Pinewood Castle

Arctic/Antarctic

This January we have enjoyed a different winter themes each week such as polar bears, penguins and snowflakes with books and crafts and recipes to go along. Sorry I didn't get to blogging more about all that but here are two things I am dying to pass along in case you have more winter spirit this late in January.

One is Arctic Tale. Have you seen this DVD? This has amazing footage of walrus and polar bear families taken by a couple of cinematographers who spent years in the arctic. The tale of food chain survival imposed on the scenes make this part documentary, part entertainment along the lines of March of the Penguins.

The other big hit was tonight's dessert - meringue snowmen.

• whip up two egg whites
• add a half cup of sugar and a pinch of salt
• plop on a cookie sheet lined with parchment
• decorate with mini M&Ms or mini chocolate chips, cut up candied cherries
• bake at your oven's lowest setting for five hours

Cute? Not low glycemic, but fat-free!

The Bell

I received this first as an email - thanks Sheri!

THE  BELL 
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John  1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John  15:15)
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor.  6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor  6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ.  (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt  5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor   12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom.  8:1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil  3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom.  8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor  5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph.  2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom  8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God  (2 Cor  1:21-22)
I am assu red all things work together for good  (Rom.  8:28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John  15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.  3:12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil.  4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor.  3: 16).     I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph.  2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?


Keep this bell ringing...pass it on  
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26

In Between Thunderstorms

The Lyndale Park Gardens

The Farm

Backyard Tea Parties

Checking up on the baby bluebirds

Checking up on this baby's new skills!

Better Than TV

It's the Goldie and Bubbles show!

I do hope no one minds if my daughter wanted to spend a portion of her 1st Communion cash gifts on a new pet. We will go to the Catholic bookstore this week with the rest, I promise. Or better yet, maybe she will let me pick something out for her at the upcoming conference!

This one's inspired by Fancy Nancy!  Someday I will have real parfait glasses!

More inspiration from The Country Bunny!

Delivering "bunny food" to the table.  Hop, hop, my little bunnies!

I am Liking . . .

This new site I found a link to on DanielleBean.com.  It's Love to Be Catholic, a Catholic video sharing site.  What I like most so far is the music I can play while I am typing up these posts!

Visiting Santa

Lest anyone think I am a total purist - I did take the children to visit Santa this evening.  At the grocery store where I spend a large portion of my husband's paycheck.  On free sample night.  I know, I know!  But they had ladies walking around with free Carribou Coffee and hot chocolate.  There were samples of prime rib, ham, cheese, chocolate, egg nog, candy cane ice cream, etc.  Live music, a horse-drawn wagon and a live nativity scene to boot!  Afterward we drove around to look at Christmas lights while listening to the Christmas carol radio station.  The second song we heard after turning it on was, no joke, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

Well, here they are - I would love to have been able to hear the conversation each had with Santa - each of the children seemed to have enjoyed a heart-to-heart discussion with the bearded man in red!

Taste Testing

Has anyone seen what Dawn is up to?  More taste testing! She inspired us to taste test the various varieties of apples and now she is on to eggnog!