Winter White Hot Chocolate

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery Pic is from last night's Football Banquet. Josh took his friend, Brittany, and I took their pic before they slipped out. (More pictures taken with the "good" camera, I promise!) Aren't they handsome and pretty (respectively)?

JUST A THOUGHT - Did you know there's a section of clothing in Ross' Dress For Less called "Active Bottoms?" I just thought that was so funny yesterday. I will never buy anything with a tag that says "Active Bottoms" because I feel there is a commitment which must go with such a purchase. You know... "Because I'm wearing 'Active Bottoms' I must never sit. I must be walking, running, bouncing, etc. at all times." That's probably why a lot of my clothing comes straight off the "Leisure Wear" rack. No commitment whatsoever.

JUST ANOTHER THOUGHT - I read this in a book called The Gospel Truth About Money Management by Judy Woodward Bates (who goes to our church, by the way). It is hilarious, so I wanted to share it with you today. "There's a thin person inside of me trying to get out, but I keep her sedated with chocolate." Seen in a shop window in Fairhope, Alabama. I love it! (See! If I were wearing Active Bottoms, I probably wouldn't be the kind of person who would see the humor in that little quote.)

COMING UP - I've been driving Austin's truck this week for various reasons, and he had a small booklet in the passenger seat called 28 Real Ways to Share Your Faith on Campus. I love it, and I want to share some of the ideas with you Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week... along with some thoughts about campus life as seen through the eyes of a 48 year-old mom. These are really good ideas for sharing your faith anywhere.

CHRISTMAS CARD COUNT - I'm at 28. I'm having to spend a great deal of time on the phone soliciting Christmas cards, but I've found that it is worth it to reconnect AND encourage people to NOT give up this wonderful holiday tradition. As always... I'm just doing my part!

I have a little story to share this morning. It falls under the categories of "Things that happen two nights in a row," "Why the laws should be changed and people under 18 should not be allowed to drive alone," and "Why I need a fireman's pole in my house." (Not necessarily in that order.)

Last night, Josh took Brittany home. I prayed and prayed. I received a call from Josh asking if he could stay a little longer to study Chemistry (the school kind), and Mike and I said, "Yes. But only until 9:30, and then you need to head home to study for your other exams as well." Agreed.

At 9:37 I receive the following phone call. "Hi, Mom. It's me... Josh."

"Yes. I recognize the voice," I replied uber calmly.

"Yeah. Well. I'm kind of in a ditch," he said. He was uber calm, too.

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked.

"I'm not really sure it's a ditch. I can't back out and I can't go forward. I'm sort of stuck."

"Did you run off the road?" I was trying to get a clear picture in my head.

"No. Nothing like that. I'm not exactly sure what happened."

"Did you have a wreck? Were you going too fast? Did you lose control of the car?" I still wasn't getting a good picture, you see.

"No. I'm on a curve and my tire went off the road a little and now I'm stuck. I was going the speed limit. I promise."

"Okay. Your dad and your brother will be there in a few minutes." I quickly explained the situation to Mike and Austin, and since they had gotten our neighbor out of the mud and muck the night before, they had all of the supplies ready to go... rope, boards, muddy clothes, etc.

Just as they were about to leave on their rescue mission, I received another call.

"Hey. I'm out."

"What does that mean?" And why do I not understand what my kids tell me 99 percent of the time?

"It means I put on the emergency brake, gunned it, popped the emergency brake off and shot out of the mud... and I'm on my way home."

Now there were several words and/or phrases I didn't like in that last sentence... "gunned it," "popped," and "shot out of." But I will say the end result was very, very good.

When he arrived home, Mike, Austin and I were standing in the front door, arms crossed and waiting. Grinning sheepishly, he said, "It's been a pretty eventful night, huh?" And with that he patted Mike and Austin's shoulders, gave me a hug and a kiss, and went upstairs to study.

Mike looked at me and without speaking any words I knew what he was thinking... "And you wanted four!"

CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY IN DECEMBER

DAY 11

15. Ask four or five of your child's friends over to go caroling. Have flashlights ready and make sure they are dressed appropriately. Call your neighbors ahead of time to make sure they will be home and expecting you and the carolers. Practice a few of the basic carols before you leave (Jingle Bells; We Wish You a Merry Christmas; O, Come Let Us Adore Him; Rudolph; etc.). Sing two or three at each home (on the outside steps) before moving on to the next home. Finish with hot chocolate and cookies at your house before loading the kids in the van to take them home. (If you have time, turn on the Christmas music and drive through a neighborhood or two to look at Christmas lights.) It takes about an hour, but the memory will last much, much longer.

16. Make a stocking for an elderly neighbor. Go to The Dollar Tree and purchase all of these items for $1 apiece (including the stocking):

2 or three cards (birthday, sympathy, get well, etc.)
Stamps for cards
Bag of peppermints
Fingernail files
Bic pens
Word search or crossword puzzle book
Hand lotion
Small tissue packs
Hot chocolate packs

After you fill the stocking, make a time to deliver and spend a little time visiting. Again, take your child/children shopping with you AND they should be with you when you deliver it, too.

Winter White Hot Chocolate

You will need:

2 cups fat-free half-and-half
2 cups fat-free milk
3/4 cup white-chocolate morsels
1/4 cup Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Bring half-and-half and milk to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Add chocolate morsels and Splenda, stirring until morsels melt.

3. Stir in vanilla.

4. Serve in glass mugs and garnish with whipped cream and peppermint sticks.

5. Serves four.

Sounds good, doesn't it? I'm trying it later this evening. Oh, and the Peppermint Stick Pie I posted last week was a huge hit. Very easy and very, very good!

Have a fabulous Tuesday! So much to do... and very little time to finish! If you're shopping, I hope you find everything you need in one store! If you're baking, I hope nothing burns or sticks! If you're taking Christmas card pictures, I hope everyone's eyes are open and their smiles are perfect! If you're cleaning house, I hope... Well, I hope your house doesn't need much cleaning!

Tomorrow I have a Seasonal Tradition (borrowed from a friend) that looks like a lot of fun. I'll also share some Wednesday Wisdom, inexpensive ideas for Christmas Every Day in December, and much, much more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda