Happy Mother's Day!

Moms truly have THE very best job.  I consider it the highest calling and I'm so grateful to be a mom.  Just to think that God trusted me with these three lives to shape toward Him is humbling and I'm ever so thankful!  Sometimes I'm just in awe as I think that there was a time when I didn't know if we would have any children.  And now we have three that I'm so very proud to call mine.  :)

I just want to take a moment to honor my mom as well.  She taught me how to be a mother.  I didn't know much else that I wanted to be for the longest when I grew up, but I knew I wanted to be a wife and a mother.  And that's because of my mother.  I watched her and learned from her.  She was always there for us.....teaching us how to walk uprightly in this world.  I owe much to her.

So today, I say thank you mama for giving birth to me, raising me, teaching me, helping to shape my thoughts and ideas, and for being a constant in my life.  I love you with all my heart!  Happy Mother's Day!

And Happy Mother's Day to all my blogging friends out there that have the privilege and blessing of celebrating this day! I hope it's a wonderful one!  YOU really are a super hero! 

By the way, we're celebrating Mother's Day by going to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and then out to eat.  :)

♥ Tammy ♥ 

Faithful Friday - "Love Does"

I know it's Saturday, but even so, I wanted to join Joy's Faithful Friday this week!


Joy received the book, Love Does, by Bob Goff, as a birthday gift.  We'd heard it was an awesome book.  She started reading it and kept passing along snippets of it to me as she was reading, and just how much she loved it.  Since I couldn't wait until she was done, I've been picking it up and reading when she puts it down.

It is so inspirational.  And although I'm only chapter 7, I have to say, it's so thought provoking.  And it's funny!

Just from those first seven chapters, the thought that keep flooding my mind is just how much of a difference we can make by demonstrating love.  Even if that little act of love doesn't seem like much to us.

Particularly, in this book, I'm talking about a young Christian man that, although he knows that Bob (the author of the book) is probably headed in a direction that isn't ideal for his life (quitting school and going on an adventure), wisely lets him know that he's "with him".  That wasn't just something he "said".  No, he put action to his words.  He grabs his backpack and sleeping bag right then, and goes with Bob on this crazy adventure.  He sticks with Bob.....showing him love, God's love, even though he knows it's not going to work out.  He never once says "I told you so" or "I didn't think this was a good idea."

Looking back,  Bob sees what an awesome sacrifice it was for this young man to make. This radical young man made an impression on Bob's life because he was someone that didn't just say he was a Christian and "preach to him," but he sincerely loved Bob and lived out what the Bible said.  When they returned from the adventure, Bob learned even more of what a sacrifice this young man made by going with him.  (I don't want to tell you everything because you really should read it).  So get the book and read it!

Anyway, it really got me to thinking.  I'm sure this young man that sacrificed his time, comfort, and more to go along with Bob (on a crazy adventure that he knew was crazy before they began), probably never thought just how many people that one decision would impact.  When I think about not only the lives that this young Christian man has touched alone, but all of those that Bob Goff has touched, just because he invested in Bob at that point in his life, it is just an awesome picture of what Love Does!  It snowballs!

Love Does.  It catches on.  It spreads.  It makes a difference.

What if that young man hadn't invested in Bob?  I wonder if Bob would have lived a life for Jesus?  I wonder if he would have traveled the world touching lives?  I wonder if he would have written a life-changing book?

If nothing else, this reminds me that even the smallest acts of love.....doing....showing love.....make a difference.  And in that moment that we are demonstrating that small act of love, chances are we probably don't have a clue just how much difference we are making until it has the chance to completely manifest.  That may take years.

Because God IS Love, letting God work through us by being his hands, feet, and voice, is doing what God called us to do.  We are doing God's work.

God IS Love.  If we are Christians, we have God.  We have love.

And Love Does!  That's an action word!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Faithful Friday - "Creation"

I'm barely slipping in my Faithful Friday post, but it IS still Friday!  So here you go!   :)


I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with Answers in Genesis or the Creation Museum, but in this family, we love both!  Both have played a critical part in equipping us with the knowledge to defend creation and our faith in God.

It's so important to us that we give our children a solid foundation on creation origins, so that when they meet the "professionals", "professors", and the "scientists" of this world and are told that we evolved from monkeys and that this earth was formed from a big bang, they will have the knowledge and information they need to back their beliefs.  And they will know that they never have to start without the Bible, because we believe what the Bible says concerning how we and this earth and everything on it was created.

