Liefebook 2014...

New Year Quiz

                                           

                                         

Answer the 10 Questions to test your knowledge of New Years History and Traditions.  Good Luck and Happy New Year!

1. Where does the famous ball drop on midnight of New Year’s Eve?

Frisco Square	Times Square
London Square	Rockefeller Plaza

9 Questions remaining

Easy Beef Pie with Potato Scones...

by: Nina Timm

I enjoy easy recipes….yes, I read the complicated ones, but when it comes to preparing food, I like to keep things simple!!!! The beef pie cannot be any easier and what is even more amazing, is that the oven does all the hard work for you.

The beef cooks slowly in the oven and all you have to do is prepare the scone dough in advance and keep it in the fridge. When you are ready, simply cut out the scones , place them on the beef and bake. Your family will arrive to the most amazing smell of this pie!!!

Beef Pie Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 kg beef – cubed (I used sirloin)
• 70gr flour
• salt and pepper
• 30ml olive oil
• 30 ml butter
• 3 onions – chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic – chopped
• 200ml red wine
• 300ml beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 5ml dry thyme

For the potato scones

Ingredients:

• 200gr self-raising flour
• salt
• 150gr butter – cubed
• 2 boiled potatoes – mashed
• 1 egg

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Season the meat with salt and pepper and roll in the flour. Shake off the excess flour( I used a plastic bag to put the flour and meat in and just shake it round a bit). Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pot and brown the meat cubes, a few at a time, until all the beef is browned. Take the meat out of the post and add the butter, onions and garlic. Fry until soft and add the beef, wine, stock, bay leaves and thyme. Cover with the lid and place in the oven for about 1- 1 1/2 hour or until meat is soft. When cooked, dish out in a pie dish and let it cool slightly!
3. In the meantime make the scone dough!! Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rub the cubed butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the mashed potato and mix until it forms a dough. Shape into a ball and cover with clingfilm. Keep the dough in the fridge until ready to use!!!. When ready to make your pie, roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out circles. Place the circles on the pie and egg wash before baking it in the pre-heated oven until golden and bubbly. I served my pie with sweet cooked carrots and steamed green beans!!!

Inspiring Famous Quotes...

20 Inspiring Famous Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi. :

1. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” 
2. “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.” 
3. “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” 
4. “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.” 
5. “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” 
6. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” 
7. “An ounce of patience is worth more than a tonne of preaching.” 
8. “Change yourself – you are in control.” 
9. “See the good in people and help them.” 
10. “Without action, you aren’t going anywhere.” 
11. “Take care of this moment.” 
12. “Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.” 
13. “Continue to grow and evolve.” 
14. “A no uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ uttered merely to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” 
15. “Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.” 
16. “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” 
17. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” 
18. “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.” 
19. “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” 
20. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” 

Mahatma Gandhi.– Inspirational Quotes, Pictures and Motivational Thoughts.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Comfort food doesn't get much tastier--or easier--than this. Convenient refrigerated pie crust and canned soup make it so easy

Ingredients:  (6 Servings)

• 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box 
• 1 can (18.6 oz) Progresso® Rich & Hearty chicken pot pie style soup 
• 2 cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

How to:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, heat soup, thawed vegetables and flour until warm. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. After 15 minutes of baking, cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges.

Did you know? 

• Pillsbury has a gluten free pie and pastry dough.
• To quickly thaw frozen vegetables, place them in a strainer, and rinse with warm water until thawed; drain well.

Angels Among Us

A Beautiful Song Recorded by Alabama,

Written by Becky Hobbs and Don Goodman.

I was walking home from school

On a cold winter day,

Took a shortcut through the woods,

And I lost my way.It was getting late,

And I was scared and alone,

Then a kind old man took my hand

And led me home.

Mama couldn't see him,

But he was standing there,

And I knew in my heart,

He was the answer to my prayers.

Oh, I believe there are angels among us,

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me in our darkest hour

To show us how to live, to teach us how to give,

To guide us with a light of love.

When life held troubled times,

And had me down on my knees,

There's always been someone there

To come along and comfort me.

A kind word from a stranger

To lend a helping hand,

A phone call from a friend just to say,

"I understand."

And ain't it kind of funny

That at the dark end of the road,

Someone lights the way

With just a single ray of hope.

Oh, I believe there are angels among us,

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me in our darkest hour

To show us how to live, to teach us how to give,

To guide us with a light of love.

They wear so many faces,

Show up in the strangest places,

To guide us with their mercy,

In our time of need.

Oh, I believe there are angels among us,

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me in our darkest hour

To show us how to live, to teach us how to give,

To guide us with a light of love,

To guide us with a light of love.

TO My SPECIAL Friends IN MY LIFE...... BEFORE YOU GO ON LEAVE,

I JUST WANT TO WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR 2014, 

Make yourself happy, pursue your passions & be the

best in what you do.

Take care of yourself. ...don't wait for someone to take

care of you.

You light up your life. You drive yourself to your

destination.

