4-5 chicken breasts

5 cups salsa (this measurement is approximate) you want enough to cover your chicken

1 bag Bear Creek Tortilla Soup mix

3 (14 ounce) cans corn (drained)

2 (19ounce) cans black beans (drained)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1. Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker and cover them with the salsa. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove from slow cooker let cool and shred (Save the salsa it was cooked in). I like to do this the day before and I place the shredded chicken back in the salsa to marinate overnight.

2. Follow the cooking directions on the bag of Bear Creek Soup mix in a large pot.

3. When it is done; add the corn, black beans and salt and pepper.

4. Add the chicken and the salsa it has been marinating in, to the pot.

5. Let simmer for a few minutes so that all ingredients are warm.

Servings 15 bowls

Weight Watchers points 4 per bowl.

Optional:  garnish with cheddar cheese, toasted tortilla strips and sour cream. (these are not included in the weight watchers points. You will need to add points for each of the garnishes you decide to use).

TOASTED TORTILLA STRIPS

Place a flour tortilla in a frying pan on medium heat and let it cook on each side just until it starts to brown. Remove from the pan and use a pizza cutting wheel to cut it into thin strips.

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1 (16 ounce)  Jimmy Dean Maple flavor sausage

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

20 large button mushrooms, stems removed (save the stems and chop to add to sausage)

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly browned and crumbled.
3. Add chopped stems and sauté with sausage for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.
5. Blend cream cheese with the sausage and stem mixture.
6. Stuff mushroom caps with the cream cheese and sausage mixture.
7. Arrange stuffed mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Broil in the preheated oven 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.

Optional: May also be baked at 375° until mushrooms are tender and begin to sweat approximately 10 minutes.

Tip: Aluminum foil can be used to line the pan. It helps cook mushrooms evenly, and makes clean-up easy.

 

FLUBBER

Mix well in a large bowl

1 cup glue

¾ cup water

 

Mix separately

½ cup water

1 ½ teaspoon Borax

5-10 drops food coloring

Pour second mixture into the first mixture stir and knead until liquid is absorbed. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

 

We used this recipe in a day care that I worked in a few years ago and the kids loved it!

CAUTION: This recipe is for older children that would not eat it! not toddlers

 

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The following story really touched me and I want to share it with you. I think the world would be a better place if we were all a little more like Kevin. I hope that this Christmas season we will all find our Savior Jesus Christ, that we will make him our best friend like Kevin did and keep him in our hearts all year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Kevin’s Different World

By Kelly Adkins

My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that’s what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen.

“Are you there, God?” he said. “Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed.”

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he’s 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will.

He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme are laundry days, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day’s laundry chores.

And Saturdays—oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That’s the day my dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.

“That one’s goin’ to Chi-car-go!” Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

I don’t think Kevin knows anything exists outside his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. He recognizes no differences in people, treating each person as an equal and a friend. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.

His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of arguing. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere.

And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child.

Kevin seems to know God—to really be friends with him—in a way that is difficult for an “educated” person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap—I am.

My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances—they all become disabilities when I do not submit them to Christ. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of the Lord.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won’t be surprised at all.

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BROWNIES

2 cups sugar

2 sticks butter melted (no substitutes)

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

½ cup cocoa

1 ½ cups flour

1 (10 ounce) bag of Mini Marshmallows

Mix together the first five ingredients then stir in the cocoa and flour. Bake in a greased 9×13 inch pan at 325 for about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the top of the brownies and return to the oven just long enough for the marshmallows to get soft and slightly brown on top. Cool

 

FROSTING

¼ cup butter softened (no substitutes)

1 (4 ounce) cream cheese softened

3-4 tablespoons liquid whipping cream

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon water

4 cups powdered sugar (approximately)

Beat butter, whipping cream, water and cream cheese in a bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in cocoa and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread on top of the marshmallow layer after it has cooled.

 

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We came to the discovery the posts we have put up for several weeks have had technical difficulties. We have been working to fix the problem and it should be working now. Thank you so much to the followers who made us aware of the problem we really appreciate the feedback! On our end everything worked fine, and we were unaware there was a problem. We apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. We will be re-posting a couple of the ones that had problems for those who missed them.  😁💻

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All the recent tragedies from hurricanes, earth quakes, fires and the shooting in Las Vegas have left people wondering where God is in all this. I believe he is right there in the middle of it all, inspiring everyone to help each other. It is in times like these that we are Gods hands here on earth. He is in the nurse going from victim to victim doing all she can to find and help survivors. He is in the people tearing up their cloths for bandages and tourniquets to stop the bleeding of the wounded. He is in all those digging through rubble to find the survivors. He is in those doing all they can to help people find their loved ones. He is in the person whose arms are around someone that just learned their loved one did not make it. He is in every act of kindness, good deed and charity shown towards others.

