The Needle in a Haystack

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus... make a joyful noise!!!

One of the most important things we have done with our children is to sing with them. As adults they all love music and some are very very good musicians! 

Both of our sets of parents also sang with us, Chris's folks both sing in their church choir and my widowed mother has been known to crack open a hymnal on mornings she can't make it to church and sing praises to the Lord. My dad had a beautiful voice and lead music at our home church for years..

  one of our family favorites this time of year is " Come Thou Long expected Jesus", a Charles Wesley hymn.  I have heard preformed this hymn in several choirs, played it in a few orchestras and heard it with handbells.... This morning I must say our fellowship did it proud .... while we might not be as grand as the choir/handbells/orchestra in the video.... it was surely  "unto the Lord"....

I encourage your family to sing along.....come Lord Jesus.....

Jesse Tree Day 3..Noah and the Ark

“Then God said to Noah: ‘Go out of the ark, together with your wife and sons and your
sons’ wives. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you—all bodily creatures, be they
birds or animals or creeping things of the earth—and let them abound on the earth, breeding and
multiplying on it.”

Genesis 8:15-17

Perfect time to read the story of Noah and the ark... it really is a story of faith you know....

Today's symbol is an ark, or the animals in groups of two...

this is a fun day to make salt dough ornaments in shapes of animals.

Salt Dough Ornaments

What you'll need:

• ½ cup salt
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup water
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheet
• Toothpick
• Miniature cookie cutters: star and Christmas tree
• Acrylic paints: green, yellow, and various colors of your choice for tree ornaments
• Glitter glue or glitter paint
• ribbon

How to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Mix together, salt, flour, and water until dough is formed.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour, continue to do so until stickiness is gone. Do not add too much flour, this will dry out the dough and will cause it to crack before you get a chance to bake it.
4. Roll out the dough to about ¼” thick with a rolling pin that has been dusted with flour.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut out as many trees and stars as you want.
6. Use a toothpick to make a hole toward the top of the shape. Poke the toothpick into the shape, then holding toothpick straight up and down, make a circular motion as if you were stirring something. Keep circling until the hole is the size you want.
7. Place all shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and place into the preheated oven.
8. Bake for 2 hours.
9. allow to cool then paint with paints
10.  allow paint to dry and spray with clear acrylic
11. attach ribbon and hang on tree

This might be a good time to make some sugar cookies as well to share during your family devotion time just don't get the ornaments and the cookies mixed up!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

My mom and I made 250 of these in heart shapes for Jeremy and Heather's wedding... they are delicious!

SOUR CREAM SUGAR COOKIES

6 c. flour, sifted 2 tsp. baking powder 1 c. shortening 2 c. sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 c. dairy sour cream 2 tsp. baking soda 1 1/4 tsp. salt 2 tsp. vanilla extract Raisins for cookie centers Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Add shortening and cut in like pie crust. Add the sugar and eggs. Put the baking soda in the sour cream (stir over bowl) and add to the flour mixture, then add the vanilla; mix well. Chill in refrigerator. Roll out, cut in desired shape; put a raisin in center of each cookie and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 8 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.

Enjoy!