No one completes you - except YOU.

There will be mistakes along the way...........but they will also be lessons.....................and u will never make the right choices without making the wrongs ones 1st.

So remember to love, laugh and live completely with no regret..............bcoz true friends will always be there no matter what..................and in the end You alone determine your own happiness.

Have a blessed Christmas and an awesome new year!!!!! And May God be with you each step of the way.

With all my love and warm wishes

Happy holidays!!!!!!!!!!

South African melktert (milk tart)...

by JEANNE

The traditional flavouring is cinnamon, but I figured if we were infusing the milk, we might as well make things a bit more interesting and add some cardamom.

MELKTERT / MILK TART Recipe: (serves 8)
Ingredients:

• about 200g of ready rolled puff pastry
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 tsp butter
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 green cardamom pod
• 1 tsp custard powder
• 1.5 tsp cournflour (cornstarch)
• 1.5 tsp cake flour
• 1 Tbsp cold milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp almond essence (optional)
• sugar mixed with a little ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Line a 20cm diameter fluted pie dish with the puff pastry, leaving the edges raggedy and hanging over the edge of the dish.
2. Bring the milk to a slow boil in a medium saucepan, then add the butter, salt, cinnamon stick and cardamom pod.
3. Combine the custard powder, cornflour and cake flour. Add the cold milk and make a paste. Stir a little of the hot milk into the paste to thin it, then stir the custard paste into the hot milk in the saucepan. Make sure there are no lumps in the paste – and don't panic too much if there are some lumps in the saucepan once you've added the custard – just make sure you stir vigorously and continuously to get them to dissolve. Add 2 Tbsp of the sugar and stir continuously. (I cheated a little and whisked the custard with a wire whisk to keep it smooth!) When the custard thickens, remove it from the heat and discard the cinnamon and cardamom.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then beat in the remaining sugar gradually and set aside. Beat the yolks slightly and then add about 2 Tbsp of the warm custard mix to the yolks and mix well.
5. Stir the yolk mix into the custard saucepan and add the almond essence (if using). Gently fold in the egg whites.
6. Pour into the prepared pie dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 200C for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 175C and bake for a further 10-15 mins, until puffed up and golden.
7. Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve in slices.

NOTES: This recipe was adapted from a couple I found on RecipZaar. I liked the idea of whipped egg whites as I figured there's no way could it be stodgy with all that egg white in it – and I was right. It's not a difficult recipe at all, but takes a bit of time as each constituent part needs to be worked on – and it does dirty a lot of bowls/pots! The addition of the cardamom was an inspiration, even if I say so myself, and I will definitely be repeating this as the taste is marvellous. I also loved the taste of the custard before I added the eggs. The flavour of the spices came through very strongly, and I would happily make flavoured custard like this to have with fruit desserts in future. 

The finished product not only looked lovely and puffed up in the oven like a soufflé but retained that lovely eggy wobbliness even after it had sunk down to normal proportions. It is light and very moreish and deliciously spiced. Definitely a keeper!
- See more at: http://www.cooksister.com/2010/07/south-african-melktert-milk-tart-revisited.html#sthash.29K67CLd.dpuf

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Cups...

Ingredients: (Makes 12 cups)

• 12 slices bacon 
• 8 eggs 
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• pinch of salt 
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Whip the eggs, salt, pepper and cheese with a fork. 
3. Spray non stick spray in 12 muffin tins. 
4. Wrap each piece of bacon inside the sides of each muffin cup. 
5. Fill each bacon lined muffin cup 3/4 of the way with the egg mixture. 
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the egg cups are golden brown and don’t jiggle. 
7. Use a knife to scoop them out of the tins. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy your Breakfast!

Mary Did You Know ?

Lord, You are soooooo Worthy to be PRAISED. 

Bless Your Holy Name.

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?

This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?

Did you know that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?

When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. 

The blind will see.

The deaf will hear.

The dead will live again.

The lame will leap.

The dumb will speak

The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your Baby Boy is Heaven's perfect Lamb?

The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

Thinking of you this Christmas...

Every friend is like a snowflake

Unique in beauty and design

Each sparkles in a different way.

Some are playful, some refined.

But, unlike fragile snowflakes

that fade when the sun appears,

Friends grow yet more beautiful

with every passing year!

Emotional Maths

Although it is not a poem as such, God made it easy to understand. You don't have to be a maths whiz.

Here is the word version: If you are angry and I am angry back at you, then the result is more anger. The only way to reduce anger is with love. A negative emotion is neutralised with a positive emotion. 

When God is in your life, God adds love and therefore your anger will be reduced and your love increased. If God is not in your life then there is no change.

When you have no emotion or feelings, then you are unaffected. 

Source: Emotional Maths - Spiritual Poetry and Discussion 

Christmas Prayer

TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you’re mad with someone , and nobody’s there  to fix the situation...

You fix it .

Maybe today,

 that person still wants to be your friend . And if u don’t,

 TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you’re in love with somebody , but that person doesn’t know... 

 tell her/him.

