Candy-Corn Trifle

INGREDIENTS:

Box of yellow cake mix, plus oil, eggs, and water needed to prepare

Yellow food coloring

2 (4 serving size) boxes instant vanilla pudding, plus mild needed to prepare

Orange food coloring

8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Candy Corn

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare cake batter according to instructions on the box, adding yellow food coloring during mixing.

Pour batter into a 9x13 inch pan and bake and cool according to box instructions.

Prepare instant pudding according to directions on box, adding enough orange color to make it a bright orange. Place pudding in the refrigerator while you prepare the topping.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in the Cool Whip until well blended.

Crumble the yellow cake into an even layer in the bottom of each mini trifle bowl. Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and spoon on top of cake layer. Smooth out with the back of your spoon. Pipe whipped topping/cream cheese layer on top with a large star tip, or just spoon it on.

Top with candy corn.

~Emma~

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. -Psalm 116:1-2

Camp this summer:

This year we went to a summer worship camp. It was so much fun but also it rained all 3 days we got very wet:) I will now post some pictures...The camp fire.

One of the preachers.
Peeling potatoes:):) Eating under the tarps to stay dry:)
The boys had kitchen clean up one morning:)
that was alot of fun watching them try to wash the dishes and clean the place up:);) they really did a good job surprisingly:)ha ha.


Anyhow all together we had a GREAT time in Gods great outdoors and in the rain:)
we had several GOOD messages and you really could feel Gods spirit there!!

for now,
Hope

Squeezing into Smaller Shoes

Two people can sit and talk to each other for hours on end, but there is something that people simply cannot find out about each other in an intellectual setting. Even casually chatting on the phone or online. You will never truly know the nature of a person unless you see that person being silly.
Reread that last sentence. It's quite true. "You will find out more about a person's character in one hour of play than in ten hours of debate", or so some dead philosopher paraphrased. There is an odd sort of intimacy that comes with having had a good time with someone. While this certainly does not mean tossing root beer on our siblings or jumping off the roof because, as you joked, you thought you could fly, it plays a hand in how older siblings relate to their younger siblings.
There is a season for crying and a season also for laughing, and people often miss that last part. We can get so caught up in our own "grownup" affairs, so bent on doing our own thing, so distracted by hefty schedules and loads of school or house work, that we forget to be little kids again. We forget how to make a huge mess with caramel apples, gets crumbs in our lap from a sandwich, even forget how to blow a perfect soap bubble. We older siblings have a duty to cater to the needs of littler ones by getting on their levels, shrugging aside our "mature" restraints, and making a point not to act our age.
There is a fine line between immaturity and getting on the level with a younger sibling. Our job is to find that line, darken it with a Sharpie, and make a point not to cross it. Have you found that line yet?
There will be days when our little siblings will want to don a briefcase and suit, and playact at being grownups. But there has to be a mutual exchange of interests when you interact with your siblings. You will be able to tie a stronger knot if no two sides out-balance the other. Share ideas and hobbies and pastimes, always share. Younger siblings are so open and honest and ready to play being "big people"; let's make sure we don't forget how to toss off our big-sibling shoes, don a goofy hat, and eat chocolate cookies at that tea party!
-Pip

Movie Review - The Andy Griffith Show

Name: The Andy Griffith Show

My Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 Stars

Welcome to the small, sleepy town of Mayberry, North Carolina! In Mayberry, you will meet the kind-hearted Sheriff Andy Taylor, his wiry and comical Deputy Barney Fife, his sweet young son Opie, and his thrifty and helpful Aunt Bee. This town has lots of friendly people, fishing holes, and a load of laughs and adventures as Andy and Barney try to keep Mayberry crime-free.

I love watching this show for many reasons. One reason is that it supplies a lot of laughter. The characters are so lovable, and their lives in Mayberry are so ideal. It's also nice that the plots of the episodes don't follow one person all of the time.They switch from Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee, Opie, and sometimes others. Another reason I like this show is state pride; I'm a born and raised North Carolinian. ;-)

The only thing I can think of that someone might object to is that Mayberry has a lot of moonshiners, and there is a town drunk, but he is very friendly with Andy and Barney, and is actually a humorous part of the show.

