White Chocolate Pie

What makes your favorite recipes, your favorites? 

Each of my kiddos have favorites for their own particular reasons.  Jacob loves meat, as long as there's no vegetables touching it.  Jenica loves my sour cream potatoes recipe, although she really isn't too picky and doesn't mind veggies.  (She's a lot like me in that aspect.  Oh, and we both love seafood, unlike my other 2 kids.)  Jillian loves noodles, as long as there are no meat or vegetables near them.  She's still picky, but it's getting better.  In fact, she came home from school the other day and announced that she likes peas now.  This means that she'll now eat two vegetables: corn and peas. We are making progress!  (Blessing #212)

Another one of our favorite desserts is White Chocolate Pie, which is a recipe I got from the Quick Cookin' Magazine that I subscribed to as a gift from my mom (thanks, mom! - #213) when I was working full time.  It was full of quick & easy recipes.  And many of the recipes from the magazine made it into my recipe box.  Including this one for White Chocolate Pie.  It's amazing!

White Chocolate Pie
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 carton (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed, divided (I used my homemade whipped cream)
1 chocolate crumb crust (I used Oreo this time)
1 1/4 c. cold milk
1 small pkg. Instant White Chocolate Pudding
Food Coloring (I used purple to make "lavendar" this time)
Mini Chocolate Chips

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/4 c. whipped cream.  Spread over crust.  In same bowl, mix milk and pudding.  Beat on low 2 minutes.  Pour over cream cheese mixture.

Refrigerate 2 hours or til firm.  Tint remaining whipped cream.  (I use pink when I make it for Valentine's Day and green when I make it for St. Patrick's Day.)  Spread whipped cream over cream cheese and pudding layers.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.  (The more, the better, in my opinion.)  Makes 8 servings.

Mini chocolate chips are the best!  Three cheers for whoever came up with the idea!  (#214)They're perfect for sprinkling on top of ice cream, adding to cookies, on top of frosted cupcakes, in muffins, in cheesecakes, in pancakes, in banana bread, and sprinkling on top of White Chocolate Pie. 

How we spend Christmas Break . . .

Here are a few highlights (aka: Blessings) from our Christmas Break from school:

I don't do windows ~ hardly ever.  But I did today.  For December, we have been spoiled with some really nice weather.  It got up to 60 degrees again today, with no wind (Blessing #160).  A perfect day to wash windows.  Cleaning is so much more fun when shared with . . . a daughter. (#161)  Today, Jenica got into the action.  I didn't even have to ask for help.  She volunteered.  So we got out the extension ladder and started cleaning windows.  We had some awesome teamwork going, until we got into a water fight.  For the record:  Jenica started it. 

Company's coming ~ I really like the "lived in" look of our home, so the only time I really clean (more than just on the surface) is when we're having company.  And tomorrow is the day we are celebrating Christmas with Chad's family.  So the last couple days have been spent on cleaning.  I've already told you this, but . . . My husband is the best!  He helped me clean both bathrooms last night.  (pictures have been concealed.)  (Blessing #162) And today, Jenica helped me clean the floors (#163) in addition to the windows.  Here's a picture of her in the dining room with one of the best little cleaners ever - My Dirt Devil Steam-Mop.  

White Texas Sheet Cake (#164) ~ This afternoon, Jenica said to me, "I feel like baking something, mom."  Perfect!  Because I needed to make a cake for tomorrow.  She spent the night with a friend last night and they practiced decorating with frosting on a piece of aluminum foil.  She was in the mood for cake decorating, so this is what ended up on top of the Cake.  The special ingredient that makes this cake so amazing is the almond extract. 

White Texas Sheet Cake



1 c. butter, cubed
1 c. water
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Almond Extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Boil butter and water just to boiling.  Stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, salt, baking powder, almond, and baking soda until smooth.  Pour into greased 10x15 pan.  Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes.  Cool on wire rack 20 minutes. 
Frosting:1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
Bring butter and milk just to boil.  Stir in almond and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.  (You may not need all 4 cups if it starts getting too thick to spread.)  Spread over warm cake.  It's DELICIOUS!!