 Maybe today,

 that person is also in love with you .

And if you don’t say it,

TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you really want to kiss your family members    

(bro,sis,mom n dad)...  

kiss her/him.

Maybe that person wants a kiss from you, too . And if you don’t kiss her/him today,

TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you...

 tell her/him.

Maybe that person have always loved you. And if you don’t tell her/him today ,

TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you need a hug of a friend... 

 ask her/him for it.

 Maybe they need it more than you do. And if you don’t ask for it today,

 TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you really have friends  who you appreciate... 

 tell them.

Maybe they appreciate you as well. That if you don’t and they leave or go far away today,

TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

If you love your parents, and never had the chance to show them...

 do it ..

Maybe you have them there to show them how you feel. That if you don’t and they leave today,

 TOMORROW CAN BE TOO LATE…….

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart

Looking for that long-lost delicious Peppermint Crisp pudding recipe that you remember from your youth? Well, you’ve found it!

  

Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: South African

Ingredients:  (serves 6 -8

• 250ml Orley Whip, whipped to soft peaks
• 2 packets of Tennis biscuits (although you will probably use less)
• 375g tin of caramelised condensed milk
• 20ml caster sugar
• 3 Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars, crushed
• 3-4 drops of peppermint essence (more, if you like))

Instructions:

1. Whip the Orley Whip and then add the caramelised condensed milk, castor sugar and peppermint essence. 
2.  Beat until well mixed and then stir in ⅔ of the crushed Peppermint Crisp.
3. Place a layer of whole tennis biscuits in a buttered 29x19x5cm dish. Spoon ⅓ of the caramel mix over the buscuits and spread evenly. Continue in layers, finishing with a layer of filling on top.
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Decorate by sprinkling the remainder of crushed peppermint crisp on top. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes:SUBSTITUTIONS: You can substitute whipping cream for Orley Whip (a kosher dairy substitute), but the outcome may be even richer than this pudding already is. I used Elmlea, a half-dairy cream available in the UK. Apparently the American Cool Whip is a near-identical product. For caramelised condensed milk, you can use dulce du leche or you can make your own by boiling a tin of normal sweetened condensed milk (warning: hazardous!!). The Tennis biscuits may prove problematic, although I have seen forums in Australia advising the use of a type of Arnott’s coconut biscuits or Nice biscuits. Any other suggestions welcome. And as for the Peppermint Crisp… sadly, for that you will have to bite the bullet and buy it from a South African shop. Not sure if anything else like it exists. Maybe start campaigning for Nestle to produce it worldwide?

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Calendar Of Angels....

Each season of the year and every month has its own special angel. These angels help us learn from nature the particular lessons and insights that every season imparts.

The angel of January teaches us to look within, to take stock of ourselves and our lives.

The January angel keeps us company as we ponder over those long, cold winter nights, helping us to be honest with ourselves and patient at the same time. Conveying the wisdom of an elder, the January angel takes our hand as we seek to glean understanding from our lessons from the past year. With this support, we can give ourselves both recognition and admonition in their turn. With this help, we can chart a new course or alter our present one.

We seek and receive the companionship of the angel of January to warm us through the winter of our introspection.

The angel of February is the angel of patience.

During the dark, blustery nights of February, when nature is in a deep chill and we long for a sign of warmth and life, this angel can help us learn to await with grace the first signs of spring. February's angel teaches us that winter has it's own special peace, that being snowbound or staying indoors can give us a welcome respite from the busyness of life.

In February, we can complete unfinished projects and prepare for new initiatives in the spring. The angel of February brings us the gift of patience, helping us to enjoy the solitude and quiet of the winter, guiding us to replenish our energy for the warm, busy days ahead.

The angel of March brings us stamina and courage. As winter ends, we take heart from the crocuses that push their way up through the snow.

The angel of March cheers us through life's frozen moments, boosting our morale and helping us achieve new landmarks. With the angel's help, we dare to break through whatever barrier, whether personal belief or lack of self-confidence, that holds us back. We gather the will to launch a lifelong dream or begin the project we have envisioned, but never dared to tackle.

As the sun begins to warm our spirits, the March angel rejoices with us at the first sign of spring and lends us courage to prepare for a new and daunting, but also fulfilling task.

The angel of April is the spirit of rebirth.

As the days grow longer and the sun begins to warm us, April is a time for new life and new beginnings. April's angel spurs us to test ourselves in new directions and to make ourselves vulnerable in the face of unfamiliar people, situations and places. Encouraged by the April angel, we search for new and novel endeavors that will enrich our lives and bring new meaning to our career or family roles.

The April angel teaches us to delight in each sign of awakening, in nature and within ourselves.

The angel of May brings the blush and promise of spring. 

May's angel rejoices with us as we take heart at the sight of trees and shrubs in bloom and relish our anticipation of the fruits to come.

This angel of spring reminds us that this is the time of awakening the seed within ourselves. Perhaps we have a deep longing, an artistic talent never explored, or a friendship never quite attempted.

The angel of May will help us discover this potential, nurturing our spirits so we can dare to fulfill this hidden promise and bring forth the fruits of a life fully lived.

The angel of June helps us flourish and grow strong.

June's angel teaches us to sustain our enthusiasm for the new projects and directions we started in the spring. In this glorious time of sunshine and growth, we learn to seek out the warmth of friendships and family ties, to help nurture the seeds we planted and become all that we were meant to be.

The angel of June urges us to be steadfast in our intentions, to renew our dedication, and to stay the course intended for us.

The angel of July brings a season of leisure, a time to play and replenish our energy.

The projects we began in the spring should be well underway and growing stronger on their own. July's angel urges us to take the time, now, to step back and observe what we have planted. The July angel encourages us to tend to the garden of our life, to care for what we have started, and to be objective enough to weed out the unhealthy or unproductive elements.

This angel of summer reminds us to nurture the people and things that bring us happiness, so we can produce for ourselves a crop of joy and fulfillment.

The angel of August is the angel of perseverance.

The new directions we began in the spring may have become difficult to sustain. Like a garden that needs constant watering and weeding in the scorching August sun, our projects and dreams require stamina and determination to bring them to fruition. The angel of August helps us with unflagging energy to tend the garden we have planted.

When the hot summer sun and the work of our lives demand too much of us, the August angel brings us the fortitude to cleave to our tasks through completion.

The angel of September helps us prepare for the harvest at hand.

As the summer draws to a close, September's angel reminds us to pause and gather fresh strength because the culmination of a project often demands one last surge of energy. The September angel brings us this boost, seeing us through to the fulfillment of our task.

This late summer angel also helps us recognize the fruits of our labors and share the bounty of what we have created in our lives. In September, we take delight in our good fortune, whether in a garden, a relationship, or a career, and we share our joy with all those whose support has made our harvest possible.

The angel of October rejoices as we reap the harvest of what we have sown in life.

October is a good time to step back from our projects and our dreams and take a hard look at what we have actually accomplished. The October angel helps us to be honest and objective about what is good and what is not. With this help, we can clearly face the consequences of our choices over the past seasons. We will taste our harvest and reject what is bitter or unripe; we will make note of what worked and what did not, and we will change for the better.

October's angel teaches us that the greatest fruit of our personal harvest is understanding ourselves.

The angel of November is the angel of humility.

This autumn angel brings a special gift that helps deepen the meaning of the Thanksgiving season for ourselves and our loved ones.

November's angel urges us to acknowledge and appreciate the supporting roles others have played in our lives this year, and even thank those who have taught us difficult lessons.

The angel of November leads us to give thanks in a new way by forgiving old hurts and healing broken friendships. Thus we help one another to be truly grateful for our relationships and the richness they bring to our lives.

The angel of December is the angel of generosity.

The December angel celebrates with us this time of giving gifts to all the wild creatures and to all God's children. The angel of December leads us to join hands with people of all races and religions, recognizing that we are children of the same creator, and we all share the responsibility of bringing joy and health upon the earth.

Inspired by December's angel, we can celebrate this season of brotherhood by doing one act of kindness everyday of December ... going out of our way to bring warmth and light into another's life.

Happy Rainy Day!

It Is Nice 

When Someone Holds 

Umbrella For You In The Rain ... 

But 

It Is The Most Wonderful 

If Someone Holds Your Hand 

And Runs Crazily With You In The Rain ... ♥

I am Thankful for...

...a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

...my large heating bill because it means I am warm.

...the mess to clean after dinner because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

...the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.

...all the complaining about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.

...the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

...weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.

...and your friendship!

The Best Gifts for Christmas...

To a Friend..................Loyalty

To an Enemy...............Forgiveness

To your Boss...............Service

To your Child...............A good example

To your Father.............Honor

To your Mother...........Gratitute and Devotion

To your Spouse..........Love and Faithfulness

To Yourself..................Respect

To All Men..................Charity

To God........................Your Life!!

Bacon & Potato Casserole...

Notes from the Chef:  

• A Bacon and Potato casserole recipe that is super easy to make and extra tasty.
• This delicious recipe will earn you much praise from your friends and family. Yummy food really is one of life's pleasures. Eat drink and be merry and enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 8 slices bacon, cooked to desired crispiness and crumbled
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• butter to grease the dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rub a 13x9 baking dish with butter.
3. Layer half of the potato slices in dish, overlapping slightly.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Sprinkle minced garlic over potatoes.
6. Next, sprinkle shredded cheeses and bacon.
7. Layer the rest of the potato slices on top, overlapping slightly.
8. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, salt and pepper.
9. Pour the milk mixture over potatoes.
10. Add parsley across the top.
11. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, or until custard is cooked and set.
12. Let rest 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

by:  Barbara Joubert

I Read My Bible Every Day,,,

11 Reasons to Read Your Bible 

By Kelli Mahoney,

We're all told that we're supposed to read our Bible, but why should we? What makes the Bible so important? Can it really do anything for us? Here are several reasons why we should read our Bibles, and it's far more than, "because I told you so!"

