Saturday, May 19, 2012

Dear Readers,



          I am going ahead right now and apologizing in case I do not post often in the near future. A lot of things are going on around here and I might even not have time to check my emails! So, I'm going to give you all a huge dosage on this post to make up for it. :)

Chicken Corn Chowder

This recipe is great for quick meals and is loved by all chicken lovers! 

Here are the ingredients:
6 slices bacon, diced 
1/2 cup diced celery 
2 cups potatoes, small dice 
1 cup diced onion 
1/2 cup diced carrot 
3 tablespoons flour 
2 1/2 cups chicken broth 
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seasoned salt 
1 cup corn kernels 
1 1/2 cups half-and-half 
1 1/2 to 2 cups diced cooked chicken 
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes 
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Fry bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; remove to paper towels to drain. Add butter to bacon drippings, if necessary, to make 3 tablespoons. Add celery, potatoes, onion, and carrot. Sauté, stirring constantly, until onion and celery are tender. Stir in flour until well incorporated. Add chicken broth and seasoning or seasoned salt, stirring to blend well. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Add the diced chicken and corn; simmer for 7 minutes longer, until vegetables are tender. Add half-and half and tomatoes. Heat through and taste. Add salt and pepper, as needed. 
Serves 4 to 6.

Movie Review: The Secret World of Arrietty

From the makers of Spirited Away and Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty is a story full of vibrant colors and adventure. This Japanese cartoon has captivated the imaginations of people of all ages as Arrietty takes the audience on a ride through her special world. I was rather delighted in this film, and in fact surprised since I imagined it might be rather boring. However, while I was watching I became fascinated with the film just as much as the six year old next to me. This movie is sweet and super adorable, and some parts almost made me cry! I give it five stars, for creativity, fun, and a movie worth watching again and again! And plus, there are no parts where you have to worry about closing your eyes or leaving the room! A clean and fun film!   

Book Review: Sierra Jensen Series by Robin Jones Gunn

Although it has been a while since I personally read the book, it is one of my all time favorite christian book series! This series is about a young christian girl as she struggles growing up in her late teen years and following God's plan for her. I don't want to spoil it for some of you if I talk too much about it but all I can do is recommend it! So you all should probably check out your local library for it! (i actually tried to find it in mine and they did not have it! If you experience this problem, you will mots likely have to buy it or sneak into Barnes and Nobles and read a few segments to decided if you like it.)

Verse of the Week:

Matthew 6:26 KJV "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" 
To me, this verse helps me to realize to put my trusts in Christ alone. Only then will I feel comfort and peace. And I hope you all will too :)


A Short Segment of my Writing :)

The sun slowly rose over the green hills of Viola, Tennessee. Willow trees dripped rich dew onto the grass below and robins began to sing their songs inside their carefully made beds. The joys of spring began to awaken as young Abigail sat on her favorite tree stump watching the horizon. Her rich brown hair was hanging loose on her shoulders, protecting her neck from the chilling breeze. She wrapped herself tightly in her blue robe and dug her toes into the moist earth. After studying the horizon for a few brief moments, she took out her supplies needed to fulfill her mission. She set up a blank canvas and positioned it slightly to the right. She fixed her palette of paints in her left hand and pulled out a hand carved paintbrush made by her. She gracefully handled her paintbrush with ease as she began her portrait of her most treasured sight. Reds, oranges, and hints of purples were flowing under the artist’s care.
She dragged the brush lightly on the paper to give an outline of her beloved star and wiped the artistic tool on a rag to clean off the old paint. She began to shade in where the great willows were to lean over. Big magnificent trees they were, she marveled to herself, and her painting gave them justice of their splendor. Depth was shown within each stroke of their true nature. Not a cloud was in sight, she thought to herself in glee as she painted the sky as it truly was without those annoying, white, puff balls. The artist inside of her took control of her thoughts and movements as she painted the scene as if nothing else compared to its importance. A bit of orange here, a trace of yellow there, and a couple of dabs for the leaves were the girl’s only thoughts. A tranquil lake owned a part of the picture, willow trees the other, but what was the main object of the whole tableau was the golden sun that shone its head slowly over the horizon. She gave her all on this subject, adding different shades of yellows and gold to show its true radiance.
Its rays of light shined on the greens hills, the dew covered willows, the singing birds; everything that was displayed in her portrait was drenched in the warm rays of the precious star. The long drapes of leaves that curtained the willows looked so detailed and dainty that an observer would have thought it was a photograph of some kind.
A voice awakened her out of her trance and she realized someone was calling her name in the wind. She quickly stuffed her tools back in her knapsack in earnest and held her canvas protectively under her arms. “Coming!” she called back as she ran past the lake, the willow trees, and away from her cherished horizon. A rather large brick house came into view. Ivy vines a plenty ran up its walls and wrapped around the colossal white columns. Abigail’s beloved balcony could be seen above the columns, the best place for an impressive view of her esteemed abode.  A white picket fence surrounded the house and a few acres of plentiful land which the domestic equidaes cantered to and fro. As she approached the house, she saw who had called her name.  A petite woman in a brown floral apron stood on the porch, holding a bowl of oatmeal to the barefoot girl.

Ohhh! Left you all a cliff hanger huh? :)

Hope you have a blessed week!
Brookie




Sunday, May 13, 2012

Short Post for Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day everyone! Hope y'alls was great and that you told your mothers how much you appreciate them for all that they do! This morning we celebrated mother's day with breakfast for her and some gifts. She really enjoyed the blender and popcorn machine my dad and brother got for her. (Of course I was the one to give them a hint about some things for the kitchen. Men can never live without women heehee.) Sadly, it just had to be raining all day today so mother's day seemed kind of...dreary. Anyways, today we went to the service at our church and the Pastor spoke on the topic "Beauty". On how inward beauty is the most glamorous of all compared to outward beauty. True, it is important to take care of your outward image such as shampooing your hair, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and etc., but the main idea was not to be so consumed in taking care of your outward beauty. What defines a woman as beautiful is her personality, her kindness and how she wishes to follow in Christ. A christian woman's main focus is to be perfecting her inward beauty, and not only can this be applied to just women but also to men. Everywhere you see that man's main focus is self image. Face lifts, botox, muscle toning, and much else, are ways to improve one's "appearance". But these things are not true beauty. They fade away in time and eventually it all boils down to the person's soul and who they are before they apply make-up and adorn themselves in fine clothing and jewelry. So, whenever you wake up in the morning and look yourself in the mirror, are you wishing for a better image or are you glad that God allowed you to live another day and praise Him for all the things He has done?

Thursday, May 10, 2012

How to make a Twist Bracelet

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a wonderful Thursday so far! Today I completed my last writing test and I made a perfect 100! Although I'm going to miss the class, I will continue to write anyways. For today's entry, I decided to post something that I hope to make soon. They are called Friendship Twist Bracelets and are very adorable! They make nice gifts and are easy on the wallet. But first I want to talk about something I learned from my devotionals today. In John chapter 13 I learned that Jesus calls us all to be servants to one another as he washes his disciples feet. If the Son of God can humble himself to wash the dirty feet of his followers, how much so should we humble ourselves? He then tells his disciples that one of them is going to betray him. Imagine how the disciples felt as they questioned among themselves! They were wondering if they themselves would betray their Lord. However they all soon found out who the betrayer was as Jesus gave the man, Judas Iscariot, a piece of sop or bread to him. Judas soon left after the food was given to him, to fulfill the prophecy spoken in the old testament. Jesus then tells Peter that he will deny him three times before the cock crows. Peter of course says he will never would deny his Lord; even saying he would die for Him. This chapter presents three different events that are very important in the ministry and life of Jesus. You can read if you like or if you do not have a Bible then check out www.biblegateway.com  

Have a blessed day! And below are some instructions and materials for the bracelets.








Materials:


3 or more strands of Thread each 30in. Any type of thread will work, but it's easier to make the bracelet with thinner string because it makes a longer bracelet. You can add more or less string to fit your wrist. If you are going to use more than 3 strings, I suggest cutting the string longer.


Instructions: 


1. First, tie the three strings together with a knot at the top. Leave about 2"in. of extra string above the knot so you can use it to tie the bracelet later.


2. Next, hold your strings together (or tape them to a flat surface) and twist them clockwise. Keep twisting them until the twist is 17"in. long, with the extra string under it not twisted.

3. Hold the end of the twist with one hand (not including the extra string below it), and put a finger from your other hand in the middle of the twist and fold the twist in half.

4. Hold the top knot and extra strings on the bottom together. Take your finger out of the twist and the twist will twist around itself. If the twist (around itself) kinks or stops, lightly pull on the looped end of the bracelet where you had your finger before. Don't pull too tightly, or it will mess up the bracelet.

5. Tie the extra ends with a knot at the top of the bracelet. To put on the bracelet, open the loop (on one end of the bracelet) and pull the loose strings through it.

Note: The picture above is not mine. All the information above is not mine either. I found these instructions on http://friendship-bracelets.net/tutorial.php?id=517

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

First Entry!

Hence the title, this is my first entry. Very creative isn't it? Anyways, my name's Brooke and I am a homeschooler. I hope to be a really good cook (but not a famous one! just one that doesn't cause the smoke alarm to go off) :) , publish a book (I am currently working on one and I might put some segments on here and see what you all might think), and maybe even have a good blog! (if not, I just really want to accomplish the first two!)  I'll mostly write a lot of different things, from stories to recipes to even putting some photography on here or even reviewing on some movies and books. And I'll try my best to set a time each week so I can post more blogs! But for my first entry, I wanted to offer you all a really good recipe and my favorite bible verse: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13. This verse rings true in my life, for without Jesus Christ I would not be where I am at today! Choosing my favorite bible verse for me is tough, there are just so many good ones! And now, here is a recipe that I know is very amazing! (or for some friends out there, fantastic! I know it can't do any tricks) ;)




Cherry Crisp
2 cans of cherry pie filling with one butter cake mix, then 1 1/2 to 2 sticks of butter sliced all over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 min to one hour. 

And that's it! This is probably one of the easiest recipes I know! And so good with vanilla ice cream! :)

Have a blessed day!
Brookie