Maggie's Birthday Party ~  Jillian went to her friend's birthday party this morning.  The invitation read:  "You're Invited to a Premier Princess Party ~ An Upscale Posh Party for Little Divas!"  This is what she looked like before the party:

And this is Jillian after:

(Her fingernails and toenails also came home fancier than when she left for the party.) (#165)

Great-Grandma Esther's Table (#166) ~ Last summer, I rescued my g-gma's old table and 2 benches from my grandpa's barn, where they were covered with dust.  Under the dust, the benches had a mustard-yellow coverning on them, so it fits perfectly with our decor. All they needed was a little cleaning up. I have one in the living room for extra seating, and one in the dining room for a cute little reading corner.  The table top, however, needed refinished after I peeled off the speckled formica top.  I got all the glue off without much trouble.  I'm pretty sure the formica was supposed to cover up all the scratches on top.  But I think the scratch marks give it character, as well as fill my imagination with stories on how the carvings got there.  Chad helped me (#167) sand down the top, and then I found a close-match for the stain, and today I finished putting the last coat of varnish on top.  I love it!!  My g-gma had the table and benches in her "breakfast nook" in their farmhouse for many, many years before retiring to the old barn (the table, not grandma) ~ just waiting to be rescued.  And now the treasure belongs to me.  Thank you, Grandpa Don, for sharing this little piece of our family history with me.

Nebraska Sunsets are the BEST (#168)~ Where we live, we have the blessing of watching some incredible sunrises and sunsets.  We have the perfect view, without anything blocking it.  Check out this sunset from Wednesday night: 

And look at the sunset tonight!  Chad was grilling steaks, and I was busy in the kitchen.  And I almost missed it!  He got to enjoy the sunset a little longer than I did tonight.  The colors God paints in our western sky are absolutely amazing! (#169)

Jenica's Craft Project ~ Jenica's been working on this little project for a while now, and tonight it's finally complete.  She painted the letters of her name on ceramic tiles at "Paint Yourself Silly" in Lincoln this fall.  And we finally got a piece of wood cut to the right size, painted, and colorful knobs installed, for her to hang the letters on.  Isn't it cute?! (#170)  It was a combined effort from Jenica, myself, Chad, and the husband of a friend who has some handy-dandy tools that we needed to snip off the extra long screws on these knobs and sand them down to make them flush with the back. 

Christmas Memories

I got this book as a gift from my brother's family in 1992, and there is enough room to record 25 Christmases inside it (Blessing #141).  Jacob was only 3 months old when I began writing about each year's Christmas activities, and now (19 years later) he's in college.  Here's an excerpt from 1992:  "Jacob learned how to lip-sinc the words to "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" with a little help from daddy.  They performed this at the "Damgaard Annual Christmas Program". . .  Jacob wore the new outfit he received from his gma and gpa and it turned his legs blue from the dye."  That's when I learned the importance of washing Jacob's clothes before he wore them ~ no matter how cute they are. 

We are a family that LOVES to play games (#142).  Sami joined us (#143) for the afternoon on Christmas Eve, so we had lots of "trains" as we played 10 rounds of Dominoes.  For Jillian's benefit, we were "just playing for fun."  If she knew we kept score, she would quit for fear of losing.  "You don't have to be perfect" is something we're still working on with her.  Afterwards, we made homemade pizza before going to the Christmas Eve Service.  It's a tradition (#144) we started when Jenica was a baby.  Jillian's pizza is as happy as her toothless grin. 

As Jacob would say (while shaking his head), "mom and her pictures!"

After we were finished, Jenica volunteered to read The Christmas Story from Luke (with a little help from Jacob on the hard names), and then Jillian read the books "Christmas Is. . . For ME!" and "The Christmas Prayer." (#145)

After the Christmas Eve Service, the kids asked if they could change into something more comfortable.  They definitely went comfy!  I should have gotten a picture in front of the tree before they changed.  You're probably wondering about jacob's shirt.  He played on a soccer team last summer at Cornhusker State Games on an 18-and-older team, and their coach (a classmate of Jacob's) came up with the name and had orange t-shirts made.

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On Sunday, we spent the day in Minden with my parents and sister's family (#146).  We always have such a great time when we get together, and you just never know where the conversation is going to end up.  We laugh until it hurts, play games until the men win at least once, and eat and eat and eat. 

We all spent the night and the kids all camped out in the living room in sleeping bags.  (#147)  Bedtimes go out the window at Christmas (along with diets).  And the next morning, we enjoyed pancakes, bacon, eggs, and muffins for breakfast.  Did you know you can brown bacon in the oven?  It's amazing! 

