My friend Melody had these pretzels at a work party and thought they were a great snack. I made a batch around the holidays and they were really good!

Appetizer
What sound, other than the normal ringing, would you like your telephone to make?
A soft voice that would say, “annie, ____ is calling you, it’s ____ o’clock, and the day and date.

Soup
Describe your usual disposition in meteorological terms (partly cloudy, sunny, stormy, etc.).
Fair skies with a few wispy clouds.

Salad
What specific subject do you feel you know better than any other subjects?
Right now, near drowning information… therapies etc.

Main Course
Imagine you were given the ability to remember everything you read for one entire day. Which books/magazines/newspapers would you choose to read?
the bible

Dessert
If a popular candy maker contacted you to create their next confection, what would it be like and what would you name it?
It would be bubble gum, doesn’t lose it’s flavor and blows big bubbles!

To see more, pop into Friday’s Feast…

Have I mentioned that I love Valentine’s Day? I think it is my favorite holiday… I love pink & red, hearts, it is just so sweet. I like the cute little valentine cards the kids exchange. I like that husbands are out scrambling for something to make their wives smile. I love that it is a day just for telling people you love, “I love you.” So sweet… Anyway, happy happy Valentine’s Day! I hope that someone special tells you they love you, in words, in a card, or a special little gift.

My favorite Valentine’s Day was years ago when Amanda was a baby. Matt worked nights and had rented a helium tank. While I slept, he filled enough balloons to cover the ceiling in our living room. I woke up and was amazed at the sweet gesture and all the time he took to do it. He said he wanted me to only see the balloons when I woke up… I did! Amanda loved it and pointed to the ceiling all day.

My least favorite Valentine’s Day was right after Bailey was born. He was born on Feb. 7, so it was only a week after his birth. I was breastfeeding, tired, had mommy blues… and a breast infection. I remember pumping my milk to try to alleviate the pain and thinking, “Happy Valentine’s Day to me!”

Oh well, looking back they were all good days!

I went to the store yesterday to get ingredients for this week’s menu, so I am one step ahead of the game! I like the menu plan on my blog, it makes it easy to check and prepare for the evening meal each day. I really like seeing everyone else’s menus and recipes. I made the curry chicken last week. It was really good. I have never cooked with curry before, but I liked it.


Monday: Steak, baked potatoes, broccoli

Tuesday: sloppy joes, green beans, whole wheat mac & cheese

Valentine’s Day: Mini meatloaves shaped like hearts, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits. (I’m doing the mex version of the meatloaf)

Thursday: crock pot garlic chicken spaghetti over whole wheat pasta (I’ll post recipe on ’slow cooker Thursday’)

Friday: Hot dogs on whole wheat buns with black bean chili, chips.

That’s my week as it stands now, I like the versatility of this… if a day changes I can just cut and paste it

Have a great week!

Blessings!

Annie
You can pop into Laura’s blog (I’m an organizing junkie) to see more and play along!

SNICKERS® Tarts
Really pretty, and so easy to make that the kids can lend a hand!

* 1 bag SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures, unwrapped
* 1 bag DOVE® Brand Chocolate Hearts or M&M’S® Brand Milk Chocolate Candies for Valentine’s Day
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup heavy cream

* 2 packages (6 per package) graham crust tart shells
* 1 1/2 cups whipped topping or whipped cream
* Red sugar sprinkles
* 3 egg yolks

What to do:

1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop the SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures and put them in a bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pot with simmering water until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally.
2.
In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy.
3.
Stir the melted SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures into the egg and sugar mixture. Mix in the heavy cream.
4.
Place the tart shells on a baking pan. Spoon the mixture into the tart shells, scooping from the bottom of the bowl.
5.
Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
6.
Decorate the top of the tart shells with a dollop of whipped topping or whipped cream. Sprinkle with red sugar and either place a DOVE® Brand Chocolate Heart on top of each one or sprinkle with M&M’S® Brand Milk Chocolate Candies for Valentine’s Day.

Makes 12 tarts.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy’s blog for more!!!

Thirteen things I’ve learned since Izzy’s accident…

1. The only constant in life is God. Everything else is subject to change.

2. I am stronger than I ever imagined. God has provided both physical and emotional strength when needed. There were times when Izzy was in the Dallas hospital that I remember thinking she wasn’t going to make it… I was in such dispair and was led to faith based teachings from teachers like Andrew Wommack that gave me hope. This led to days filled with prayer and study and hope.

3. The basic principles I have learned all my life have changed greatly.

4. God is powerful and has no limitations.

5. People are placed in your path at just the right moment.

6. There are no guarantees, so don’t take today for granted. This is the only day like today I will have… appreciate it.

7. I love my kids… so much so I would do anything for them.

8. My marriage is strong. We have made it through some rough times and have continued to support each other and love each other in spite of weaknesses.

9. Patience is a virtue. From ordering equipment, to jumping through hoops for Tefra, nothing goes fast. I have never prayed for patience because I didn’t think the lesson that would go along with it would be pleasant. I was right, it is not.

10. There are a lot of scriptures in the bible about healing. I never really thought about it, I guess I never really “needed” to think about it. But, there is a lot of comfort in those scriptures. I have a wall in the front room which is Izzy’s therapy room that I painted some of my favorite faith based scriptures on the whole wall.

11. True friends are there when you need them and always ready to listen.

12. A good night’s sleep is priceless!

13. There are many many children who have suffered similar injuries as Izzy’s all around the world. Near drownings happen too often.