Memories Of Family Gatherings

I think about Easter coming up. It is a joyous holiday I am getting prepared to celebrate with my family. I will make a small meal, nothing spectacular. As it will only be my kids and my boyfriend being fed. I will spoil the canines as well.

I sit back and think of how it came down to not having a holiday dinner with my extended family. I do on my dad's side of the family. However, not on my mom's. I have forgiven the people who thought it was a big joke to get drunk.

Who tried to start a family fight by bringing an estranged husband in to a mix, accusing someone of things that never happen that could of caused my estranged husband to try and take custody of my children.

I have forgiven the people for trying to slander and cause problems with my boyfriend business he had just started.

I may have forgiven, however, I have not forgotten the pain or harm they could have caused. I have since refuse to speak to any person who was involved in the mess. Family or friend. In my eyes someone who wants to cause you pain, to lose your children, or business which helps to give means to provide for your children is not someone I would want to call a family or friend.

This Easter I plan to rejoice in the Lord my God's name and his son Jesus. I plan to celebrate it with my family who loves each other and wishes no harm but the best for my family.

Making Easy Homemade Marshmallows

I have been looking for different recipes to make marshmallows for awhile. My favorite recipe I found on PopSugar during a search for easy marshmallow recipes. The recipe can be found here : "Make your own marshmallows." I do alternative some of the ingredients.

I love marshmallows. Becoming a type 2 diabetic, I had to find ways to still be able to have marshmallows without all the sugar. When I make marshmallows. I use stevia or other alternative sugars.

I also had to find a gelatin that isn't made from pig hooves. As my boyfriend is allergic to all pork. I did some digging but found Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin, Kosher which is made from cow.

I have to love Amazon for helping me find a product I can use to make homemade marshmallows for my whole family.

Challenge : Write about marshmallows

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This article was created as part of a month long writing challenge that can be found at Challenge Your Writings.

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Photo from Pixabay

Food For Wordless Wednesday

Another wonderful wordless wednesday post. 

My family went out to eat at Captain D's the other evening. I am the only one who choose a veggie to add to my meal.

Side dishes at Captain D's was yummy crab bites, which taste awful cold. Plus, new on the menu claim stripes.

Another meal was pizza. Light sauce with mushrooms and pineapple. It was a tasteful combination. I would order it again. The other pizza was pepperoni and olives for the teens. Dessert was cinnamon sticks with icing.

The next day boyfriend brought lunch home. It was a sandwich from Burger King. What a  surprise!

Challenge : Share a wordless wednesday post.

(It is a post with few to no words.)

A Few Lamb Facts

Photo from Pixabay

Lamb is the flesh of young domesticated sheep eaten as food, usually under a year old. The meat is made in to many popular dishes. Depending on where you live.

Photo from Pixabay

Many people around this time of year see the lamb as a religious symbol. The lamb represents the innocent. It is mention several times throughout the Christian Bible.

Photo from Pixabay

There are over 1 billion sheep throughout the world. Sheeps usually carry for about four and a half months. Giving birth in the late winter or early spring. Normally only one lamb is born. However, twins are not uncommon.

Photo from Pixabay

Lambs normally stand within an hour of being born. This is normal for hoof animals. Lambs drink milk from their moms for the first two months. Before eating a plant base diet of grass and flowers. Males can start reproducing at 6 months of age, where females take a few more months. 

Challenge : Write about lambs

Earn With Memolink

Memolink is a new to me website I joined where you can earn online. Cash out is low. Only $10.00. If you join under my referral link, you get $5.00 to join and so do I. So let's help each other.

You earn points. Which you can use to redeem for : cash,  Amazon codes, gift cards from places like : Outback steakhouse, Best Buy, JCPenney, and etc. You can donate your points to Humane Society, American Heart Association etc.

To earn points you do various tasks around "memolink". Such as: Referring friends and family, signing in, filling out offers, taking surveys, play trivia, do a search, and you can earn points by shopping online.

You can either join by using my referral link, or go straight to to memolink.com and join that way.

Many Blessings

For today's challenge. I am writing about blessings that have been bestowed on me. If you would like to take this challenge, you can find more about it at: "Things to write about in March". If you participate, please leave a link in the comments area. That way I can read what you wrote.

I sit back in my computer chair and think of the blessings that has been given to me. God has given me three beautiful children. Booty 23, Thomas Lee 16, and Emily 14. He has also given me one grandson KJ 9 months.

God has blessed me with a boyfriend of three years. He is the kindest man I have ever been with. He may be a little crazy. However, he is my kind of crazy. I love him very much. My only wish is that I could of meet him years earlier. Maybe I would not be on my second divorce. I know God has a plan for me, in his own time. Not mine.

