Banana Notes

When Emily was in school, I sent a note in her lunch every morning. It was my way of sending a message of encouragement. Sometimes it was a joke to make her smile. Sometimes I would write a mushy, sentimental "love-you-and-miss-you" note. Sometimes it was a reminder of something fun we had planned for that evening. It didn't have to be much -- just a way to let her know that I was thinking of her. 

This is my favorite way to leave lunchbox notes -- with a banana-skin canvas! It is simple and fun, and doesn't take much time. The materials you need are a banana and a toothpick. Gently poke the peel of the banana to spell out your message. Within 30 minutes, the message is brown and your message becomes readable! 

A Mother's Prayer for Mother's Day

I clipped this prayer from a newspaper YEARS ago and love to use it as a guideline to pray for our children. I hope it is useful to you too!

Dear God,
I pray for my children that they will . . .

Mirror your image.
     Gal. 4:19
Be vessels of honor.
     Rom. 13:14; Phil. 1:27
Live for you and shun evil.
     I John 3:19
Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
     Acts 1:8, 2:4
Always be ready for the rapture.
     Matt. 24:44
Marry dedicated Christians.
     II Cor. 6:14
Have long life and a good marriage.
     Ex. 20:12
Have healthy families.
     III John 2
Be happy serving You.
     Rom. 5:13
Be faithful in tithing and generous in giving.
     Matt. 3:10, II Cor. 8:7
Be successful in their business.
     Deut. 28:1-14
Have all these things.
     Matt. 6:33
Grow in Your word and in wisdom for You.
     Col. 1:9
Come to the grave in full vigor like sheaves gathered in season.
     Job 5:26
Love and know love. 
     John 13:34-35, I John 3:16-19
Live to command the respect of others.
     Isa. 61:9, Matt. 5:16, I Cor. 4:2
Allow Your will to prosper in their lives. 
     Isaiah 53:10, Mark 3:35
Be strong in spirit.
     Luke 1:80
Hunger and thirst after righteousness.
     Matt. 5:6
Have a joy that is complete.
     Duet. 16:15
Have unity between each other and You.
     John 17:23-24
Rule and reign in the millennium.
     Rev. 20:4-6
Walk in the light as He is in the light.
     I John 14:13
Bring You glory today.
     John 14:13
Stand firm in Your will.
     Col. 4:12
Delight in the fear of the Lord.
     Isa. 11:3

Dear God, I pray that you will . . .
Establish the works of their hands.
     Ps. 90:17
Give them wholehearted devotion to You.
     I Chr. 29:19
Keep a vigil over them.
     Ex. 12:42
Give them understanding.
     I Chr. 28-29, Ps. 119:34-73, Luke 24:45
Give them faith that does not fail.
     Luke 22:32
Give them heaven's dew and earth's riches.
     Gen. 27-28
Equip them with everything for doing good.
     Heb. 13:21
Lead them not into temptation, but deliver them from evil.
     Matt. 6:13

Mini Pies

When it comes to dessert, we have a new family favorite at our house. And the best thing is that it is simple to throw together. Even better -- my daughter loves to make them!!!

They are mini-pies, made with just a few store-bought ingredients -- refrigerated pie crust, a can of pie filling, and a cinnamon-sugar mixture. We use a Pampered Chef sandwich maker to seal these, but we have also just used a fork to crimp the edges and it works just fine that way too!

Do they look good to you? They taste amazing. So, here is how to make them:

Roll out the pie crust and cut 12 circles (2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter). You will need to re-roll the crust to get the last few cut out. Lay 6 crusts on baking sheet. Fill with 1 Tbsp of pie filling. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if you prefer. Top with another pie crust circle. Crimp around the edges. Brush tops of pies with circles and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake at 350 until edges of pie crust are lightly browned.  Caution: the filling does get hot so let cool for a few minutes.

We have made apple and cherry pies, and apple is our favorite so far. But my sister has made strawberry and said they were delicious! 

Jan's Raspberry Jello Salad

If your family is a fan of jello salads, here is a recipe you should try. It is a quick recipe and with just a few ingredients, you can whip it up in a hurry! The recipe comes from Jan, a woman I met at a Methodist Salad Supper a few weeks ago. I have already made it twice, and my family devours it!

Jan's Raspberry Jello Salad

1 c. boiling water
2 pkgs raspberry jello
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 can raspberry pie filling

Mix water and jello powder until completely dissolved. Add pineapple and pie filling and chill to set.

It's as easy as that!!!!

Get Out There and Soak Up Some Vitamin D!

At the first sign of nice weather, we decided to get to the park. After all, with the weather we'd had this year we didn't know when it would be nice enough again to play outside. We picked up an extra special little guy to hang out with us for a few hours!

Kudos to the B-ville Park Board for keeping up the park and adding activities each year! We had a blast playing tennis on the recently refinished tennis court!