1. It Makes You Much Wiser the Bible isn't just there to read. It's a book full of all kinds of advice. From relationships to money to how to get along with your parents, it's all in there. When we become wiser, we make much better decisions, and with good decisions comes many other good things. 
2. It Helps Us Overcome Sin and TemptationsWe all face temptations to sin every day, often several times a day. It's part of the world we live in. When we read our bible, we get advice on how to approach situations and overcome the temptations we face. We understand what we're supposed to do rather than just guessing and hoping we get it right.
3. Reading Your Bible Gives You PeaceWe all lives such busy lives. Sometimes it feels chaotic and noisy. Reading the Bible can help us sort through all the craziness to see what's really important. It can bring about peace in our lives rather than allowing us to wallow in our confusion.
4. The Bible Gives You DirectionSometimes our lives can feel a little like we're just wandering uselessly. Even teens can sometimes feel that they lack direction. When we read our Bible's we can clearly see that God has a purpose for us at every state of our lives. His words can give us direction, even if we only need that direction and purpose in the short term.
5. It Builds Your Relationship with GodThere are a few really important things in our lives, and our relationship with God is one of them. Reading our Bibles gives us insight into God. We can pray on scripture verses. We can talk to God about things we're reading. We grow in an understanding of God as we read and grasp more of His Word.
6. Read a BestsellerIf you're an avid reader, this is one bestseller you shouldn't miss. The Bible is an epic story of love, life, death, war, family, and more. It has it's ups and downs, and it's pretty riveting. If you're not a reader, this may be the one book worth saying you read. If you're going to read anything, you can say you read the biggest bestseller of all time.
7. Learn a Little Bit of HistoryThere is plenty of archaeological proof of biblical stories. The Bible is full of real history, and it can give you insight into other areas of history. When we read about our forefathers leaving England for freedom of religion, we understand them better. So the Bible helps us understand human history and how often we repeat the same mistakes.
8. We Can Understand Jesus a Little MoreWhen we read through the New Testament, we get to read about Jesus' life. We can understand better his choices and the true sacrifice of his death on the cross. He becomes far more real to us when we get into his story in the Bible. 
9. It Can Change Your LifeThe Bible is a life-changing book. So many people go to the self-help section of the bookstore to look for a magic solution to their problems. However, most of those answers sit in the chapters of the Bible. It can give us insight, help us grow, explain our depression, explain our behaviors. The Bible can make a huge difference in our lives.
10. It Brings You Back to Faith, Rather than ReligionWe can get very caught up in our religion. We can go through all the motions that religion dictates, but it means nothing without faith. When we read our Bible, we open ourselves up to remembering our faith. We read stories of others who have demonstrated real faith, and sometimes we also are reminded of what happens when we lose our faith. Yet the Word of God reminds us that He is our focus.
11. Reading the Bible Brings a New PerspectiveWhen things just don't seem right or things are getting a bit stale, the Bible can bring a new perspective into the mix. Sometimes we think things should be one way or another, but the Bible may remind us that there are other ways to think on the happenings in our lives. It provides us, at times, with a fresh, new perspective.

A Delicious Christmas Fridge Cake for your table this year!

by nerinatimm

You basically have two options with this dessert, you can use ice-cream as the filling or cream cheese. Both options are delicious. If you use ice-cream, you can make a few of these cakes in advance and just before serving you add more chocolate and cherries or berries!

Christmas Fridge Cake Recipe  (makes 1)
Ingredients:

• 15 Moirs Tealovers Tennis biscuits
• 2 x 250 g Lancewood Cream Cheese
• 125 ml caster sugar
• 100 ml Safari Fruit Mince
• 10 – 12 glaze cherries without stems
• foil

For the topping:

• 100 g dark chocolate
• 100 ml cream 100 ml flaked almonds
• Maraschino Cherries

Method:
Place 2 layers of foil (40 cm long) on a work surface. Pack out the tennis biscuits in 3 rows of 5 biscuits each. Mix the cream cheese, caster sugar and fruit mince very lightly and spread evenly over the tennis biscuits.Now place a row of the glaze cheeries down the middle biscuits. Stand at the top end of the biscuit rows and with both hands bring the foil with the outer tennis biscuits together to form a triangle. close the foil and keep refrigerated until needed.

To serve:
Break the chocolate into smaller pieces and melt together with the cream in a small pot. Once the chocolate has melted mix to form a smooth ganache. Remove the fridge cake from the fridge, remove the foil and place on a long platter. Pour the chocolate over the top, scatter some almonds over the chocolate and lastly add the stem Maraschino cherries.

Cook’s Notes:  You can use 500 ml ice-cream in the place of the cream cheese. In this case, just omit the sugar, because the ice-cream is already sweetened.

Heaven's Grocery Store

I was walking down life's highway

A long time ago.

