Real Enjoyment From Christmas Should Come From Families, Not Gifts

So Christmas is over! Most of us are exhausted by now. In fact, most are probably still asleep as I write this blog entry.

Yes, my daughter is still sound asleep. Our Christmas was a little different this year because my husband is not working. However, that being said we made the best of it, and had a wonderful Christmas despite a lot of disappointments we have faced over the last 9 months.

We are all healthy and though that's said a lot, it truly is the thing we should be most thankful for.

This Christmas I had a little more time to reflect, especially on what is important in my life --which is my family. We are close and we are strong.

The other day, I listened to a little audio cassette tape recorded on my grandmother's birthday back in the late '60s. I heard my dad's voice and that of many of the others in my family who have passed on. My dad, grandparents, and two uncles are all deceased, but they live on in this tape. All of us kids were quite small, but as I listened to this tape I realized where my family values came from.

My family values came from many generations of people who did without many monetary things. What was important to them and what should be important to everyone today is a strong family. It's not what is under the tree, but who is around the tree.


My husband Greg and daughter Nicole on Christmas Day


Gifts come and go. Toys break. Clothes you receive wear out. However, a strong family will always endure. They may be beaten down at times, but if you stay united and strong nothing can destroy that.


Who's the REAL reindeer?

So even though we didn't receive many monetary gifts this year, the best gift I received yesterday was my family's laughter. We were together and happy. No amount of presents or money can replace that feeling.

Patch enjoying his Christmas as only he can!

So I thank my parents and grandparents who lived through the Great Depression. They had nothing monetarily, but they had love and family.

My mom, Nicole, and me

My family is what gets me through life. My family is what keeps me going. All our families should be the most important people in our lives.

It's not the things we have in our lives, but the people we have in our lives. This extends to many friends who are not only friends, but an extension of my family. We all need each other to talk to and get thru the tough times.

I don't want to get too religious, but I believe that is the message Jesus came to Earth with. It was for peace on Earth, and that all begins with your family. Peace begins at home and that peace will be passed along to others.

So let's all be thankful for the people in our lives -- not the gifts we received. Because the gifts will fade, but family is always there.

May 2008 bring peace and happiness to your family!

Rolled Sugar Cookies Can Be Made During Any Holiday Time

I love simple cookie recipes, and this is truly one of the simplest I make by far.

This next recipe is a basic sugar cookie. What's also great about it is it's a rolled cookie so you can make fun shapes with Christmas cookie cutters. Actually this cookie recipe can be used for any holiday by simply changing the cookie cutters for that particular holiday.

ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES



2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Additional sugar (colored decors, etc.)

Oven 375 degrees

Stir together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Beat butter and shortening for 30 seconds; add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, beat well.

Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well combined.

Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time, on a lightly floured surface roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar or decorate.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 8 minutes or till done.

Makes 36-48 cookies.

This is a great cookie recipe to get the whole family involved with. You can sit and talk while you decorate cookies. What fun!

Making cookies is a great way to keep a family close during the busiest holiday season of the year. It also gets everyone into the Christmas spirit.

Merry Christmas!!

Today's Christmas Cookie A Wonderful Blend Of Chocolate, Cherries, And Oatmeal

If you like chocolate, cherries, and oatmeal cookies, this next cookie recipe will be one of your family favorites.

I tried this cookie several years ago and my family just loved them. I also have given away many cookie trays and bags over the years. This cookie, along with the snowball cookie recipe I put on my blog a few days ago, has been one of everyone's favorites.

CHERRY CHOCO CHUNK COOKIES




2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
3 ounces white baking bar or white chocolate candy bar, cut 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup candied cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Beat butter and BOTH sugars in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in milk, egg, and vanilla, scraping down side of bowl once. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in oats until well blended. Stir in baking bar pieces and cherries. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 minutes or until set. Let stand on cookie sheets 1 minute. Remove cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

I know you are going to enjoy this cookie, especially if you love chocolate.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Cookie Week Continues: Cream Cheese Cutouts

What's more fun than baking cookies with your kids? Especially this time of year with the snow on the ground.

Baking Christmas cookies with your kids will keep them entertained and away from the TV and video games.

