Laurel Wreath’s Reflections

Thirteen types of food I love (I am less creative today and I am writing this before dinner)

1. Enchiladas

2. Chocolate/Peanut butter ice cream

3. Toast with Peanut butter, honey and sliced bananas

4. General Tso chicken

5. Thanksgiving dinner (and everything that goes with it)

6. Sticky chicken (by request recipe down below)

7. Lobster and steak

8. Beef burritos, enchiladas style

9. Rocky Road ice cream

10. Velvet Creamy Chicken Soup

11. Monkey Bread

12. Coffee (ok that is not a food) how about Cinnamon/Raisin bagel & coffee (there!)

13. ANYTHING I DON’T HAVE TO COOK, and is delivered to me by three wonderful boys (usually only a yearly occurrence that happens to land on Mother’s Day, but hey I will take it!).

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Sticky Chicken

This is the best and easiest roast chicken you’ve ever tasted. It seems a little strange, but it’s the only one my family will eat, and company loves it, too!

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 whole roasting chicken, about 3 pounds
1 cup chopped onions Combine all spices (first 8 ingredients) in small bowl.

Rinse chicken, inside and out. Drain well.
Rub spice mixture over skin and the inside of chicken.
Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to roast, stuff cavity with onions.
Place chicken breast side down in roasting pan.
Roast uncovered at 250ºF (that’s not a typo…it’s really 250º! Anything over 225º is safe as long as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 155º, which this does, and more) for about 5 hours. Baste occasionally with pan juices or until pan juices start to caramelize on bottom of pan and chicken is golden brown.

Chelsea Morning passed on this fun meme….

I sooo had to play along after I read the quotes in the book I am reading.

Anyways this is the book:

“Saturday Morning” by Lauraine Snelling

(great book by the way, there is a character that is SOOOO me, so much so it is a little uncomfortable)

Here’s how it works:

1. Grab the book closest to you.

2. Open it to page 123.

3. Scroll down to the 5th sentence.

4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences, the name of the book and the author.

The 3 sentences are:

“Of?” Coffee cup in hand, Shari took a seat at the counter

“My husband”

Shari sipped her coffee. “I was afraid that was coming. What happened?”

Andy went over the entire weekend in detail. “When he told me he didn’t want a part-time wife, I came unglued, and the worms came crawling out of the can.”

(ok so a little more that three sentences)…

I am not tagging anyone, but let me know if you do this….

Miscellaneous

When you have this staring down at you…

And you have all three boys out of school. And there is no football tonight (Mom doing the happy dance)…. You have the family’s favorite meal and do “MOVIE NIGHT” with blankets, pillows, and movie food spread out over the living room. And if for some reason electricity goes out, you play flashlight games of hide and seek.

NOW THAT WORKS FOR ME.

Now go head on over the Shannon’s for more wonderful tips.

Well I updated our little picture…and yes, I will wave to Ernesto as the storm goes right over my house.

I still am not too worried. From the reports this morning by the time it hits me it should only be a topical storm. But my biggest fear (ok besides peoples houses being damaged) is NO ELECTRICITY. How would I live with out air conditioner???

Of course Boo Mama has already told us how she survived =))

hmmmm….be back, maybe I should put some gas in my car just in case.

Miscellaneous

“I thought about the whole notion of “reproduction,” and what it really means to replicate yourself. Is it merely about the passing on of eyes and chins and hair color? Or is it, rather, the replication of the heart? Do we leave a bigger mark by passing on our genes, or our thoughts?”
~ Shannon Woodward, author of
Inconceivable: Finding Peace
in the Midst of Infertility ~

I am the Aunt of two wonderful adopted little girls. This all happened last year and is still really fresh in my heart. My sister struggled for years to have a baby, and through many heart changes, God laid adoption on her and her husband’s heart. Not only that, the Lord laid Siberia, Russia on their heart. My sister knew her daughter was going to come from Russia (even before she got the go ahead for the adoption).