On a little side note, I was able to visit Mt. Airy, the town Mayberry is based on, on Saturday. It was a very neat trip, and I encourage you to go there if you ever get the chance.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Taylor

Bendy-Straw Shrimp

I thought that I may change things up a little, so instead of posting a movie or book review, I am going to post a fun craft to do with your siblings.

Shrimp made out of bendy-straws:

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
A bendy-straw
A small pair of scissors


STEP 1: Cut a straight line to the bend of the straw.


STEP 2: Cut two slits at the bottom of the straw.


STEP 3: Cut the two slits all the way up to the bend of the straw.


STEP 4: Find the biggest of the three parts of the straw.

STEP 5: Tie one of the smaller parts of the straw around the biggest one.


STEP 6: Tie the other smaller part around the biggest one the opposite direction.


STEP 7: Do this about 3-5 times.


STEP 8: If the two parts are uneven, cut them so that they are even.


STEP 9: Cut the two parts into four parts each and bend them a little higher than half-way up.


STEP 10: Cut the longest part of the whole straw into four parts.


STEP 11: Cut the four parts so that they are a little shorter


STEP 12: Cut the bottom two parts even shorter.


STEP 13: Cut the bottom part of the straw shorter and then round it out.


STEP 14: Cut two triangular slits in the bottom part of the straw, the “tail”.


STEP 15: Flatten the “tail” and pull it out slightly. (OPTIONAL)

And then you have a bendy-straw shrimp!

Sorry if the instructions weren't clear. I used to have pictures for them, but they were deleted.

~Emma

Family Intro...

Hello Everyone,
My name is Hope Shields and I'll be posting every once in awhile for Miss Laura as she is in the middle of moving:) I thought I would give a little introduction into my family and I will try to keep it brief.

When our family was small and there were only a few of us, my parents moved from Washington state to Texas in search of a good Church. They stayed there for awhile until the Church split then moved to Maine to house sit for a couple. While there, our normal daily life in that old 1800s farmhouse ended in a nightmare as we watched the house go up in flames. Soon after the fire, Papa felt the call to move to Alaska so after lots of red tape, we were able to purchase a school bus which we converted to a motor home. The old yellow school bus became home to our family for two years as we embarked on a long journey across the United States. After much anticipation, we crossed the Alaska border on May 18th 1999 and settled about 10 miles North of the small town of Palmer. (Population approx. 3500)

My Dad is disabled so our family makes homemade soaps and lotions along with other bath and body products which we sell at our retail shop as well as the indoor craft shows during the holiday season.

For a little about myself...my favorite colors are blue and brown, my favorite hobbies are reading, being outdoors, snow machining and singing.I love country and and bluegrass music and basically anything Country:) I LOVE to read!!! I love to take and look at pictures, and I love being outdoors.

I have 7 sisters and 1 brother...their ages range from 21-3. I am very glad that my siblings and I are all very close. I cannot imagine what life would be without them!! I have been blessed to be raised by Godly parents who love the Lord with their whole hearts and who have taught me in the way that I should go. I am happy to say that I was recently baptized into the family of Christ and am glad to be called a child of the King!

Well hopefully next time I'll have something more fun to post:) and maybe pictures but for now...

Hope A.

Movie Review: "A Night at the Opera"