One day I saw a sign that read

"HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE."As I got a little closer,

The door came open wide,

And when I came to myself,

I was standing inside.

I saw a host of Angels,

They were standing everywhere.

One handed me a basket and said,

"My child, shop with care.

Everything a Christian needs

Is in that grocery store,

And all you can't carry ...

Come back the next day for more."

First I got some PATIENCE,

LOVE was in the same row.

Further down was UNDERSTANDING, 

Needed everywhere you go.

I got a box or two of WISDOM , 

A bag or two of FAITH, 

I just couldn't miss the Holy Ghost,

For He was all over the place.

I stopped to get some STRENGTH and 

COURAGE to help me run this race;

But then my basket was getting full,

And I remembered I needed GRACE.

I didn't forget SALVATION ,

Which like the others was free,

So I tried to get enough of that

To save both you and me.

Then I started to the counter

To pay my grocery bill,

For I thought I had everything

To do my Master's will.

As I went up the aisle,

I saw PRAYER and I had to put it in,

For I knew when I stepped outside,

I would run right into SIN.

PEACE and JOY were plentiful,

They were on the last shelf.

SONG and PRAISES were hanging near,

So I just helped myself.

Then I said to the Angel,

"How much do I owe?"

The Angel smiled and said,

"Just take them everywhere you go!"

Again I politely asked,

"How much do I really owe?"

The Angel smiled again and said,

"MY CHILD ...

JESUS PAID YOUR BILL A

LONG TIME AGO!"

~ Ron De Marco and Friend ~

Copyright © 1990

Used with Permission

A Sweet Good Morning

Morning is God’s way of saying one more time…

Go, live life, make a difference, touch one’s heart,

encourage one’s mind inspire one’s soul.

“A Sweet Good Morning”

Grandma's Velvet Pudding "Fluweelpoeding"...

(pictured he Outside it starts without the meringue, but it's still delicious, I prefer this dessert with meringue)

Grandma's velvet pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups milk
• 4 eggs, separated
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanillageursel
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam

How to:

1. Mix the sugar, flour and salt.
2. Heat the milk until almost boiling and pour it slowly over the dry mixture. Stir constantly.
3. Cook slowly and continue stirring until it start to thickens.
4. Beat the egg yolks and pour the hot mixture over it.
5. Add the butter and vanilla.
6. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake in a 180 º C oven for 40 minutes. It should become light brown on top.
7. Remove from the oven and spread a thin layer of apricot jam over.
8. Beat the egg white stiff with 3 tablespoons sugar. Cover the jam with the egg white.
9. Place the pudding now in a cool oven until the egg whites are lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Quotes on the Tongue...

I came across many quotes on this subject. I found it very interesting to take note of the large variety of people and nations and cultures represented by these quotes. If the importance of guarding one's tongue is generally accepted among the unsaved, how much more important is it for us believers to be a good example in this area? As you ponder these sayings, ask God to help you say what He would have you say: nothing more, and nothing less!

(Please keep in mind that I in no way fully endorse all the authors of these quotes, or neccesarily agree with anything else they may have said. :-) As always, the sayings of men must be "taken with a grain of salt" and compared to the unfailing truth of God's Word!)