Just line a couple 10x15 pans with foil (make sure the foil goes all the way up the sides), and arrange the bacon side-by-side.  Put the pans in a cold oven, then turn the heat to 400 degrees and walk away.  Bake 20 minutes for thin bacon, or longer if you use the thick kind.  Watch bacon the last 3-4 minutes to make sure it doesn't get over done.  Remove from pans and place on paper towels to absorb some of the grease before serving.  So many benefits to baking bacon in the oven:  No burns from splattering grease (#148), you don't have to stand over the frying pan for an hour, your clothes don't smell like bacon when you're done, (believe it or not) the bacon doesn't splatter all over the inside of your oven, and the bacon even tastes better.

I'll leave you with one final photo from the weekend.  Jillian modeled her new Rapunzel wig and said, "I look like Rapunzel with a tan." 

Tonight, we enjoyed the movie "Miracle on 34th Street".  (#149)  It's one of my favorite Christmas movies, because it opens the door to talk with my children about faith and things unseen.  The movie takes believing in Santa Claus, and uses it as a metaphor for Believing in God.  It was a great conversation starter for Jillian and I.  And another blessing from above.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

Christmas isn't over yet. . . we will be making more memories this weekend with Chad's family when his brothers, sister, nephews, and parents come to our home.  Stay tuned. . .

Coaches Wives & Truffles

Cake Batter Truffles....oh, my stars....these are amazing!  I discovered this recipe on pinterest.com, after a freind asked me if I had any good truffle recipes for her daughter's upcoming wedding.  I thought to myself, "I don't, but I bet Pinterest does."  Yep!  Pinterest.com didn't let me down.  So, I decided to make a batch of Cake Batter Truffles (#103) for my Bible Study gals tonight. 

Tonight is our final gathering for the year, so we're meeting early for some soup, homemade bread, apple cider, and Christmas goodies.  We're just a group of women, who are blessed to be married to coaches (#104), and we follow the Coaches Outreach Bible Study curriculum each spring and fall.  This semester, we're studying the life of Peter, who has taught us more about following God's will than we thought possible (#105). 

Peter has so much to teach us about being called by God, discerning God's plan and will for our lives, and having the proper Christian attitude towards suffering.  Studying the same book as our husbands, has been an added blessing (#106).  Anyway, I hope my "sisters" enjoy these truffles tonight as much as we've enjoyed studying Peter's life with one another.  I made them with Christmas sprinkles, of course!  Aren't they beautiful?!

Cake Batter Truffles

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup yellow cake mix

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3-4 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons sprinkles

Truffle Coating:

16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark (or white candy melts)

4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix

sprinkles

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand.

Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.  Enjoy!

Christmas Baking

I love to bake, and since we are celebrating Christmas with my mom's side of the family this Sunday, I decided that I'd make some yummy peanut clusters (#71) to take with us.  (I'm also making Chicken Tortilla Soup for lunch Sunday.)  I got this recipe when I worked at a bank in Cambridge, and it's one of the yummy treats I got to enjoy during their annual "Tasting Tea."  Every Christmas season, all of the businesses in town would make some kind of Christmas snack to share with everyone that walks store-to-store to sample the goodies.  One year that I especially remember, was when I volunteered to wrap pickles with cream cheese and dried beef.  Chad offered to help me when he saw that I had 300 (!) pickles to wrap.  Anyway, this recipe for Peanut Clusters is the best peanut cluster recipe I have ever tasted.  The secret ingredient is butter brickle chips. 

Minnick's Peanut Clusters
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, then turn oven off.
In 9x13 pan, put 1 1/2 pounds vanilla almond bark. 
Set in warm oven for 10 minutes.  Remove & stir.
Add one 12-oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Stir.
Return to oven for 10 more minutes.  Remove & Stir.
Add 1 pkg butter brickle chips and 5 cups peanuts. 
Stir and drop on waxed paper using tablespoons. 
Allow to cool & set thoroughly before storing.
Makes approximately 5 dozen.

