Posts Tagged ‘meme’

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Photographic Friday

Friday, December 19th, 2008

The theme for today’s meme is “Celebrating Christmas” once again. Share your photos that depict the sights and sounds of this holiday season . Remember, the simple and the ordinary are full of beauty if gazed upon from the correct angle.

Here’s how to participate:

 1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not to your main site). Remember, I reserve the right to delete inappropriate links!

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

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Christmas celebrations are all about delicious desserts.  Last weekend I served these simple but festive lemon-raspberry cupcakes. They proved to be sophisticated enough for adults when sitting side by side a caramel cheesecake. Yet, children delighted in them as well. I was initially inspired by these petite cakes as they graced the cover of  Bon Appetit’s April 2008 cover. Here is my customized version.

 

Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

8 tblsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

Lemon Icing

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

4 – 6 tblsp lemon juice

Whisk the sugar and lemon juice together. You should start with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and add additional juice as you need it. The icing should be fairly viscous.

Place the cake mix, water, lemon juice, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend on medium speed until combined, about 20 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the cake batter mixing after each addition.  Once all of the eggs have been added,  continue mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour the batter into prepared cupcake pans. You can either grease and flour your pans or utilize cupcake liners. Silver liners always look festive. Bake in a 350° oven for 17 – 20 minutes. Do not over bake the cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack. Spread lemon icing evenly over the cupcakes and top with a plump raspberry.

You can utilize raspberry jam or preserves as a filling in these cupcakes. Simply add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cake batter to the cupcake pan, then add 1 tablespoon of jam and cover with additional cake batter. 

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds, / While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads . . . ” – Clement Clarke Moore, The Night Before Christmas 

 

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Photographic Friday

Friday, December 12th, 2008

The theme for today’s meme is “Celebrating Christmas”. Share your photos that depict the sights and sounds of this holiday season . Remember, the simple and the ordinary are full of beauty if gazed upon from the correct angle.

Here’s how to participate:

1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not your main site). Remember, I reserve the right to delete inappropriate links!

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

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I have actually accomplished very little wrapping. However, the few gifts I managed to secure made a lovely subject.

I look forward to seeing your photos!

“I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects.” – Charles Dickens

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Power In Numbers

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

This school year, I was introduced to an educational resource that has proven  invaluable: The Homeschool Buyer’s Coop. This is a purchasing cooperative for homeschooling families. One family started this co-op so that individual homeschooling families could gain the purchasing power of a larger group. Similar to a school district, their size allows this coop to offer group buys, exclusive member discounts, and even  free curriculum.  They maintain a fabulous internet database. Additional opportunities provided by the co-op include contests and scholarships, money saving tips, and  free classifieds for members.

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There is no cost associated with becoming a member of the co-op. The coop is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making homeschooling affordable. They are supported primarily by advertising. The strength of the coop can be found in the number of families that belong to it. As they gain members, the coop is able to provide additional opportunities and services to the homeschooling community.

I have found The Homeschool Buyer’s Coop to be a terrific resource. You can find more terrific tips and ideas over at Rocks In My Dryer’s Works For Me Wednesday.

“It is an uneasy lot at best, to be what we call highly taught and yet not to enjoy: to be present at this great spectacle of life and never to be liberated from a small hungry shivering self–never to be fully possessed by the glory we behold, never to have our consciousness rapturously transformed into the vividness of a thought, the ardor of a passion, the energy of an action, but always to be scholarly and uninspired, ambitious and timid, scrupulous and dim-sighted.” – George Eliot

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Angels We Have Heard On High

Saturday, December 6th, 2008

The Christmas season has definitely arrived in our home. Decorating has finally begun and it’s shaping up quite nicely. Our little guys enjoy the entire decorating experience: the music , the tasty treats and the festive activities. Of course, they always add such a delightful air to the moment. Every ornament that we hang on the tree brings forth a fountain of rich memories, with the exception of the few new ornaments the children have carefully chosen this year. They will take their rightful place in our hearts soon.

Here’s a few snapshots from around our house.

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I would love to see photos of the season’s sights and sounds as they play out in your lives. The next two Photographic Fridays will be all about Christmas. I hope you can join me.

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Photographic Friday

Friday, December 5th, 2008

Here I go again!

The theme for today’s meme is “Just Outside Your Door“. Please remember the rules:

 1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not your main site). Remember, I reserve the right to delete inappropriate links!