During World War 2, the film industry became polarized. A genre of film making known as "film noir" (French for black film), which had its roots in German Expressionist cinematography, grew immensely popular because it reflected the confusion felt during the war. People were upset that America had to march into yet another worldwide conflict, emotions were running high, and film noir was a form of venting that confusion. Film noir focused on the dark side of cop-and-robbers type crime, the plots shady and brooding. And while this moody genre was popular with the general public, the other side of the film industry, spawned in Vaudeville and Broadway, showed the other side of human nature, the side that was willing to press on and start laughing again. These types of films contained outrageous comedy, gags and laughs galore, and one family in particular helped the nation to start laughing again.
The Marx family had their roots in Jewish-American heritage, and grew up in New York City. The family had five brothers, all of them talented in acting and music, but only three became recognizable as classic Marx Brothers. Groucho, the oldest, dropped out of school when he realized he could help support his family with his knack for sharp-tongued humor and his nasally singing voice. His brothers, Chico (who picked up a very authentic-sounding Italian accent from the streets) and Harpo (who, after receiving a discouraging review stating that his pantomime was better than his rich speaking voice, used a bulb horn and whistles to communicate and never spoke on film after that), soon followed in his footsteps and the three of them made about 14 movies total, some including appearances from a fourth brother, Zeppo.
My little sisters "got into" the Marx Brothers for their amazing acting abilities and wide range of skills. At my house, we tend to watch a lot of old-fashioned black-and-white movies because, quite frankly, we've seen very few modern movies that were worth watching. The Marx Brothers movies we've seen so far have been fresh. clean, and truly funny. (These were made back when comedy was comedy, and you could watch a whole movie without being bombarded with cheap innuendo.)
"A Night at the Opera" is perhaps the best we've seen out of the movies available on Netflix! Stuffed with Marxesque tricks and puns, the three brothers decide to land a worthy singer with the main part in an opera. After stowing away on a ship and locking the opera manager in a hall closet, fighting with the orchestra using violin bow rapiers and swinging from the lines and pulleys of the big opera stage, the main character gets his girl (and the singing part), the brothers taste triumph, and the movie ends on a literal high note. "A Night at the Opera" also contains the infamous stateroom scene.

The Marx Brothers were making movies during a tentative time; many movies, especially those in the film noir genre, put too much emphasis on spousal betrayal and the depravity of man, and many of the movies born in that time period roughly from the 1920-1950s contain too much objectionable content. The Marx Brother movies are nearly spotless of "mature" themes, keeping on the light side and portraying impossibly amusing feats. The only scenes or remarks in their movies which might cause an eyebrow to raise is slipped into a fast dialog, but they're always put across as charming and quirky, never spicy or sensual. The Dr. Seuss-ish comedy that coats every stunt and monologue has kept my sisters and me quite entertained from beginning to end. In "A Night at the Opera", there are a couple longish singing parts which might cause little mouths to yawn, but on the whole the movie would be suitable for any Friday movie night. Just make sure your popcorn doesn't fly out of your mouth when those jokes start rolling!

Quote Book

About a year or so ago, I was reading a blog I enjoy. In one of the posts, the author shared some funny quotes that had been said by her friends and family. As I was reading this post, I thought, "Hm, that is a neat idea, collecting quotes. I think I'll start doing that, it sounds fun."

So, I pulled up a word document, named it, "Quotes", and waited for my family, friends, and sometimes even myself to say something funny and memorable so I could write it down. Since then, quotes like these have been recorded...

"Is it legal to rob a bank?"

"I like standing on dictionaries...it makes me feel important."

"Keep a good head on your shoulders or else it'll fall off."

Now my sister has also started a quote book, and I am thinking of buying a big notebook and making a quote book for me and my sisters to contribute to.

Try starting a quote book with your siblings! Write down things that they say that make you laugh. Trust me, you'll have a great time doing it! Also, if you do start one, leave a comment on this post and tell me how you're enjoying it, and some of the quotes that you have written down.

God bless you,

Taylor

Movie Review - North and South

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Movie Information:

Movie name: North and South

Directed by: Brian Percival

Based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell

Release date: July 2, 2005

My rating: **** Four out of Five Stars

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Note:

This is a movie about northern and southern England, not the Civil War, as you might think.

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About the Movie:

This movie takes place in the 1850’s when a young woman named Margaret Hale and her family move to a city called Milton, and have to adapt from their simple previous life in Helstone. She meets John Thornton, a mill owner at an inopportune moment, when he is punishing a mill worker. And after befriending factory workers Bessy Higgins and her father, Nicholas Higgins, she becomes prejudiced against the factory owners of Milton.

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Quote:

Mr. Lennox: “Ah, the wonderful Helstone, you cannot be kept away.”

Margaret Hale: “No, I cannot. It’s the best place on earth.”

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What I didn’t like:

One thing I didn’t like about this movie was some of the characters. I did not like the personalities of those few, and they sometimes became bothersome. I did not think that Lesley Manville/Maria Hale did a particularly good job acting her part.

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Warnings:

There are a few scenes of violence in this movie, early in the movie, there is some blood, and later, you see a man who had drowned himself (but you do not see him doing it), but you still may want to skip it if younger children are watching. Also, this movie is a bit dark, as it takes place in a dirty city. There is some very mild language.

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~Emma