUMMY!
This little tea shop has British owners and I felt bold enough
to ask for the recipe.
Maybe it's because they know Mum and share her heritage.
Or maybe it's because I'm just bold.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.

It all fell flat.

The man who created the soup was not there to
tell me his secrets.
The man's wife said that he likely wouldn't
be able to be much help anyway.
He doesn't write his recipes down and
"tweaks" them as he cooks.

What to do?

I was craving some of that soup.
I *googled* Crab Bisque...
I called my sister...
I looked in my recipe books...
but *the* recipe elluded me.

Out of desperation, the following recipe was created.
And now, I'm sharing it with all of you...
I do hope you enjoy it! :)

~ Camille's Crab Bisque ~

~ Ingredients ~

1/3 cup Butter
2 or 3 medium Leeks (white and light green part only)
4 large New Potatoes (red, white or yellow)
2 Red Bell Peppers
6 cups Water
2 Organic Vegetable cubes (stock)
2 tins of Crab Meat (drained)
2 cups Half and Half Cream
1 tsp Curry Powder
Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper ~ to taste

~ Method ~

Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.
Add in the chopped leeks and toss and cook a few minutes.
Add in the chopped potatoes and red peppers and cook a few more minutes.
Add in the water, vegetable cubes and spices.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and simmer, partly covered,
for about 15 minutes ~ until the potatoes are softened.
Blend soup in a blender, or use a hand-held stick blender right in the pot,
to make the soup smooth.
Add in the drained crab meat and cream.
Stir and simmer another minute or two.
Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serves six generously.

ENJOY!

Update ~ Chicken Broth Questions/Answers

This post comes as a result of the questions left in the
comments section on yesterday's post.

If you do not have the ability to watch video on your computer,
the tutorial link I gave will not be helpful!
So, here in a nutshell are the instructions for the way I make broth.

~ Camille’s Chicken Broth ~

I get a 4 or 5 pound organic bird and I roast it
(I actually cook two of them) and we eat "roast chicken dinner"
the first night.

Then I strip off all the meat and put it in the fridge for the soup making day.
The carcass and skin and bones all get refrigerated until the next morning.
In the morning I take the carcass (skin, bones and all),
and put them in my stock pot.
I pour cold water to cover so that everything is under
the water by about an inch or so.
~ If you need to, you can add ice cubes to make it really cold,
because it's going to sit out for awhile.
I pour in a few tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar
and let it sit covered on the stove without the
heat for at least an hour.
(Apparently, this draws the calcium out of the bones).

After the hour is past,
roughly chop two large carrots,
a large onion and two or three stalk of celery.
(I use more for two chickens).
Add them into the pot.
Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.
Skim off the foam that rises to the top.
Turn down the heat to keep at a very very gentle simmer...
barely, but still slowly simmering.
Continue to skim off foam until it is clear.

Now cover your pot with the lid cracked a bit to
allow steam to escape ~ Very Important.

Let simmer like this all day...
try for 12 hours.

At the end of the simmering time you can plunge a
whole head of parsley into the mix and let sit for a few minutes.
This adds more nutrients to your broth.

Strain all the chunks out through a fine mesh strainer and discard.
If you want really clear broth, use cheese cloth to line your strainer.
At this point many people "clarify" the broth by letting it cool
overnight in the fridge and then skim off the layer
of fat that rises to the top.
With the organic chickens I don't find there is much fat
(especially since I make the stock from a previously roasted bird),
and a little fat adds to the flavour.
I don't do this step, but you can ~ it's a personal choice.

Your stock is ready to be used!
I make soups like normal,
but this stock is not salty,
so more salt would be required than "normal"
if you are used to using cubes or powdered "stock".

For my friend at "Wanting What I Have" (and anyone else, including me)
who are wondering about canning broth ~
I asked my friend Christa, and this is what she kindly shared with me.
**Obviously, you will want to be safe while doing such a thing,
so researching it out is a good idea!
Here was her answer ~

"I process my chicken stock in a pressure canner for 25 minutes
at 10 pounds of pressure.
You CANNOT process chicken broth or stock in a water bath canner."

Thank you Christa for helping us out here! :)

Any other questions?
I do hope you all give it a try...it is SO good!
AND so good for you!

Blessings,
Camille

Challenge No 17 - Winner, Top 3, an apology and an announcement

Phew that's a lot for one post.

Better get down to business then.  The winner, as usual, is chosen using Random.org and here it is:

Congratulations, Designeal.  Email me on cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk and I'll sort out your voucher code.

The top 3 this challenge were

1 - Pinky

5  - Paul

22  - Dragonllew

Congratulations to you all.  Grab our top 3 badge from the sidebar and add it to your own.

Now what's next?  Oh yes, and apology.  Well really I wanted to send a big apology out to all our followers and to my wonderful Design Team because I really haven't been on here very much for the last month (or two) and have lacked motivation.  The design team have kept it all together for me and all our followers have made it worth while.  Thanks so much.  The reason for my lack-lustre approach lately (and here comes the announcement) is that my online shop, Donna's Den of Crafts, has been performing poorly for a very long time and I finally decided to close down.  I really have clung on as long as our pockets would allow and now the whole family has breathed a huge sigh of relief.

On the upside, there is a huge 30% off everything (automatic at the checkout) until the end of September so head over and see if you can grab a bargain.

I'm hoping that by the end of the month, you'll see the old me back again and thanks again for sticking with us.