Freddie Wren’s Bird’s Nest Eggs

20161126_213554Ingredients:
Non Stick Cooking Spray
Eggs
Bread (Sliced)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325
Spray custard cups with Non Stick Cooking spray
Place a slice of bread in each custard cup, pressing down in the middle.
Crack one egg in the middle of each slice of bread.
Cover the custard cups with tin foil and place in the oven for 17 – 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, place on a plate and enjoy.

Major Sullivan Ballou

A week before the battle of Bull Run, Major Sullivan Ballou wrote a letter to his wife Sarah.  During the battle of Bull Run he was hit by a cannonball that tore off part of his right leg and killed his horse.  He died from his wound a week later. This is Major Ballou’s letter:

July the 14th, 1861

Washington D.C.

My very dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.

Our movement may be one of a few days duration and full of pleasure—and it may be one of severe conflict and death to me. Not my will, but thine O God, be done. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt.

But, my dear wife, when I know that with my own joys I lay down nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with cares and sorrows—when, after having eaten for long years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer it as their only sustenance to my dear little children—is it weak or dishonorable, while the banner of my purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze, that my unbounded love for you, my darling wife and children, should struggle in fierce, though useless, contest with my love of country.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar—that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot. I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the brightest day and in the darkest night—amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours—always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet again.

As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father’s love and care. Little Willie is too young to remember me long, and my blue-eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care and your development of their characters. Tell my two mothers his and hers I call God’s blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and lead thither my children.

Sullivan

 

Haley Rabbit’s Flowerbeds

20161122_192739Ingredients:

2 Zucchini (washed)
1 small bag baby carrots
2 Tablespoon  butter
Cinnamon and brown sugar to taste.

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350

Chop off the ends of the zucchini then slice them lengthways

In a saucepan heat the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.

When butter is melted add the carrots and cover, cook until soft

Place the zucchini sliced side down on an oiled cooking sheet and place in the oven until soft (about 25 to 30 minutes)

Remove the zucchini from the oven, place skin side down on plate or tray.  Use a spoon to scoop out the seed and make a hollow trench down the center.

Mash or blend the carrots until smooth.  Use the spoon to place the carrots down the center of the zucchini.

Serve.  I used strips of roasted red pepper to add some color to the Flowerbeds.

The Lord’s Prayer by Rick Warren

lordprayerBook Description:

This iconic prayer is paired with flowing illustrations by award-winning artist Richard Jesse Watson and thoughtful insights by bestselling author Rick Warren, resulting in a book that rejuvenates the familiar prayer for a younger audience. Using poetic scripture from the King James Version, The Lord’s Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness helps familiarize children with real biblical text while also presenting contemporary illustrations and insightful words that make this beautiful prayer come alive.

My Review:

This is a nice book for little ones.  It goes through the Lord’s Prayer section by section with an explanation of each line broken down for children to understand.  Rick Warren did a good job on his explanations.  The illustrations are nicely drawn and the book is of a sturdy board pages that will hold up.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Love Bears All Things by Beth Wiseman

lovebearsBook Description

Could God be offering Charlotte a second chance at true love?

Charlotte Dolinsky needs time to recover after breaking up with her boyfriend, Ryan. But when a surprise visitor shows up on her doorstep in Texas, she’s forced to put aside her own worries to help her Amish friends in Lancaster County. Soon she is entangled in a web of deception and this time, she isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Daniel Byler struggles each day in his Amish community to heal from his fiancée’s betrayal. When he discovers that a member of his family is in danger of being shunned, his pain turns to fear. His only way to help is by partnering with Charlotte, a woman he barely knows who has already deceived them all before.

Charlotte begins building a friendship with Daniel that she’ll need to lean on when more surprises surface from her past and she once again finds herself torn between two worlds. Will Charlotte’s friends in the Amish community be able to show her the power of redemption and lead her home? And can she help young Jacob realize that God offers second chances at happiness when she isn’t even sure herself?

My Review:

The book starts off with a bang and keeps on going.  The characters are not fake sugar and love but more real life.  Charlotte is being evicted, Daniel is running away and his mother has problems of her own.  You will like this book. Very complex issues are addressed in a sensitive, meaningful fashion. We rarely see how the Amish address drug addiction, depression and dealing with life changing abusive childhoods.

This is the 2nd in the series of this Amish trilogy, with many of the same characters appearing. I haven’t read the first book in the series, but there were enough clues to help me understand the background.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”