Christmas is a time for family and togetherness. With all the hustle and bustle that December brings we can forget to spend quality time with our kids. Making cookies is one way to be together and just have fun!

Here is a delicious cookie that is sure to make fun memories for you and your kids. So get out the cookie cutters!

CREAM CHEESE CUTOUT COOKIES



1 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/2 cps all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Almond Frosting (recipe follows)
Assorted candies for decoration

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract; beat well.

In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to cream cheeese mixture; beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough, half at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cookies with Almond Frosting; decorate with assorted candies, nuts, etc.


ALMOND FROSTING

In a small bowl, beat 2 cups sifted powdered sugar,2 tablespoons softened butter and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract until smooth.

For piping consistency, beat in 4 or 5 teaspoons milk.

For spreading consistency, add a little more milk. If desired, tint with food coloring.

* Make sure to always use a completely cooled cookie sheet before you go onto the next batch of cookies. If the cookie sheet is warm they will not bake as evenly.


This cookie recipe is fun because after the cookies are baked and cooled everyone can decorate them together.

So put on the Christmas music and get into the real spirit of Christmas, which is home, family, and being thankful to God for both.

Have fun and make time for your family, especially during the holiday season!

Cookies, Other Baked Goods Make Wonderful Holiday Gifts

Yes, this is surely the busiest time of the year. For me that usually means a whole bunch of cooking and baking on top of Christmas shopping.

I am always happy to share my recipes. Especially ones I have had much success with. So look for a new cookie recipe each day! It's my little way to say Merry Christmas!!

My daughter Nicole and I love to bake Christmas cookies. We really don't eat many of them, but we do love to bake them.

Cookies are a great gift to give, and, I might add, a very tasty one. I love all the little festive bags you can buy to put your baked goods in. What also make a nice presentation are the cute little Chrismas plates you can purchase at the dollar stores. Wrap with some colorful cling wrap, fasten with a piece of ribbon and add a little bow. PERFECT!!


Holiday gift bags

Cookies are fantastic to give that special neighbor, friend, or teacher. It's something special from you and it will mean more than a store bought gift.

With the economy being so bad, and money being so tight, why not a special bag or plate of baked goods to show you are thinking of them?

What's wrong with an old fashioned Christmas? Why does everything have to be store bought?

Here is one of the Eno Family's favorite cookie recipes. They are called Snowballs and are absolutely delicious:

SNOWBALLS

1/2 Cup Confectioners 10-X Sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans
Additional Confectioners 10-X Sugar

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar. salt and butter; mix well. Add vanilla. Gradually stir in flour. Work nuts into dough. Cover and chill until firm.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set, but not brown. Roll in additional sugar immediately. Cool on wire racks. Roll in sugar again. Store in airtight container.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

What can be more special than a plate or bag of homemade baked goods sent with love?

Give it a try! I guarantee it will mean more than a store bought gift.

MERRY BAKING!!!!

Be Thankful For Whatever You May Have: Health, JOBS, Etc.

My blog has taken many twists and turns. For the past several days I have been just slamming the Bush administration, Congress, and everyone else in between.

This blog has given me a voice, although some people may not agree with everything I say. It has relieved some frustration for me and I hope for others. For that I am thankful.

As we approach Christmas and with my husband still without full-time employment it will be a dismal time for my family. However, that being said I am a person who will persevere no matter what obstacles have been thrown in my way.

My husband and I will never give up hope or stop looking for employment because our child is counting on us and we are not going to let her down.

Even though we won't have Christmas presents this year, I am determined to make my daughter's Christmas a happy one. I have been focusing on maybe just baking a few cookies. Trying to focus on being thankful that I have a family and everyone is healthy.

I write this not for pity, but because this is what this economy has done to many families in the state of Michigan, as well as other places in our country. Yet the government has sat by and done absolutely nothing.

My husband and I are both educated and all we want are jobs that will allow us to survive and support our family. However, that seems to be too much to ask for right now. The job market is terrible and we simply cannot find a job in the state of Michigan.

My husband and I sat down at the kitchen table this morning and are seriously thinking of trying to get work outside of Michigan. We were born here (in Michigan) and so was our daughter, but we need to be able to survive. Leaving Michigan may be our only answer right now.