In the movie Evan Almighty, Evan wants to change the world. To accomplish this, he gets himself elected as a congressional representative. On his families first night in their new home his wife tells him as they are going to bed that their boys wanted to pray, something the movie leads you to believe they have not done before. His wife told him she prayed for the family to become closer. She then suggests that he should pray as well since he had just promised to change the world when he was elected to office. She let him know that someone in his shoes should take all the help they could get! So, he kneels and prays for God to help him change the world.

In the movie God answers both their prayers bringing their family closer while using Evan to build an ark that saves lives, exposes illegal congressional activity and changes things for the better. I love this clip from the movie when Morgan Freeman who plays God explains that the beauty in the story of Noah and the Ark is that Noah and his family were there for each other side by side helping each other. He explains that even the animals came two by two. God gives us opportunities to serve, his plan is for us to help each other in difficult times so we can grow, become better, stronger and more loving people.

At the end of the movie God explains to Evan how you change the world for the better. One Act of Random Kindness at a time (ARK for short). I believe that God uses all of us to help change the world for the better through our life experiences if we will let him. I hope that this message will truly have an impact for good in the world and bring peace to your heart and soul in these troubled times.

I will follow the upward road today; I will keep my face to the light. I will think high thoughts as I go my way; I will do what I know is right. I will look for the flowers by the side of the road; I will laugh and love and be strong. I will try to lighten another’s load this day as I fare along. — Mary S.Edgar

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1 ham bone with a little meat left on it

6 (15.5 ounce) cans white beans

8 cups water

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 large onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup celery leaves (freshly chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ½ cups carrots (peeled and sliced)

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low about 9-10 hours. Remove the ham bone and take all the meat off it and cut the meat into bite size pieces. Put the meat back into the soup long enough for it to heat back up and discard the bone. Serve.

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The children have gone back to school and as parents we always hope they’ll get a teacher that will be perfect for them. One who will understand how to meet their individual needs, challenge them to stretch and grow without overwhelming them. We hope and pray for our children to bloom and grow to their full potential to ensure their success in life!

I believe we as parents don’t realize how much we can learn from our children. Looking back over my life, I can see just how much my children have taught me!

I found this story that shows how children learn by watching their parents and how parents can also learn by watching their children.

 

WOODEN BOWL

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.  But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”  So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!  When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?”  Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his day, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Moral: You reap what you sow. Regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. Always Respect, care for and Love them.   BY   R Winner

I think we all need to take a step back and reevaluate our lives every so often to make sure that we are still headed in the right direction. The pure innocence and loving nature of a small child is usually a good measuring stick.

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This summer has been a long one with lots of ups and downs and bumps and curves. I started it off with a wonderful trip to visit my Brother in California and I also got to visit a longtime friend that I have not seen in over 30 years. These were both wonderful experiences that I treasure. There were also many difficult and challenging things this summer.

I was thinking about all of this as I watched the solar eclipse. Our beautiful sun grows the food we eat, gives us light, warmth and makes us happy. Life on earth literally could not exist without it. During the eclipse, we watched a dark shadow slowly creep across its surface and come between us and our beautiful sun. Even though it was still daylight you could feel that it was darker and colder and not what we are used to, it was different.

I started thinking about our experiences here on earth. We all have times when things are going well and life seems bright and beautiful. We all also experience times in our lives that are difficult and full of trials. At these moments, it feels dark and lonely as if something has overshadowed us and come between us and the life and circumstances we would like to have. With the eclipse, we had to patiently wait and watch for the sun to reappear. The shadow creeped across slowly until it almost completely over took the sun, but after a while our beautiful sun reappeared in its full glory shining down on us as it always has.

I was thinking that our trials in life are much like this. When we are deep in the middle of them it is dark and we wonder how we will ever recover. Sometimes they pass quickly and other times we wonder how or when we will ever see the light on the other side again. But just like with the sun the dark times eventually pass and we rejoice as light and goodness fill our lives again. Some trials leave us changed forever hopefully we have learned valuable lessons and become wiser in the process.

One of my favorite movies is Gideon. Although it has a cast with many well-known actors it was never a big box-office hit. It has never been available on DVD only VHS and can only be found used now. I wish it were more readily available for everyone to see because it has a wonderful message that I believe we all need to hear and apply in our lives.

The main character Gideon Dobbs is a handicapped individual with a pure and sweet spirit. He comes to live in a retirement home to receive the assistance he needs when he reaches a point in life that he has no one to take care of him anymore. The residence at the home are frustrated with their circumstances and long to have the life they once had in their youth.

Gideon teaches them that their lives are not over just because thing are not the way they used to be. He helps each one of them overcome the trial they are facing and find joy and purpose in their current situations. As the movie unfolds you watch lives changed and transformed as everyone finds meaning, value and even joy in their current circumstances. The message of the movie is LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!

So, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to watch this heartwarming, uplifting and life changing movie. I recommend it to all who can find it. I think about its message Life is what you make it and try to focus on the positive things that I do have instead of dwelling on difficult situations and wishing things were different. For me this has made it easier when I am deep in the middle of life’s challenges and helped me to find joy on my journey! I hope you can find the movie and that it is as beneficial for you as it has been for me!

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