I'm sure you've heard of Bill Nye the Science Guy.  My oldest son, Colt, grew up watching Bill Nye the Science Guy.  He's funny and entertaining and he makes science fun, BUT, he is a strong believer in evolution. And we're not.  We believe God's Word.  All of it.  That includes the first 11 chapters of Genesis, which tells us of creation.  Well, Ken Ham, the CEO of Answers in Genesis will be debating Bill Nye this coming Tuesday, February 4th, on "Is creation a viable model of origins?"  I can't wait to hear this!  Ken Ham is a wonderful speaker!

So today, I'd like to invite you to do a few things:

1) Go to the Creation Museum if and when you get the chance.  Your eyes will be opened.  If you have doubts or just need more answers, you will find them there!  Creation makes perfect sense!  It's an awesome place! It is centrally located in the U.S., within an 8 hour drive of most places in the U.S.  We can't wait to go back when the Noah's Ark replica is completed!  The Creation Museum made quite an impression on us!

2) Visit the Answers in Genesis website and even better yet, order some books.  Not only do we have many apologetic books from there, but our science curriculum comes from Answers in Genesis.  There's a wealth of information through Answers in Genesis.

3) Next, plan to watch the debate.  It can be watched live-streamed online for free.  For more information on that, you can click here.  After the debate is over, it will be sold as well through AiG on DVD.

4) And last of all, would you pray for Ken Ham.....for wisdom....as he debates.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Colossians 1:16 (ESV)

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I would also like to ask prayers for Joy.  She will be performing in The Chinese New Year Festival tomorrow.  This past week, she had type B flu.  She is dealing with a nasty cough.  Would you pray she is able to get through her interview and her dance performances without coughing?  And we would appreciate prayers that the rest of us get rid of our coughs and don't catch what she's had.  And we praise the Lord for getting her over it quickly....it could have lasted much longer...the fever and all, that is!  We know that it was God that brought her through it so quickly! Thank you so much for the prayers!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Be Blessed!

 ♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Always Dancing ♥

Ever since she was a little bit thing, Joy has danced.....around the house, in stores....it just never mattered where she was.  She danced. 

I have video footage of her in sponge rollers, doing some sort of made-up bull dance to Shania Twain's "Man I Feel Like a Woman", as well as Little Miss Graceful twirling like a ballerina to music.  She always pulled us into it with her, whether it was twirling her, twisting with her, whatever fit.  We laugh about this and she just says, "The music speaks to me....I can't help it, okay?" 

So through the years, she has done all kinds of dance.  She started ballet and tap at the age of almost 3.  She then added jazz to that, dancing all of those for almost 9 years.

Then we went to China to get Luke.  If you have followed my blog for very long, you may remember the video footage of her dancing in the park in China with the Chinese dancers.  As we stood there watching the dancers, I was watching her as she watched them.  Her feet were moving...she was watching every move.  She was 11 then.  She wanted to be out there dancing.  She asked her daddy if she could dance with them.  We ended up leaving that day without her dancing.  I think her dad just didn't know how they would welcome a foreigner dancing with them and if she could indeed keep up.  Well we came back the next day and I just knew this opportunity just might be one in a life time.  She looked at her daddy with the puppy dog eyes and asked if she could dance.  Of course, I helped out a little.  :)  She went up and asked the lady in charge,  and they all  gladly welcomed her.  And she did a great job keeping up.  She was just learning as she went.  They loved her!   She drew quite the crowd...this 11 year old American blond haired girl dancing with the Chinese ladies in the park.  You can see that video here on my blog.

It's just in her.  She has to dance or bust.

Well we took a break from dancing for about a year after Luke came home because of how time consuming it had become. She had this new little brother and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.  We needed to simplify.  We were driving 45 minutes one way three times a week to dance.  But just like I suspected when we were away from dancing, she missed it.  So we found other avenues.  With her love of China, we discovered the Chinese dancing.  And she has most recently added swing dancing to that as well.

This next Saturday is the Chinese New Year Festival.  It's the big event she missed last year when she was in the hospital.  You may remember that.  She had the dress rehearsal for that last week.  Here are a couple of pictures from that day.

We are praying all goes well this year and she does indeed get to dance at the festival.  Being the worrier she is, it's in the back of her mind.  We're praying all goes well!

