Just have fun.

Sometimes, you just need to have FUN. It can be so easy for us to be friendly with our friends, but when it comes to playing with our siblings...that can be a different story.

I had been really busy and had a long day the other day. I was a bit stressed and irritated, when I caught sight of two of my siblings tying each other up with...duct tape. Catching sight of me, Sarah decided that my 11 year old brother wasn't the next "victim", I was.

Scared yet? Yeah.

I could have been all stressed out and told her NO. WAY, but part of me decided to go along with it. What was the harm it in? It would make the kids happy [in a weird way], it might be good to laugh, so...? Yes, I allowed myself to get wrapped in duct tape and dragged around the house.

Horrified yet? I don't blame you. ;-)

After duct taping me up to my elbows, I was promptly shoved in the bathroom and the door locked. Yes.

The moral of the story?

It's great to have fun and do stupid stuff with your siblings. Just watch out of they start wielding duct tape.

What are some really crazy things YOU'VE done with your siblings?

Blessings,
~Laura

Ps: Yes, I did get let out and untied. Eventually.

Movie Review - Cranford

Here is my first post! And for future reference, most of the time my reviews will be better for siblings 10 and older, because I don’t have any very little siblings, and therefore don’t watch movies that little kids would enjoy as much.

Movie name: Cranford

My Rating: ***** Five out of five stars

Miss Pole: Put no further pastries to your lips, for you will choke when you hear the news I must report!

Cranford is a little town where everyone knows each other, and not much changes. But soon many changes appear that no one ever saw coming. With the arrival of a new doctor, the railway, new neighbors, the loss of loved ones, and more, the town begins to whither at the root.

Miss Deborah Jenkyns: I would prefer it if I did not enjoy oranges; consuming them is a most incommodious business.

This movie is very popular in my house. One reason is because all of the characters are so wonderfully done, and they are all so loveable. There are no bad people in it. Another reason we love it is the complexity. There are about three stories going on at once that blend so harmoniously together.

Miss Deborah Jenkyns: We will repair to our rooms... and consume our fruit in solitude.

There are a few scenes that you would want to skip over if you were watching it with little siblings. You will especially want to look out for two scenes that have a lot of blood in it. There are also a few instances of language, but not much.

If you want to know more about this movie, just ask! I hope you will consider this as your next movie, and if you like it, there is also a sequel.

God bless you,

Taylor

Scones and Siblings

First off, my apologies for posting this post later than expected.

Second, whats this post about? Scones and Siblings.. Interesting title...

I thought I'd share a recipe I like to use like last time.... I've been doing a lot of baking with my siblings this past week. And my younger siblings wanted to have a tea party, and they wanted "Scones" so I made some :) Here are some pictures and the recipe I use :)

Chocolate Scones ~

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups of white flour ( I use Half Whole Wheat, Half White, but All Whole Wheat is very yummy also, you'll just want to cook it for a little longer )

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of Cinnamon ( Optional )

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of butter

2/3 cup of milk

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Heat over to 400 degrees. Combine Flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips. Using a pastry blender or fork ( Wooden spoon works fine ) cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine milk, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add liquids to flour mixture, stir until ingredients are moistened

With Flowered hands, shape dough into 8-inch round on a un-greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired ( I used brown sugar ) Cut dough into 8 wedges ; slightly separate wedges. ( You can do this how ever you want, and even not cut it until its done. )

Bake at 400 degrees "F for 15 to 20 minutes. ( Maybe a bit longer ) Serve Warm.

Enjoy!

Again, I'm very sorry for not posting this post sooner!

God Bless you!

~Lauren

By the way, milk, a tablespoon of cocoa, and a tablespoon of sugar makes yummy chocolate milk if some people don't like tea with they're scones :)

Welcome to our newest writer!

Everyone, I'd like you all to meet our newest writer...Taylor!

With Taylor, is coming some changes. So if things are a little out of whack for a few days, please be patient! We're working on it!
If you don't mind, please check out the polls on the sidebar, and feel free to leave a comment [or two!] on what some things are that you'd like to see around here. Any suggestions are VERY welcome! :-D