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

 
 

I look forward to seeing your photos!

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I relish this photograph as it captures the last breath of fall. 

“The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.” – Psalm 85:12

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If At First You Don’t Succeed . . .

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Photographic Friday was a complete and utter failure. I am hoping this was due to the fact that it was launched during the Thanksgiving holiday week. So . . . instead of scrapping it entirely I am going to attempt  it again this week. I hope I am giving ample notice this time!

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The theme, once again, is: Just Outside Your Door

Remember:

1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not your main site).

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

I will open the links no later than 8:00 a.m. Eastern on Friday morning. Links will close at 10:00 Friday evening. Obviously, please choose your subject with discretion. I will delete inappropriate links. Have fun!

“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:2b -4

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Don’t Forget The Gravy . . .

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

Simple, unpretentious ingredients work synergistically to produce glorious golden gravy. Fat, flour and liquid. . .  the combinations and variations of these three components are too numerous to mention. Creative culinarians have produced sumptuous rich gravies from this uncomplicated trio for generations.

The gravy that embellishes the feast at our home embodies the flavors that I relish -  creamy butter and vibrant white wine. This is what works for me. Visit Works For Me Wednesday for other terrific ideas and tips.

Turkey neck

celery stalk

1 carrot

onion, peeled and quartered

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of wine or apple juice

Place the above ingredients is an medium sauce pan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Strain the simmered liquid. Add chicken or turkey stock and 1/2 cup of white wine to the liquid to make 8 cups. Set  this stock mixture aside. You can make this ahead time.

Once your turkey is roasted, remove the turkey from the pan drippings, pour the liquid drippings from the roasting pan into a bowl. Skim the fat from the liquid and reserve. It is easiest to separate the fat if you cool the drippings. Place the roasting pan over high heat and deglaze with white wine.

Add the stock mixture to the roasting pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Combine butter and some of the reserved fat to make about 1/2 cup. I prefer butter and combine accordingly. Heat until melted and then slowly add 1/2 cup of flour whisking continually until you have a smooth paste or roux. I like to cook this paste to a golden brown as it imparts a lovelier color to the gravy.

Add the roux in small amounts to the gravy liquid to thicken the mixture. Once you have arrived at a desired consistency season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Get Ready For Photographic Friday

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

I want to encourage others to capture the beauty of simple objects in their lives through photography. Consider the loveliness in a bowl of fruit, a basket of eggs, a table setting, snow laden branches or even a stack of wood.  

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Hopefully, this meme will inspire you to perceive charm and artistry in the routine. Here’s how it works:

1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not your main site).

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

I will post the weekly topic or focus no later than 8:00 a.m. Eastern on Friday morning. Links will close at 10:00 Friday evening. Obviously, please choose your subject with discretion. I will delete inappropriate links. Have fun!

“The unthankful heart . . . discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!” – Henry Ward Beecher

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Fresh and Bright

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Fresh vegetables add a  lovely touch to a Thanksgiving banquet. The colors will brighten your feast as you arrange carrots, peppers, grape tomatoes, and celery on a beautiful platter. This is an easy, nutritious way to enliven your table.

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Utilize trimmed, crisp vegetables attractively sliced into manageble sizes. This inviting display of crudites is certain to please your family and guests.

Join me next week for the new Photographic Friday Meme. I hope I can inspire you to capture the beauty of simple objects and moments around your home. Watch for additional details next week.

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“Sowe Carrets in your Gardens, and humbly praise God for them, as for a singular and great Blessing.” – Richard Gardiner

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Click . . . Enter . . . Print

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008

I stumbled across a fabulous online source for a variety of educational helps catering to all grade levels. It is Ed Helper. This online subscription service offers reproducible and customizable material covering math, language arts, reading, and social studies (to name a few).

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They even provide thematic materials for each month. Once you subscribe to this terrific group, you will have access to  a plethora of printable worksheets, games, and puzzles to supplement your children’s curriculum.

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The annual fee is relatively low: $19.99 for the basic K -8 package and $39.98 for the package that includes high school and special needs materials. It is quite a value considering the abundance of resources available at this site.  Armed with a printer, you could possibly print everything you would need for the academic portion of your child’s education at Ed helper.

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For additional great tips visit Rocks in My Dryer’s Works for Me Wednesday.

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. “-C.S. Lewis

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