As far as Joy is concerned, there are so many types of dance to explore and try out, and so little time.  On her list to try are Irish dancing, Flamingo dancing, Salsa dancing, and more ballroom dances. 

She's loving the swing dancing, by the way!

It's so fitting that she has a ballet bar and mirror in her room and these words above it:

Dance like no one's watching

 

   

 

♥ Tammy ♥

 

Faithful Friday - "I Have Set You Apart"

I've really missed participating in Joy's Faithful Fridays.  I'm back today with a devotion that I read the other morning from one of my favorite devotionals, His Princess (Love Letters from Your King) by Sheri Rose Shepherd.   I just love how personal these devotions are, and they always hit me right where I need it.  :)


Often times I try to "fix things" instead of immediately turning them over to God.  I mean, I suppose when it's something so big that it seems impossible for me, it is probably easier for me to turn it over to God because I know there's NO WAY I can handle it.  But when it's the smaller things, I tend to try to handle it first, before handing it over to God.  He really does want me to just give it to Him from the start, big or small.  That takes so much pressure off me.  I tend to be somewhat hard on myself, so this one hit me right where I needed.  I hope it blesses you as well!

My Princess.....I Have Set You Apart

I have called you to be set apart, just as I called those who came before you.  I know this calling will sometimes come with great cost, but the eternal rewards are priceless and beyond comparison.  Just as I did with Queen Esther, I have given you the ability to walk in such a way so all will see that you are divinely Mine.  Some will admire you for your dedication to Me, and some will want you to fail rather than follow your lead.  You may fall because you are not perfect, but your mistakes can be the tutors that make you wiser.  Don't put pressure on yourself to be perfect.  I'm the only one who can perfect you, My princess.  All I ask is that you let Me set you apart so that I use you as a witness for the world to see.

Love,
Your King who sets you apart

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.  Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world."

Jeremiah 1:5

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And on another note, I wanted to pass along some information to my blogging friends.  Many of you may remember Christina of Pendleton Primitives!  She and her husband retired from the military and purchased a farmhouse in Michigan, moved in and began renovating, only to discover later that the health issues her family was having resulted from previous conditions (toxins) in the house (it had been used as a meth lab). Of course, they had to move out, and are having to begin again.  There is a fundraising site set up for anyone that would like to help them along.  Every little bit helps I'm sure!  And please feel free to pass this along!  You can click here to get to the fundraising site.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!  :)

Blessings,

Tammy 

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 65 ~

Hi there!  Remember me?  :)  I've been a very bad blogger and absent from blogland for awhile, but I've missed blogging and all my blogging friends! :)

I've had a really hard time balancing everything lately.  First the holidays, then Joy was in the hospital again right after Christmas.  But we were home in time to see the New Year in at home (getting home around 5:00 on New Years Eve.  Then Jason, Luke, Joy, and I all had strep throat. It seems like it's taken awhile to recover completely.  I really want to get back into the swing of blogging again though!


Anyway, I'm going ahead with Pinned it, Made it Monday this evening in the hopes someone may have something to link.

This week, I want to share the Pinterest-inspired gift that Joy gave me for Christmas.  It's a grater turned earring holder.  I love it!  And it works beautifully.  I use it to hold the earrings I wear most often.  Just give it a coat of paint and that's it!  :)

Oh, and she gave me the sweetest note to go along with it!  That made my gift all the more special!  :)

Have you tried something or made something that was Pinterest-inspired?  We'd love to see! Just link your project below!  :)

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I have really missed sharing family photos with you, so I want to come back with some of those in the next day or two.  And I really have missed joining Joy on her Faithful Friday posts, so I want to try to make those a priority......beginning this Friday!  :)

Oh, and one more thing....I'm trying to decide whether to continue with Pinned it, Made it Mondays.  Is it something you enjoy?  If so, I will continue.  :)  If not, then I will just put my time and energy into regular family, home, and decorating blogging.   I'd love to hear your thoughts on your favorite thing here!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful week!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥ 

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 64 ~

Pinned it, Made it! Monday during the Christmas season is definitely going to be my favorite!  I love fall, but I love Christmas best of all!  I love seeing all the homes decorated warm and cozy for Christmas.  And what better place than Pinterest to inspire us to create Christmas decor and gifts!


This week I'm showing you another primitive style candy cane I have been wanting to try out!  I found it on the internet somewhere and thought I pinned it, but can't find it now.  Anyway, it's easy to do and turned out cute!