• Lord, make my words as sweet as honey, for tomorrow I may have to eat them! --Anonymous; Submitted by Amanda O.
• Help me guard my lips, O Saviour, Keep me sweet when sorely tried, Answers soft to others giving, Meekly swallowing my pride. --Basch; Submitted by Amanda O.
• A kind word is never lost. It keeps going on and on, from one person to another, until at last it comes back to you again. --Anonymous
• No man has a prosperity so high or firm, but that two or three words can dishearten it; and there is no calamity which right words will not begin to redress. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Words are the coins making up the currency of sentences, and there are always too many small coins. -- Jules Renard
• A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed. -- Henrik Ibsen
• Words are tools which automatically carve concepts out of experience. -- Julian Sorrell Huxley
• The finest words in the world are only vain sounds, if you cannot comprehend them. -- Anatole France
• It is with words as with sunbeams--the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn. -- Robert Southey
• "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
• "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's all." -- Lewis Carroll
• Words without actions are the assassins of idealism. -- Herbert Hoover
• We speak little if not egged on by vanity. -- François de La Rochefoucauld
• Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it. -- Robert Frost
• Better pointed bullets than pointed speeches. -- Otto von Bismarck 
• Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
• When you have spoken the word, it reigns over you. When it is unspoken you reign over it. -- Arabian Proverb
• A still tongue makes a wise head. --Traditional Proverb
• Falsehood often lurks upon the tongue of him, who, by self-praise, seeks to enhance his value in the eyes of others. --James Gordon Bennett
• Fighting is essentially a masculine idea; a woman's weapon is her tongue. --Hermione Gingold
• Having two ears and one tongue, we should listen twice as much as we speak. --Turkish Proverb
• He who knows little knows enough if he knows how to hold his tongue. --Italian Proverb
• I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity. --Marcus Tullius Cicero (106BC - 3BC) Roman statesman, scholar, orator 
• If it's very painful for you to criticize your friends -- you're safe in doing it. But if you take the slightest pleasure in it, that's the time to hold your tongue. --Alice Duer Miller
• If thy words be too luxuriant, confine them, lest they confine thee. He that thinks he can never speak enough, may easily speak too much. A full tongue and an empty brain are seldom parted. --Francis Quarles (1592 - 1644) English poet
• In nine times out of ten, the slanderous tongue belongs to a disappointed person. --George Bancroft (1800 - 1891) US historian, author
• Keep the tongue in your mouth a prisoner. --Turkish Proverb
• Listen or thy tongue will keep thee deaf. --American Proverb
• Many a man's tongue broke his nose. --Seamus MacManus (1564 - 1616) English dramatist, poet
• Silence is the best answer to the stupid. The fool has his answer on the tip of his tongue. --Saudi Arabian Proverb
• Teach thy tongue to say "I do not know," and thou shalt progress. --Maimonides (1135 - 1204) Jewish philosopher
• Teach your child to hold his tongue; he'll learn fast enough to speak. --Benjamin Franklin
• When the heart is full the tongue will speak. --Scottish Proverb
• Your tongue is like a horse -- if you take care of it, it takes care of you; if you treat it badly, it treats you badly. --Saudi Arabian Proverb
• A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword. --Robert Burton (1577 - 1640) English scholar, writer, clergyman
• A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever. --Jessamyn West (1902 - 1984) US author
• A cynic can chill and dishearten with a single word. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
• A kind word can attract even the snake from his nest. --Saudi Arabian Proverb
• A man who lives right, and is right, has more power in his silence than another has by his words. --Phillips Brooks
• A spoken word is not a sparrow. Once it flies out, you can't catch it. --Russian Proverb
• A wise man hears one word and understands two. --Yiddish Proverb
• A wise person speaks carefully and with truth, for every word that passes between one's teeth is meant for something. --Molefi Kete Asante
• 
  