You have to understand this is a girl who is terrified of flying and the Lord is going to have her fly to Russia of all places. As they were waiting word from Russia to go get their precious baby girl. The lady’s who performed my sister’s home study (which is required in adoption), called and asked, “We have someone who is about to deliver, and she just decided to give her unborn baby girl up for adoption, I know you were only going for an International adoption, but I would really like to show your dossier to her”. Long story short, the birth mother chose my sister and her husband. In the span of one week (maybe even shorter) my sister was able to drive to the hospital and hold her brand new baby girl.

Remember they are still waiting for word from Russia. This did come about a month later. So leaving a brand new baby girl in the care of Grandma and Grandpa, they took off for the longest flight in their life. They were going to meet their second daughter who was at the time just over a year old. When adopting from Russia you have to make two trips. One trip to meet everyone and meet your daughter (who was in an orphanage at this time). Then you fly home (talk about hardest thing in the world to do), only to return in about four weeks to come take your child home after your legal court date.. What a roller coaster this all was, but one I would not trade for the world. When I got to see my sister, my new niece step off the plane, it was the greatest feeling (besides the birth of my own children). The airport was full of tons of friends and family.

So not only was my sister blessed with one daughter, but TWO in the span of six months. It was unbelievable. OH GOD IS GOOD.

Now the quote from Shannon asks if we make a bigger mark passing on our genes or our thoughts. I say with out a doubt, our thoughts. An egg or a sperm does not make you a Mother or Father. Whether a child has your eyes, his chin, or their personality does not make you a good Mom or Dad. Family traditions or raising your child according to God’s word is what makes you a good parent. Being there for all the good and bad, makes you a good parent. Being able to provide (food, clothes, and necessities) makes you a good parent. None of this has to do with genes. “And the greatest of these is Love…..” THAT IS WHAT MAKES YOU A GOOD PARENT.

And if you are a child of God, you to have been adopted. My prayer is my sister’s daughters grow up to be very close and feeling very loved.

Ok anyone who knows me, knows that besides the second coming of Christ, coffee is the one of the main staples in my life. You don’t want to know me WITHOUT coffee in my life..if you get my drift. So I could not pass this test up.

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you’re not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

Tag: Miscellaneous

Lindsay at My Splatter Painted Life is my

BLOGGER OF THE DAY

if you want to know why go here

Tag: Miscellaneous

hmmm…. maybe I made that too easy =)) Just kidding, great job.

Updated: Tuesday Morning.so if after Wed you don’t hear much from me, electricity could be out…..

Tag: Miscellaneous

To the most wonderful sister in law a gal could want.

Dearest E:

I want to wish you the best birthday. I wish I could be there to take you out for a nice lunch and a day of shopping, but I can not wait to see each other at Thanksgiving. I want to tell you, I love you very much and I could not imagine my life with out you in it. And true to my form, I have your gift all ready, but have not passed it on to the mail man yet, so it will give you something to look forward to.

I love you: L

Now for the rest of you I would like to take this opportunity to give my sweet sister a shamless plug. She is a very talented photographer. You can see her work at www.ErinMcFarlandPhotography.com for anybody liking “Fine Art” click on her “Fine Art Prints Gallery” these are all pictures she has taken herself. If you click on “Birth Announcements & Greetings” you get to see my other wonderful sister.

And finally on the first page if you scroll down and click on “High School Seniors, Familys & Couples” you will see a picture of me and my hubby (CAN YOU GUESS WHICH ONE I AM?). First one to guess will be named “Blogger of the Day”. I wish I had a cute little thing to give you for your blog, but alas, I am not that experienced yet in my blogging. But you will be named “Blogger of the Day” on my blog (which will remain on top all day) =))

Ok gals go check out Erin’s web site, if you live in the Arizona area check her out for your photography needs, and if you are interested in Fine Art check out her Art Gallery.

Laurel Wreath

Chelsea Morning is asking us where we got the name for our blog. So what is in your name? Have you looked up the meaning of your name? I have, hence, the name of my blog Laurel Wreath. There are many times in my life I did not think I was going to make it, that life was going to “do me in”. But the Lord always has reminded me that my name means the “crown of glory” and a person receives their crown upon finishing the race. So for me I love my name’s meaning, it gives me hope.