Supplies needed:

plastic candy canes (found mine at Dollar Tree)
twine (or jute it's sometimes called)
pieces of faux greenery and berries (I cut mine off some larger sprigs)
raffia
glue gun

Directions:

With my glue gun, I started at the bottom of the candy cane, securing the twine and continued wrapping it tightly around making sure to cover all the candy cane, finishing up at the curved end by cutting the twine and gluing it in place.  I then hot glued my little pieces of greenery and berries and then tied a raffia bow around them (I also glued the bow down a bit as well).

That's it!  I want to make more! I love these!

Okay...now it's your turn to show me your lovely Pinterest Christmas creations!

Have a wonderful week!  I plan to be back with Christmas decor pictures on Wednesday or Thursday!

♥ Tammy ♥

Happy Thanksgiving!

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!  Serve the Lord with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!  Know that the Lord, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 

Psalm 100 (NIV)

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!  :)

 

Pinned it, Made it! Monday & More

Good morning everyone!

I'm so sorry that I failed to pop in here and let you know that I'm taking two weeks off from Pinned it, Made it! Monday, that being yesterday (November 25th) and next Monday as well (December 1st).  I will be back at it on Monday, December 8th.

I really appreciate my blogging friends!  Thanks for hanging with me and not giving up on me during my time away from regular blogging.  I have much to share and hope to get back at it after our vacation this week.  We're in Alabama for the week of Thanksgiving.

I hope you and your family have a Blessed Thanksgiving!  :)

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 63 ~

Good Monday morning! :)

I'm wondering how many folks out there in blogland have already decorated for Christmas? We put up our big tree the weekend after Halloween and the rest of my Christmas decor went up in the two weeks following! We love Christmas around here and because it takes awhile to get it all out and we want plenty of time to savor each moment and enjoy it all, we start early! I can now say that we are fully enjoying the coziness of the twinkling lights in the evenings. And I LOVE it! :) Christmas is my favorite!!!


Today for Pinned it, Made it! Monday, I'm going to share something that I probably shared at some point on my blog (awhile back) although I can't seem to find it. Since I haven't shared it at least on Pinned it, Made it! Monday before and I tried nothing else new this week from Pinterest, I'm going to share it with you today! :)

They are prim (or grungy if you prefer) candy canes.

I started with the candy canes you can pick up at Dollar tree like these:

First I tea stained my homespun and then cut them into strips (I think mine were about 1/4 to 1/2" wide.)   I used muslin and red striped/ticking homespun. First I covered the candy cane in the muslin fabric and then went back and added the red ticking fabric leaving a space in between each wrapping for the muslin to show through. Just add glue at the start and then at the finish.

I have them all on the Christmas tree in the Cedar Loft.  Jason and I  also made those twig stars...

They're really easy and they are so prim and cute for decorating around the house or hanging on the Christmas tree. I even bundled some together with greenery and berries and gave them away as gifts.

I just found another package of the unopened candy canes from Dollar Tree, so I'm going to try something a little different. I'll see how it turns out and maybe share it next time.

And now it's youur turn, my friend! I can't wait to see all the Christmas projects! Oh Pinterest is full of them right now! So link those projects up.... :)

Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful week! :)

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 62 ~

Good morning friends!  It's already the beginning of another week.  We have a busy week planned but I'm expecting it to be a good one!  I hope yours is too!

It's getting to be that time of year when we are in the kitchen cooking and baking more so I can't wait to see some of those Pinterest projects.  :)

This week for Pinned it, Made it! Monday, I'm sharing a recipe I tried out and served to my family this past week.  It's called Crowd-Pleasing Taco Salad.

Here's the original pin:

Source

Crowd-Pleasing Taco Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium head iceberg lettuce, torn
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup taco sauce
1 package (10-1/2 ounces) corn chips

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the ketchup, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives and beef mixture.  Combine mayonnaise and taco sauce; pour over salad and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with corn chips.  Serve immediately.  Yield:  14-16 servings.

**Variation**  To adapt taco salad recipe (for camping, etc..), cook the ground beef at home until no longer pink.  Combine lettue, cheese and diced tomatoes in a resealable bag.  On site, I simmer the meat with a can of chili beans, then add a packet of taco seasoning with water.  Come time to eat, top tortilla chips with the meat/bean mixture and other fixings.