• A word carries far -- very far -- deals destruction through time as the bullets go flying through space. --Joseph Conrad
• A word from the mouth is like a stone from a sling. --Spanish Proverb
• A word is dead when it is said, some say./ I say it just begins to live that day. --Emily Dickinson
• A word of kindness is seldom spoken in vain, while witty sayings are as easily lost as the pearls slipping from a broken string. --George D. Prentice (1802 - 1870) US newspaperman, editor, poet 
• Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society. --John Adams (1767 - 1848) US president (2nd)
• All books are either dreams or swords,/ You can cut, or you can drug, with words. --Amy Lowell (1874 - 1925) US poet 
• All change, all production and generation are effected through the word. --Leopold Senghor
• Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken. --Orson Scott Card
• As we must account for every idle word, so we must for every idle silence. --Benjamin Franklin
• Be careful of your thoughts; they may become words at any moment. --Iara Gassen
• Beneath the rule of men entirely great,/ The pen is mightier than the sword. --Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton (1803 - 1873) English statesman, poet
• Big words seldom accompany good deeds. --Danish Proverb
• Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of that fact. --George Eliot
• Candor is always a double-edged sword; it may heal or it may separate. --Wilhelm Stekel
• Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know. --Andre Maurois
• Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few. --Pythagoras (582BC - 507BC) Greek mathemetician, pilosopher
• Dress not thy thoughts in too fine a raiment. And be not a man of superfluous words or superfluous deeds. --Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 - 180) Roman ruler, philosopher, author
• Education commences at the mother's knee, and every word spoken within hearsay of little children tends toward the formation of character. --Hosea Ballou (1771 - 1852) US clergyman
• Four things come not back. The spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, ad the neglected opportunity. --Saudi Arabian Proverb
• Good manners and soft words have brought many a difficult thing to pass. --John Vanbrugh (1664 - 1726) English dramatist, architect
• Here comes the orator with his flood of words and his drop of reason. --Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) US statesman, diplomat, inventor, printer
• I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results. --Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) English nurse, reformer
• If a word be worth one shekel, silence is worth two. --Hebrew Proverb
• If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams -- the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn. --Robert Southey (1774 - 1843) English author
• If your strength is small, don't carry heavy burdens. If your words are worthless, don't give advice. --Chinese Proverb
• In conversation the game is, to say something new with old words. And you shall observe a man of the people picking his way along, step by step, using every time an old boulder, yet never setting his foot on an old place. --Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) US philosopher, poet, essayist
• In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words with out a heart. --John Bunyan (1628 - 1688) English clergyman, author
• It makes little difference how many university courses or degrees a person may own. If he cannot use words to move an idea from one point to another, his education is incomplete. --Norman Cousins
• It takes so little to make people happy. Just a touch, If we know how to give it, just a word fitly spoken, a slight readjustment of some bolt or pin or bearing in the delicate machinery of a soul. --Frank Crane
• Kind words will unlock an iron door. --Kurdish Proverb
• Little said is soon amended. There is always time to add a word, never to withdraw one. --Baltasar Gracian (1601 - 1658) Spanish philosopher, writer
• Men of few words are the best men. --William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) English dramatist, poet
• On a single winged word hath hung the destiny of nations. --Wendell Phillips (1811 - 1884) US abolitionist
• Our words have wings, but fly not where we would. --George Eliot (1819 - 1880) English novelist
• Provoking, isn't it? that when one is most in need of sensible words, one finds them not. --Charlotte Forten Grimke (1837 - 1914) US educator, diarist
• Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all. --Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) English statesman, author
• Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word; and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few. --Pythagoras (582BC - 507BC) Greek mathemetician, pilosopher
• Speak softly. It is far better to rule by love than fear./ Speak softly. Let no harsh words mar the good we may do here. --Isaac Watts (1674 - 1748) English minister
• Talking much is a sign of vanity, for the one who is lavish with words is cheap in deeds. --Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 - 1618) English navigator, historian, courtier
• The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. --Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 - 1896) US author
• The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter -- 'tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. --Mark Twain
• The fewer the words, the better the prayer. --Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) German religious reformer
• The more you say, the less people remember, the fewer the words, the deeper the impression. --Francois de Salignac Fenelon (1651 - 1715) French theologian, author
• The most ordinary word, when put into place, suddenly acquires brilliance. That is the brilliance with which your images must shine. --Robert Bresson, French film director
• The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. --James Jeans (1877 - 1946) English Mathematician, astronomer
• The word "no" carries a lot more meaning when spoken by a parent who also knows how to say yes. --Joyce Maynard (1876 - 1958) US historian, writer
• The wound of words is worse than the wound of swords. --Saudi Arabian Proverb
• There's a great power in words, if you don't hitch too many of them together. --Josh Billings (1818 - 1885) US writer
• Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. --Leo Buscaglia (1925 - 1998) US author, educator
• Uttering a word is like striking a note on the keyboard of the imagination. --Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 - 1951) Austrian-English philosopher
• We cannot always control our thoughts, but we can control our words, and repetition impresses the subconscious, and we are then master of the situation. --Florence Scovel Shinn
• We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. --Abigail Adams (1744 - 1818) US first lady, Letter to John Adams, 1774
• Wise sayings often fall on barren ground; but a kind word is never thrown away. --Arthur Helps (1813 - 1875) English historian, novelist, essayist
• Words are as beautiful as wild horses, and sometimes as difficult to corral. --Ted Berkman (1803 - 1882) US philosopher, poet, essayist
• Words are less needful to sorrow than to joy. --Helen Hunt Jackson
• Words are like eggs: when they are hatched they have wings. --Malagasy Proverb
• Words are like spears: Once they leave your lips they can never come back. --Beninese Proverb
• Words are potent weapons for all causes, good or bad. --Manly Hall (1901 - 1990) Canadian philosopher, author
• Words are weapons, and it is dangerous . . . to borrow them from the arsenal of the enemy. --George Santayana
• Words have no wings but they can fly many thousands of miles. --Korean Proverb
• Words in mouth, no load upon head. --Jamaican Proverb
• Among walnuts only the empty one speaks. --Moroccan Proverb
• Everyone is wise until he speaks. --Irish Proverb 
• From listening comes wisdom, and from speaking repentance. --Italian Proverb
• How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak. --Francois de Salignac Fenelon (1651 - 1715) French theologian, author
• If you would have people speak well of you, then do not speak well of yourself. --Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662) French mathematician, physicist, theologian
• One may teach another to speak, but none can teach another to hold his peace. --Polish Proverb
• Repentance for silence is better than repentance for speaking. --Spanish Proverb
• Speak not against anyone whose burden you have not weighed yourself. --Marion Zimmer Bradley
• Whoever gossips to you will gossip of you. --Spanish proverb
• No one gossips about other people's secret virtues. --Bertrand Russell

~Compiled by Abigail Paul

Love is...

God Makes it Easy.

If you don't ask, then people will not know what you want. Ask with reason why you need/want it. If you ask God with all your heart and conviction, then God will answer. 

If you don't knock then doors wont be opened. Go after opportunities.

If you knock on God's door, God will let you in. 

If you don't seek, you wont find. Go out looking and you will eventually find. Our minds use filters and if you look for the bad in people, you will find it and will miss all the good. What you concentrate on is generally what you notice. If you look for God, you will find God.

The world reflects back at you. Put out bad, get bad back. Put out good and good will be returned.

Give away what you want. If you want people to shake your hand, you shake theirs first. If you want people to talk to you, you talk to them. If you want a friend, become a friend. 

#FFP #FamilyFriendPoems

The Legend Of The Feather

I am an angel feather,

Sent from God above,

To serve as a reminder

Of His most gracious love.

I'm from your guardian angel

That God assigned to you,

I fell out in the struggle

As your angel guarded you.

Each time you almost stumble,

Each time you nearly fall,

Thank God and all His angels

For answering your call.

~ Francis J. Wilson ~