Good question

"Ask yourself, 'How would the person I want to become, deal with this situation?'"-Bill Treasurer

Red Velvet Cake

My oldest turned eleven and we had a busy day. We did flowers, balloons, and decorations. She played at a friend's house for a short while. I cleaned house, cooked cheesey potato casserole, and then began the long, arduous journey of red velvet cake. It was passed down to use from my husband's great-grandma, Marie. She made it as a tradition. Now, I do. I make it for my husband's birthday every year and this year our daughter requested it for hers. Here is the recipe (to make sure I'm sharing info with the readers. :))

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 oz. red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda sprinkled over 1 Tbsp. vinegar

PREPARATION:

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Sift flour, salt & cocoa together. Add alternately with buttermilk. Beat 3-4 minutes after each addition. Stir in baking soda and vinegar mixture by hand. Bake 30 minutes at 350° in 2 9-inch greased and floured pans. Some online recipes say three nine inch pans, but they are incorrect because it is spread too thin.

Then the frosting that came with our recipe that makes the cake:

• 1 C. Milk
• 1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
• 1/4 C. flour
• 3/4 C. Shortening
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine milk & flour & cook until thick (like a white sauce) Stir constantly. Set aside to cool. Cream sugar & shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla & cooled cream sauce. Beat until icing becomes stiff.

It is truly a wonderful cake. It takes a while, with the cooking of the frosting and all, but it's worth it.

So, before my in-laws got here, I finished the housecleaning... to inform my readers, here are some housecleaning tips:
I found these at allabouthome.com

Refrigerator Odors

• A little vanilla poured on a piece of cotton and placed in the refrigerator will eliminate odors.
• After cleaning the refrigerator add a dash of lemon extract to the rinse water for a fresh scent.

Stuck on Food

For stuck on food on a casserole dish, try adding 2 tablespoons of baking soda and boiling water to cover the stuck on food. Let sit for a while. The dish will be much easier to clean.

And this from good old Martha (www.marthastewart.com go to living and homekeeping) here is how to make a bed...if you get around to making it!! :)

How to Make a Bed

Follow Martha’s easy, efficient system for making a bed perfectly. 1. Begin with a good-quality mattress and box spring. Protect the mattress with a cotton cover; Martha adds a wool pad. 2. Unless you’re using a fitted sheet, make hospital corners with the bottom sheet, starting at the bed’s head: Drape the sheet evenly over the bed, leaving about 1 foot of fabric hanging beyond the head. Stand beside the bed, toward its center, and pick up a side hem. Pull the hem toward you into a taut crease, then raise the creased section over the mattress so the sheet makes a triangular tent over the bed. With your other hand, smooth the sheet flat along the mattress’s side. Then fold the creased section down over the side, and tuck the sheet snugly under the mattress. Repeat the process at the foot and other side of the bed. 3. Add the top sheet, and make hospital corners at the bed’s foot. 4. Leave the sides untucked for easier sleeping. Finish with a blanket, quilt, or down comforter.

Ok, enough informing for tonight. :) I am enjoying deciding what information I'm going to add to the blog. At least for now, I am. :)
Tomorrow my daughter takes her birthday treats to school (store bought this year) and we are secretly repainting her room while she's at school! My husband took the day off so we could work all day and then surprise her when she gets home...Fingers crossed that all goes well!!

Fictional Characters Have Blogs

I saw this in the USA Weekend yesterday and thought it was interesting. Fictional Characters are now getting their own blogs. Three examples, in case you didn't know and didn't read the article, are:
Dwight Schrute (The Office) is Dwight Schrute's Space (schrutespace.com)
Barney (How I Met Your Mother) is Barney's Blog (barneysblog.com)
Joe (Grey's Anatomy-which is the greatest show on right now) is Joe's Blog (emeraldcitybar.com)
The Nurses Station (Grey's Anatomy) seattlegracegossip.com

In other news, my oldest girl turned eleven today!! Busy day ahead!

Global Warming

I still want to be informative, so here is are also some facts to inform you about global warming. I found these at: http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm

Global Warming

Welcome! The fact that you are already here shows that you know how serious the issue of global warming is to our futures. Here is some basic information on what global warming means, and how you can help to stop the process. Thanks for visiting with us!

Do scientists agree about global warming?

Scientists who study the climate are still arguing about how fast the earth is warming and how much it will warm, but they do agree that the earth is warming and that it will keep warming if we don’t do anything about it.