**Can also use salsa instead of the homemade taco sauce mixture.**

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I made ours with the taco seasoning pkg and chili beans with the meat.  So I didn't use the ketchup, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper.  

For the dressing/sauce, I did mix the mayonnaise and the taco sauce, but I also put salsa on the table for anyone to use that wanted that extra spicy punch.

Oh, and I left out the tomatoes because Jason always picks them out and the rest of us are fine with or without them.  And make sure to add the fritos at the last minute so they won't get soggy.  :)

This recipe was really good!  Jason kept telling me it was good....so I think we have a winner.  I will definitely be making it again! 

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If you have a Pinterest project to share, you can link your project below.  And thank you, whether you're stopping by to read and enjoy, or whether you're linking your own project!

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 61 ~

Hi there!  :)

It's so hard to believe yet another week has slipped by me.  I've had the best intentions of doing at least 3 posts a week, but so many things have kept me away and time flies!  Thanks for not giving up on me!  :)



Anyway.....I do have a Pinned it, Made it! Monday post to share.  :)

Just this evening, I made an apple crisp.  It's a combined Pinterest recipe with a little twist of my own.

The original pin:

Source

Ingredients

4 medium tart cooking apples sliced (4 cups)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking or old fashioned oats

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Serve with ice cream if desired.

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening.
• 2Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
• 3Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with cream.

We started with dried apples, and barely covered them with water.  Added 1 and 1/2 cup sugar and sprinkled in cinnamon, probably about 2- 3 Tbsp. 

Let this come to a boil.  Turn down heat to low-medium, keeping an eye on the apples and stirring them often. 

 Let them cook down until they are soft and most of the water has cooked off and they are thickened.  I didn't time this but it probably took at least 30 minutes.

Then I mixed the above recipe (minus the apples) in a bowl while the apples were cooking. 

When they were done, I sprayed an 8" square glass casserole dish with Pam, then spread the apples with the left over syrupy water in the dish.  

*I then added 1/4 cup of orange juice and mixed with the apples*.

  Then I crumbled the above mixture over the top and baked in the oven for 30 minutes (and topping was golden brown).

It was delicious served warm with ice cream.  

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If you have a Pinterest project you've tried out and would like to share, just link up below!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 60 ~

This week for Pinned it, Made it! Monday I'm sharing a favorite around our house.  I can't really say that I found it on Pinterest or even the internet, although there are recipes for homemade donuts all over the internet.  I make them the way my mama always did and they're easy!
Homemade Donuts
Ingredients:
Canned biscuits (or homemade) powdered sugar water cocoa (optional) Vegetable oil

Roll up your sleeves cause this is SO hard!  :) I always use canned biscuits (the jumbo ones)....the bigger the donut the better!  :) I just pull the biscuit apart in the middle with my fingers in a nice round shape while my oil is heating on medium heat in a pot on the stove.

When the oil is heated well, just drop the biscuits in and turn them over when they start to puff up and turn lightly brown.   It doesn't take long for them to lightly brown on each side, so keep a close watch.  When both sides are fluffy and lightly brown, remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.

If you have a helper, you can have them mixing up your icing.  Jason likes to help me with ours!  If not, I would probably have it mixed beforehand.

Icing
Start with about 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of water....not too much. It's best to just add by tablespoons because you want it to be a thick paste consistency.  Too much water makes it runny and it doesn't stick to the donut well.  You can always add more powdered sugar if you get too much water.  
If you want chocolate glazed donuts, just add about a level tablespoon of cocoa to the above mixture.  It doesn't take alot of cocoa either because it will be bitter with too much.
Glaze donuts while hot.

We like the plain glazed best, but Luke wanted a few chocolate so we had to make Little Emperor happy.  :)

ENJOY!   *********************************************************
Thanks to those that stop by weekly to check out the Pinterest projects and a big thank you to those that link up your awesome projects!  I can't wait to see what you've been up to....link up below!  :)
Have a great week!

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 59 ~

I know it's Tuesday, but I guess better a day late with Pinned it, Made it! Monday than to skip all together!  We spent 4 days out of town (in Alabama) and then Luke got sick when we got home and also had an allergic reaction to something.  He's on the mend, but I'm just getting the chance to sit down at my computer to do a post.  How's all my blogging friends?  Even if you don't see me around, I think about you!