As scary as that is for us, it's something I think we are coming to terms with. I love Michigan and my heart will always be here, but it just isn't possible to make a living in this state. I know the rest of the country is hard hit too, but with giving other states a possiblity maybe we can make a living again and provide what our child needs.

The whole being without employment leaves you stripped of everything including your pride. No family should have to go through what we have. I hope people who have jobs truly appreciate them.

Again, I am not saying any of this for pity because that is not who I am. Who I am is a fighter and I think we all need to have a little more fight in us to protect what we hold so dear to us -- that is, our families.

The government has allowed Big Business to strip many of us of our homes, our pride, and our jobs. I'm not just mad for my family, but for every family who is going through this type of situation. For this to happen in our country is an outrage and every American family should be mad.


Don't let outside stress turn your family against each other

Whatever you do this holiday give thanks for what you have. Especially if you are fortunate enough to have a job and a roof over your head. Say a prayer for all of us who don't have jobs that we may all find one soon.

All any of us want is a job to allow us to survive and take care of our families. I don't think that is too much to ask for.

This administration and Big Business have allowed jobs to be eliminated from our country. People want jobs that will pay enough to allow us to live and support our families. We also want our pride and dignity that has been stripped away from so many American families. We deserve at least that much. We the people have nothing and those who caused it need to be held accountable!

For others in our situation, don't let your family fall apart. Keep together and be strong. Don't allow a bad situation to ruin your marriage. Because in the end the only people you have that will stand by you is your family. Don't lose sight of that; if you do then they really have stripped us of everything!

Stress and strain can tear a family apart; please don't give anyone or anything that much power!!

It's Not Hard To Do Better Than Nothing

The Bush Administration should be known and remembered as not only the most stubborn administration in history, but also as the "do nothing" administration.

First of all let's begin with the revolving door at the U.S.-Mexico border. For years people have been raped, killed, and just plain dumped into shallow graves in Cludad Juarez, the Mexican city across the border from El Paso, TX.

These perpetrators have gone unpunished by an inept Mexican justice system.

The law enforcement records in Texas and New Mexico reveal that Jose Francisco Granados de la Paz was repeatedly jailed in the U.S. What happened? He was sent back to Mexico time after time. Only to return to the United States and commit more crimes.

On Monday, the U.S. Border Patrol discovered a secret tunnel that I am sure has been used to transport drugs into the United States.

Why am I so sure? Not so surprisingly a Border Patrol agent heard noise Monday from a 30-foot trailer that had been parked 360 yards north of Tecate, California.

What was in the trailer? It was half-full of packages containing marijuana.

There have been dozens of tunnels found along the U.S.-Mexican border yet the border still remains open to this day.


What kind of country are we leaving for our children?

What has the Bush Administration and Congress done about this? NOTHING!!

Decent American families are losing their homes to foreclosure. What has been done so far?
NOTHING!

Credit card companies are raising interest rates even if you've been a good customer and paid your bills on time. What is being done so far? NOTHING!

Dangerous imports of food and toys come into this country consistently. What has been done thus far? NOTHING!

Detroit public school graduation rate is 24.9 percent. Nationwide, 1.23 million high school seniors will not graduate this year. What is being done? NOTHING!

The Michigan jobless rate in May was 6.9 percent, which by the way is the highest in the nation. Michigan lost 28,700 jobs from March through May alone. What has been done? NOTHING!

Detroit has the highest poverty rate among 20 of the largest American cities. The average household income in Detroit is $28,069 and is the lowest among those 20 cities. Can you live on that? No, of course not. What is being done? NOTHING!

Medical care for illegal immigrants in 2004 was $2.2 billion and for their children $2.5 billion, which can only have increased over the past several years. What is being done? Oh gee, let's see -- leave the borders open. So what's been done? NOTHING!

Our wonderful men and women in the front lines are losing their lives every day. What is being done? NOTHING!

Big business and special interest groups are enriching themselves at our expense. What is being done? NOTHING!

We, the middle class, are at the mercy of individuals and companies that provide goods and services and control jobs. What is being done? NOTHING!