What is causing global warming?

Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal cause greenhouse gases to escape into the air and that these gases are causing most of the warming. Another cause is deforestation (cutting down trees). Trees soak up carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases, from the air.

What is the difference between "global warming" and "climate change?"

"Global warming" refers to the increase of the Earth's average surface temperature, due to a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. "Climate change" is a broader term that refers to long-term changes in climate, including average temperature and precipitation.

What will happen if global warming continues?

There are already some changes happening because of global warming. Sea level is rising and some animals are already moving to new homes. It’s already too late to stop global warming completely.

If the warming gets worse, as scientists expect, there may be some kinds of plants and animals that become extinct (disappear completely) because they can’t move to new homes. There may be more storms and floods. Sea level may rise so much that people have to move away from the coasts. Some areas may become too dry for farming.

What is being done about global warming?

Global warming is a very difficult problem to fix. People are having a hard time agreeing on what to do about it. For example, everyone agrees that wasting energy is a bad thing to do. But some people think that the federal government should make laws about it, while other people think it should be up to each person or business to decide what to do.

Many states and businesses in the United States are not waiting until the federal government decides what to do. They have already started working on the problem.

What can I do about global warming?

You don’t have to wait until you are grown to do something about global warming. Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming. Since these fuels are burned for energy, and everyone uses energy, everyone can help stop global warming just by using less energy.

Think about the things you do each day that use energy. The lights in your house use electricity. The TV and computer use electricity. The washing machine, dishwasher and dryer all use gas or electricity. Every time you ride in your car, it uses gasoline.

There are some very simple things that everyone can do to help stop global warming:

· Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use fluorescent bulbs in your room.

· Turn off your computer or the TV when you’re not using it. Unplug chargers when not in use.

· Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine. Don’t use the machine for one item just because it’s your favorite shirt.

· Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.

· Close the blinds on a hot day if the sun is shining in. Dress more lightly instead of asking for the air conditioning to be turned up, or use a fan.

· Dress more warmly when it’s cold, instead of asking for the heat to be turned up.

· Offer to help your parents keep the air filters on your AC and furnace clean.

· Walk short distances instead of asking for a ride in a car.

· Plant a tree.

· Learn more about global warming so you can talk to people about it.

Informative

My husband has informed me, as well as one of our "gadget intelligent" friends, that blogs should "only be used to share information", to "inform" people. They are a bad way for people to profile others and find out personal information. So, I have removed all our names in an effort to protect our identities. ;) I have removed most directional indicators, as well.
Now, to inform those who read my blog...what to inform readers on...hmmm.
Let's start with this:
In our Women's Circle at our church, we often discuss books on parenting. This year we have a small "tips" book that gives a little tidbit. One of us chooses one, we read it, and then all of us try to practice that all through the week. It's a great reminder; most are common sense, not new information, but great reminders. The book is called "Parenting at the Speed of Life: 60 ways to capture time with your kids" by Rick Osborne. There are ideas like leaving them notes, telling them about times they don't remember about themselves on their birthdays, to celebrate their entrance into our lives, hugging them 19 or more times a day, and telling them that you believe in them.
The book we read, not just for tips but for discussion, last year was "Power of the Positive Mom" by Karol Ladd. It is Bible/faith based parenting advice/information and we read a chapter every other week. Again, some of it is common sense, but they give you so much more in this book! The chapters are:

• Portrait of a Positive Mom
• Priciple #1: the Power of Encouragement
• Principle #2: the Power of Prayer
• Priciple #3: the Power of a Good Attitude
  
• Principle #4: the Power of Strong Relationships
• Principle #5: the Power of Your Example
• Principle #6: the Power of Strong Moral Standards
• Principle #7: the Power of Love and Forgiveness

This book really spoke to me as a believer in God, as a mom and as a wife. One reminder from the book that has stuck with me and that I liked was this:
"Some psycologists say that for every negative comment a person receives, they need to hear ten positive comments to overcome the effects of the negative one. Ten to one-now that's a lot of positive words, especially when you consider all the negative input our kids are likely to encounter during a typical day." I like that the book later points out our job as parents is to work on bringing that positive to our kids more frequently, as well as the other people we come in contact with.
Proverbs 12:25 says, "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."
I needed to be reminded of this, because, in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, I raise my voice to say "hurry up!" more than I should, for starters. I don't compliment the positives as often as I should, either.