This week for Pinned it, Made it! Monday, I'm sharing a pumpkin idea.  I'm pretty sure I came across this while browsing Pinterest and just didn't pin it at the time.  I saw it on the internet somewhere!  :)  When I saw it and showed Luke, he made up his mind right then and there that this year that was what he wanted to do with a pumpkin.  They used Mr. Potato Head parts to decorate a pumpkin!

 So we were both thrilled when we saw an adorable Mr. Potato Head pirate kit at the pumpkin patch we visited Saturday.  He picked out his pumpkin and the pirate kit came home with us!  He asked could we decorate it as soon as we got in from Alabama and I'm so glad we did because early Monday morning, he was sick, bless his heart! 

Anyway, here's the kit we used:

With a little help from daddy, he created his pirate pumpkin and gave him the name of  "Captain".  Captain now has a place of honor in our foyer.  He greets folks at the front door.  :)

If you would like to share something you've pinned and made from Pinterest, we'd love to see.  Just link up your project below!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great week!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 58 ~

Remember me?  :)  Gosh, it's been awhile!  We had a GREAT time on our vacation to Disney World.  It was truly magical just as they say! :) We went full force though so we have been trying to catch up on rest and get back to school! I can't wait to share some some photos from the trip with you!

But now it's time for Pinned it, Made it Monday! And this week, I'm not sharing something that I pinned and made but something that I've made and am pinning to my Sweet Treats board because I want to share it with Pinterest World! :)

All the years growing up that we spent going to my Aunt Jo's house every Thanksgiving and Christmas, she would make chocolate pies. Everyone always LOVED her chocolate pies and made sure to save room for a piece. Now she's always been an excellent cook too and we would ask about her pie recipe and she never told for years....always acted really secretive about it. Well, a few years ago, she laughed and shared her "secret recipe". And we couldn't believe it was actually this easy....all those years! Now she also made her own pie crusts and generally I buy store bought, but either way it's good!

Are you ready for it? :)

Aunt Jo's Chocolate Pie

Ingredients (for 1 pie):

1 large box of Chocolate Cook and Serve Pudding
1 can of Pet or Carnation Milk
Whole Milk
Cool Whip (taken out of the freezer so it can thaw a little)
Deep Dish Pie Crust (Homemade or Store Bought)


Yep, that's it! Her "trick" the entire time was adding the Pet or Carnation Milk.

So here's what you do:

Go ahead and bake your pie crusts (whether they are homemade or store bought). The ones I made today were store bought so I baked them according to the directions on the package. After they are done, let them a cool a bit while you're working on the filling for the pies.

In a mixing bowl, pour in your LARGE box of chocolate cook and serve pudding. Fill up a 1 cup measuring cup with the Pet Milk. Then pour what remains of the Pet Milk can in the 1 cup again filling it the rest of the way with whole milk, making it an entire cup again. That gives you two cups so far. Then add 1 cup of regular whole milk. This combination makes 3 cups of the Pet Milk/Whole Milk Combo. Stir well.

Now here's the hard part! Haha! You cook it in the microwave! :) Really!  In the microwave! 

Cook on high for 2 minutes. Stir.

Cook on high for 2 more minutes. Stir.

Cook on high for 2 more minutes. Stir.

Cook on high for 1 more minute. Stir.

And now it's ready to pour into your (somewhat) cooled pie shell. Now you will want to wait and add your cool whip closer to serving time. So after you pour the filling in the crust, tear off a piece of plastic wrap and place over the chocolate filling portion only, trying to push out as many bubbles as you can. This keeps it from getting a skim on top. You can turn the plastic wrap back on the edges so that it's not touching the pie crust at all, only on the filling part.

Then closer to time for serving, add your cool whip. This can be the night before, two hours before, or 30 minutes before. I've done it all of these ways but I seem to prefer the 2 hours or so before or even less if need be.

Refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Now you know my Aunt Jo's secret chocolate pie recipe! :)

If you would like to participate in Pinned it, Made it Monday, just link up your Pinterest project below! And thank you in advance!

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By the way, the pies I made today (I made two of them) were for Jason's birthday celebration. His birthday is tomorrow (Monday the 14th).  So I'd also like to wish my hubby a Happy Happy Birthday! He's turning 53!   I'm so blessed he's mine! Thank you, Jason, for everything you do!  I love you honey! :)

And thank YOU for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful week!  :)