Another blessing is my dogs. Buster, English mastiff will be two this summer, Moose The Chug turn three in October 2015, and Rascal, the Chihuahua mix will be one this summer.

I have a roof over my head and able to pay the bills. I have my online friends who is willing to give me advice. Plus, listen to my rants on Facebook about my life. I receive the things I need in many different ways.

I am blessed with an extended family. We rarely see each other. Even though we all live with in the same general area. Facebook and phone is how we keep up. Major holidays we get together.

God has blessed me with the opportunity to write and create my own blog. Even if noone reads it. It is way for me to write down my world, my feelings, about anything that comes to mind. Hopefully one day I will be blessed with many readers where as I can start earning off my blogs.

Challenge : Write about blessings

GrabPoints

Join GrabPoints and earn 50 points with my invite code - CWCJQ1. Redeem for Amazon, iTunes, BestBuy & much more!http://pb.grabpoints.com/download

Something I Am Hiding Challenge

Right now the only thing I am hiding are things for Easter. I have bought my grandsons Easter present online. Since, he is 9 months old. His parents do not want him to have a lot of candy. I choose to buy him a gift instead. Something personalized with his name on it.

I was looking for one like this with a Noah's Ark theme. However, when I went to place the order the site was out of stock. I found the barn theme one instead. I ordered it. It came quick. I have it hidden. That way my grandson or his dad doesn't catch a glimpse of it.

Later on this week I plan on going Easter shopping for my teenagers. I always hit up the "Dollar Tree" before going anywhere else. As they have the cheapest candy. Plus, the little extras I like to stuff in my teens Easter Basket.

Such as : toothpaste, toothbrush, compacted washcloth etc. Plus, other small assorted beauty products. Something to fill the basket it up with other things besides candy. Things I know my teens will need anyways.

Challenge : Write about something you hide and why you hide it.

10 Jelly Bean Facts You May Not Know

From Pixabay free re-use photos.

Jelly beans are a candy normally given at Easter time. Jelly beans come in a range of colors and flavors. They are a favor. How much do you know about the Jelly bean?

Here is some Jelly bean trivia :

1. Very Cherry was the most popular jelly bean till 1998 when buttered popcorn flavored removed it from its spot. It took a few years. In 2003, Very Cherry regain the top spot of being the favorite jelly bean flavor.

2. Each jelly bean flavor use to be sold seperate.

3. It takes 7 to 21 days to make on Jelly Bean.

4. 1930 was the years Jelly beans became a popular treat at Easter time.

5. There are approximately 16 million jelly beans made each year for Easter.

6. Jelly beans were created in the 1800's by an unknown candy maker in the united States. Rumors have said Jelly beans came from other countries. No one really knows.

7. 130 calories and 37 grams of sugar are in 35 Jelly Beans.

8. Jelly beans are associated with Easter due to there egg shape.

9. April 22th and July 24th are two days dedicated to National Jelly Bean day.

10. In the 1910's and 20's, Jelly bean was a slang term used to describe a stylish man dressing up to attract a lady.

What is your favorite flavor of Jelly Bean?

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy Recipes

My family loves for me to make a quick homemade meal of biscuits and gravy. It is a meal that always goes over well with my family. I enjoy making a home cooked meal that will satisfy everyone in my family. Having several picky eaters, it can be a challenge.

My teenage son enjoys his biscuits and gravy separate. As he likes to dip his biscuits in his gravy. There si no wrong way to enjoy homemade biscuits and gravy.

Homemade Biscuit Recipe
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Ingredients :
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 TBS Baking powder
1 C. milk
1/3 C. soft butter
1 tsp of sugar and salt

 Lightly grease baking sheet. I use a paper towel to wipe the grease on lightly. Add all dry products and mix : Flour, salt, sugar, baking powder. Add butter. Mix well. Slowly add in milk. When mix. You must kneed the mixture about 15 times. To ensure all the air bubbles get removed. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture on the baking sheet. To ensure they are all roughly the same size. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

Optional : Brush the tops of the biscuits with butter for extra buttery flavor.

Homemade Gravy
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Instructions :
1/2 gallon of milk
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 TBS butter
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
5 pieces of crumbled up turkey bacon

On medium heat. Add all ingredients to pot. Mix well with a whisk. Once complete, add a thickener. Slowly add in a mixture of 1/2 c. cornstarch and enough water to make it as thick as you want your gravy. This mixture is what thickens your gravy.

When complete, pour over biscuits. Enjoy!

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