Blessings,
~Laura

Stopping and Listening

Something that has been really hard for me to remember is the fact that my two little sisters have so much to say, and often when I'm talking, it becomes a race to see who will get noticed by our parents or each other, or whoever we may be talking to. Half the time I don't realize if I interrupt or if I'm getting more attention that I would ordinarily get in a given minute. To continually draw attention to oneself is a trait I dislike in other people, so why exhibit it in myself? I have to repeatedly step back and say, "it's NOT all about me!"
It's difficult to remember how to stop and listen to our siblings; their feelings might be crushed if we brush aside their fears or opinions as useless. They have something to say and as a member of your family, they have a right to say it. Maybe a younger sibling needs to confide in you; how can they confide if you're always taking up the attention of others, leaving no time for them? During a hectic moment, we can become frustrated with siblings' (and especially if they're younger) try to force past the dreaded "wait your turn" rule. If we make no time for their thoughts and views later, they will catch on and it soon becomes a battle to see who's loudest, who's more interesting, who can grab the most attention the fastest. They would be much more willing to wait their turn and keep quiet if the instance is busy or stressful, but only if they are assured they will be listened to. Keep your word and make an effort to pay special attention to them. Don't let their opinions run out like water, to slip through the cracks.
This doesn't only apply to younger siblings; often older siblings will try to instruct younger ones (maybe that's you) and we don't want to listen. We need to respect the experience of older siblings and let them teach us, guide us gently, look up to them. A younger sibling is doing his/her job if an older sibling FEELS like an older sibling.
I chose to write about this because my little sister G.B. is very sensitive to conversation around her, and lately I have been so caught up in my parents' enthusiasm for transcripts and college applications and scholarships to the point that it's taking a dominating stance over my sisters' bubbling ideas and opinions. G.B. told me while we were alone in the living room that she wanted something special to do, by herself, that she would be good at. She felt the need to prove her worth and it made me realize how little attention I'd been paying her. It was difficult to make a special effort after the embarrassment of being humbled, but integrating G.B.'s opinions into the conversation, telling her about college and watching her eyes sparkle as she asked if she would one day go to college, too, asking what she thought about this and that...it was better than feeling that ulterior pang of guilt, the realization that I am talking way too much and frankly need to shut up. We don't want to admit we're paying too much attention to ourselves, or to stop and listen to an older sibling, stop and hear the views of a younger one whose only motive seems to be explaining her made-up game of Sharks. I kid you not, this came up at the library this morning. I was volunteering during Story Hour and watched as my supervisor stopped and listened to the explanation of this pretend game even though she was juggling a billion other loud kids (you reading this with large families understand how this is!), and even though the girl was rambling. I saw how excited that little girl was to be heard, to be noticed, and it convicted me to try the same thing: to listen. Let's swallow our talk and make sure everyone's voice is heard.
Do you struggle with this? Do you find yourself underhandedly "punishing" a sibling by ignoring him/her? Friend, this is the wrong thing to do. Let's embrace them; flesh and blood, knitted together, building each other up and taking time from our day to simply listen. Write and tell us about your triumphs, or failures with a mindset to do better. Never get discouraged!

My sister and I.

My seven year old sister and I are as opposite as is gets, just about.
She's blond with blue eyes.
I'm brunette with grey-green-blue eyes.
My sister has [relatively] clean hands and almost always has painted nails.
I have rough, inkstained, callused fingers and I bit my nails.
My sister has a very interesting personality.
I...don't.
My sister loves all things pink.
I don't.
My sister always paints her nails and puts on lip gloss before going out in public.
I only apply a little blush and mascara, sometimes lipstick, before going out for a VERY special occasion. Not a trip to Walmart. >.>
My sister is almost always in front of our bedroom dresser, making jewelry, colouring pictures, or doing something girly.
I am almost always at my laptop or wandering around outside looking for inspiration and writing.
She wants to marry Prince Charming.
I couldn't care less about marriage right now.
She likes "fluffy" coffee, with whipped cream and chocolate.
I like mine black, no cream or sugar.
She wrestled with an alligator when we went to Florida for my little brother's Make a Wish Trip.
I stayed safely in the audience with my camera.
She likes tea parties and fancy dresses.
I like a cup of tea while wandering around the backyard in a denim skirt and loose tee-shirt.
She's photogenic [I LOVE taking pictures of this girl.]
I am NOT.

Do you get the picture yet? ;-)
Even though we're different, we still [mostly, ahem] love each other. Last night we were up at 12 giggling over stupid things, I don't even really remember WHAT. All I know is that I love my sister, no matter how different we are.



What about you? Which of your siblings is your opposite? Which one is pretty much your twin, you're so alike?

Blessings,
~Laura

Sisters and Cookies

My sisters and I like making Cookies :) R ( My younger sister) likes to make up stories of us making cookies, and have us actually play her story as we make cookies. One of the stories she made up was about 3 princess and they're weren't allowed in the kitchen, it wasn't proper. But one day when the "Cook" was out of the Kitchen, they went into the Kitchen, and baked cookies, but they had to be very quite and not leave a mess. It was funny watching R ( My younger sister) and A ( My younger sister) trying not to make a mess, and being quite. One of our favorite cookies to make is Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies :) CCCC! So here is the recipe we like to use :)

~Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies~

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour ( I use Whole Wheat Pastry flour )
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. ( You can always make the cookies whatever size you want)
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
5. If you would like your cookies to turn out softer, cook them for about 12 minutes.

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Please share what you and your sisters like to do in the kitchen!

Have a blessed day!

God bless!

~Lauren

Little things

Little things DO count, you know. It makes my little sister's day when I ask her to "help" me get the mail, or some other little thing she considers "grownup".

Now, granted not all the time is she willing to help me with cleaning our room, but if you make it fun enough ["help me clear off the table to bless Mommy, because she's so tired today!" "If you help clean up in here, we can make cookies afterward!"] they might just be willing to help out.

So take a moment, next time you go to get the mail, [if you can drive] run to the store, or something like that, and offer to let your little sibling help you. :-)

~Laura