Dawn Marie

i will ‘to-do’ it!

Published on February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 by Dawn Marie5 Comments

it’s the monday giggles…

Our daughter is getting married this year.

Hence, Emily Post (the queen of etiquette,) has become my new BFF.

And even though we have never met…

I love Emily!

She keeps me on track. She keeps me motivated.

She answers my questions when I do not know what to do!

And even when I may decide not to follow her sound advice (which is often,) she continues to applaud my efforts in this mother-of-the-bride role.

Yes, I love Emily!

Because she approves of our daughter’s glitter and sparkle and most definately understands the important etiquette of bedazzling one’s straight-jacket too!

Here is the first piece of wisdom she shared with me:

“Great news: Your daughter or son is getting married!

Before you do anything else, take a moment to savor the thrill of this great news.

Finished? Good. Now roll up your sleeves—because whether you are deeply involved in every aspect of planning the wedding or the bride and groom prefer to rely on you as a sounding board while making the major decisions themselves, it’s likely that you’re going to find yourself juggling the roles of adviser, therapist, communications hub, and trouble-shooter. You’ll need to be able to:

Keep the planning process on track without nagging.
Offer guidance without being pushy.
And be a rock of supportive encouragement—even if you disagree with the couple on a particular decision.

All this, of course, is in addition to any specific parental responsibilities that you take on, such as throwing an engagement party, spreading the word about gift registries, contributing to the guest list, bonding with your daughter or son’s new in-laws, arranging a bridal shower, negotiating sticky family situations, and welcoming guests at the big event itself.”

Now…if I could simply get my new BFF Emily “to actually to-do-it-too!”

We watched her play in the sandbox,

lose her first tooth,

go on her first date,

graduate from high school

and

live on her own for the very first time.

Now our little girl isn’t so little anymore — and she’s getting married!

And so we’ve been reliving the memorable moments in her life with fondness and looking forward to the days ahead as our daughter becomes a wife …

and maybe one day, God willing, even a mother.

I hopity-hope Emily still approves of glitter for that too!

hugs n’ blessings filled with the kind of fondness that sticks to your heart

like glitter on paper!

january’s last bite!

Published on January 26, 2016February 7, 2016 by Dawn Marie10 Comments

Yes Helen,

now we can bake.

January’s Cookie will be:

The Pepparkakor!

The Pepparkakor is a Swedish Cookie we learned to bake when our daughter, like many other young girls her age, was an admirer of The American Girl Doll Collection. Always inquisitive our daughter was more obsessed with trying to learn as much as she could about each of the dolls in the collection, than her desire to own one! (Although she did, after two years of deciding which was the ‘one for her,’ place Samantha on her birthday wish list.) Through her searches in libraries, book stores, and The American Girl Doll Catalog she discovered so many wonderful historical and cultural things, even the foods they would have eaten in their time period and world location. And this is exactly how we discovered the Pepparkakor cookie, where the recipe was tucked into a cookbook of an American Girl doll!

Pepparkakor Cookies

1 cup butter, 3 1/4 cups flour, 2 tea baking soda, 2 tea cinnamon, 1 tea ginger, 1/2 tea ground cloves, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 egg, 2 tab maple syrup, 1 tab water

Soften the butter. Measure the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into a sifter. Sift ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Set the bowl aside.
Put the sugar and softened butter into a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to press together & stir. Add the egg, maple syrup, and water to the butter & sugar mixture. Beat until fluffy.
Stir the dry ingredients into the mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix well after each cup.
Cover the bowl with a plate, and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour to make the dough easier to roll out and handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have ungreased cookie sheets ready to use.
Sprinkle flour onto a table or counter. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Try to make the piece about 1/8 inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes . Put the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned on the bottom. Watch the cookies carefully. They burn easily!

What shape to choose?

nibble, nibble, nibble…

crumbs on the plate.

nibble, nibble, nibble…

it’s almost too late!

Hurry-Up!

Or you’ll miss the last bite

of something that is great!

It is exhausting to sit around and **wait all day!**

hugs n’ blessings are being sent no matter what shape you are!

And so we March.

Published on January 22, 2016January 23, 2016 by Dawn Marie4 Comments

Man’s Best Friend?

Cruelty to dogs is the worst kind
lies in cobwebs of my blown mind,
How

could mankind be so damn cruel
over the animals we were given to rule?

They are ours given by God to protect
seems to me these at times we reject,
mistreatment of animals of our world
always makes my blood boil and curl.

Can’t we remember dogs are man’s best friend
they always remain loyal to the very end,
to see them in such cruel punishment
irks my nerve and burns my sentiment.

Azantquill

And so we March.

(Because an Animal’s life must be protected.)

‘A Million Human March’ for Animal Cruelty.

*All 50 States now have Felony Animal Cruelty Provisions!

A Dog’s Best Friend?

Weeks 1-4 Gender is determined immediately during fertilization. Nervous systems start to form creating a foundation for a childs thoughts senses and feelings. Heart and circulatory systems also start forming.
Week 5 A baby’s heart beats for the first time! Their blood starts pumping and organs begin to develop.
Week 6 A baby’s brain is growing. Lenses of the eye appears and nostrils are formed.
Week 7 Elbows form. Fingers start to form. Feet start to appear with tiny notches for toes. Ears, eyes and nose start to appear and teeth are starting to form under the gums.
Week 8 A baby’s bones and cartilage start to form. Tongue begins to develop. Fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short.
Week 9 A baby is beginning to move. Their joints are formed. And a baby will curl their fingers around things in the palm of their hands, like the umbilical cord.
Week 10 Eyelids fuse shut and irises begin to appear. The most critical part of a baby’s development is complete and he or she is headed toward rapid growth.
Week 11 Nearly all structures and organs are complete and starting to function. Fingers and toes are separated and fingernails and hair start to grow. These tiny little hands and feet are about the size of your own thumbnail.
Week 12 A baby’s vocal cords are forming. Their eyes begin shifting closer together and ears move to their right place on the side of their head. Your little ones liver starts functioning.

In just 12 short weeks…This is a babies development. At any time it is legal to have an abortion. (Although abortion limitations vary from State to State.) They have a brain, heart, fingers toes and fingernails. They can move their hands and feet and even grasp things. They have had a soul since conception.

And so we March.

(Because a Child’s life must be protected.)

The 2016 March for Life is the largest Pro-Life March in the World.

*And still all 50 States allow Legalized abortion.