The American people are drowning and no one is lifting a finger to help. The country is on a one-way trip downward and not one person in the government is doing a thing to help.

There needs to be changes and quick. Not many of us can hang on much longer.

What can you do? For one thing write your Congressman. Also write the Senate. Let them know we as Americans aren't taking this any longer! We deserve better and we need to fight harder to make change.

Here is where to go and speak up for your rights as an American citizen:

www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

www.house.gov/writerep/

Give em' hell America. OUR FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER!!!!!

Again, Bush Tries To Disguise Stubbornness, Incompetence As Strong Leadership

My father fought in WWII to allow me and every American to speak when things aren't going in the right direction in our country.

Well, not only are they not going in the right direction this country is falling apart.

All headed by a president who I refer to as Dictator Bush. He is an embarrassment and has the nerve to speak out against dictatorship, but HE is the epitome of a dictator. What more do I have to say except impeachment!

Yesterday in Washington was classic Bush at his best. As usual this embarrassment we are forced to call president won't back down even when he is clearly in the wrong.

He was confronted yesterday with new facts from the National Intelligence Estimate, clearly stating that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program four years ago. This information comes from his own administration. Yet again in his usual stubborn dictatorship, Bush style, he replies: "Look, Iran was dangerous," he said. "Iran is dangerous. And Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."


Bush: Who needs accuracy, when you can formulate your own truths?

The president was hit with a multitude of questions from reporters about the U.S. and how our credibility was damaged by hyped intelligence before. He was confronted with whether he made the same mistake with Iran in October, when he warned about the possibility of a "WWIII" at a press conference.

However, instead of admitting a mistake, in his usual Bush manner he made a comment before he learned of the new NIE. Although he did acknowledge that Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, gave him a heads up that something was up last summer.

McConnell came to the president and said, "We have some new information," Bush recalled. "He didn't tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze."

Democratic Senator Joe Biden said he can't believe the president got tipped off in August to a change and didn't follow-up with questions until last week.

"If that's true," Biden told reporters, "he's one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history."

I believe not only is Bush incompetent, but he is an outright liar. This man doesn't even have the words "back down" in his vocabulary. Again, not even the slightest admission that he was wrong.

Classic Bush at his best -- no surrender or retreat. He's done more damage to our country than any president in history. What a legacy!

No Qualms With Legal Entry Into U.S., But Illegal Is Illegal, Folks!

I have written about this subject before, which is we have broken borders in our country. I guess it needs to be mentioned again, because clearly nothing seems to have changed.

One new fact I have recently found out is that Michigan is one of eight states giving out drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. This is appalling. Our state is in a very bad economic state and this is not helping.

People in the state of Michigan are losing their jobs and homes at an alarming rate. It is nearly impossible to find a job in our state. The last thing we need is more economic hardship here in Michigan, but indeed here we are giving out licenses to illegal aliens.

We are lacking leadership in our state as well as in Washington. I guess I don't need to mention that Congress isn't doing much better.


What's wrong with THIS picture? (Sad thing is, it's not much of an exaggeration)

Corporate America is spending more than 2 billion dollars a year to lobby in Washington, and Congress has rallied around the special interests they seek and serve.

The country is clearly headed in the wrong direction. The very people we have elected to serve all citizens have thumbed their noses at us.

I am not a racist to want our borders closed. If I hear the word "racist" used one more time to describe American Citizens who want our borders closed, I think I will scream. Illegal is illegal, no matter how they try to candycoat it. If I broke the law I would be in jail. What part of "illegal" doesn't anyone seem to understand?

President Ronald Reagan signed into law 21 years ago amnesty for more than three million illegal aliens who had entered our country. Now, another 21 years later we hear the same verbage from the pro-amnesty people who advocated open borders. They are still claiming that there will be no social or economic cost to us, the taxpayers. Doesn't history teach us that this is simply not a true statement?

I said it before and I will say it again: you can't reform immigration law if you can't control it.

The following quote was by Theodore Roosevelt in 1919. This is from a letter to the American Defense Society, 10 years after he was president.

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American.

There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes any foreign flag or a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

- Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

Need I say more?!

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