As a side note, I'll leave you with a photo from last night.  The snow was falling, the roads were slick, Jillian's "Y Kids Art" class was postponed, Jenica was finished with BB practice for the season, the girls didn't have any homework, and we had time for a Christmas Movie.  Jenica got to pick the movie this time, and we ended up watching "Home Alone 2 - Lost in New York City." (#72) It was fun to watch, because we had been in NYC ourselves this past summer, and we recognized a lot of the locations and scenes from the movie.  We kept saying, "hey, we saw that!"  Or, "hey, we took our picture at that same spot."  Remember the "bird lady" from the movie?  She threw bird seed on the bad guys in Central Park, who happened to be covered with varnish, so the birds would attack them long enough for Kevin to set off the fireworks, alerting the police where they could find the robbers of "Duncan's Toy Chest."   Well, we took Jacob & Jenica's picture beside that same bridge.  (See them in this picture?   #73 - a Christmas movie that will always remind us of our trip to NYC in 2011.)  And I've now added something new to my Bucket List:  a trip to NYC during the Christmas Season.

Jillian snuggled up with me on the couch (#74), because the suspense of the bad guys trying to get the little boy Kevin was almost too much for her to handle alone.  She put this silly Santa hat on before the movie, and proudly wore it the whole time. 

The quilt we are snuggled up in happens to be another of my favorite quilts (#75).  It's the quilt my great-grandma Daisy began, but never finished.  After she passed away, my mom found it in Gma Daisy's home and decided to finish it.  My mom surprised me with it as a gift when I graduated from High School.  I'm pretty sure it's made using scraps and clothes that great-grandma had on hand.  So, it's a pretty special treasure, and I always envision my g-gma Daisy when I snuggle up in this lap quilt.

Care Package

Since Jacob is off at college, and "finals week" is next week, we had the privilege of putting together a care package for him (#66) with some of his favorite things.  One of the things I know he is going to L.O.V.E is the m&m gourmet caramel apple (#67) that I made for him today.  (I made a few extras for the rest of us.)  I finished making it just in time to include it in the box and get it down to the post office before they closed.  I love the flat-rate priority boxes the PO has available.  I know that Jacob's package will arrive at his dorm TOMORROW morning!  However, I was informed by the nice lady that works behind the counter at the PO that if the government closes all those PO's like they're talking about, no one will EVER get next-day delivery again.  One of the things I am thankful for today, is that I can send a package to my son (who's away at college) today at 5pm, knowing he'll have it by 8am tomorrow morning. (#68)

Here's my Caramel Apple Recipe:
1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (add after finished boiling)
In heavy pan, combine butter, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Heat to between 234-240 degrees.  Cook for 2 minutes at that temperature.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Dip green granny smith apple in caramel; let excess drip off of apple; set on waxed paper.  After caramel has cooled, dip in milk chocolate (melted chocolate chips with a little crisco), allow chocolate to set slightly before dipping in toppings.  I like to use mini m&ms, crushed peanuts, crushed oreos, chopped reeses peanut butter cups, mini chocolate chips, or any other favorite candy.  Drizzle lightly with melted white chocolate chips, followed by melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Danish Butter Cookies

My family roots trace all the way back to Denmark.  And in preparation for our Danish Christmas this Saturday at my Aunt Joyce's (weather permitting), I began my first ever attempt at making Danish Butter Cookies yesterday (#42).  This year we're doing something new, and each family is supposed to make something Danish to bring with them for afternoon snacks.  I can't wait to see what everyone came up with!  In searching the web for Danish recipes, I've discovered that Danish women must like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  There is so much preparation, and so many steps involved (often completed hours apart), that I can't imagine how they get anything else done.  They're in the kitchen all the time!  I've also discovered that Danes really like butter, nuts (especially almonds), and fruit preserves when it comes to desserts and snacks.  It's been fun, searching different internet site for something I think I can make, and something that I think people will eat.  Here's the recipe I chose: 

Sugared Danish Butter Cookies with Pecan Halves
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ready in: 1 day 1 hour 45 minutes  (For real!  That's what the recipe said!)
Servings:  176
Calories per Serving:  33

4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 egg, beaten
3 TB coarse sugar crystals
88 pecan halves, toasted
1 TB coarse sugar crystals for sprinkling

Sift flour and sugar. Stir in 1 egg and vanilla until well combined.  Using a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal.   It takes a while, so don't give up too soon.

Shape the dough into a ball (yes, it really is possible to squish it into a ball, although I had my doubts), wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 20 minutes. (Set the timer.  I didn't; so three hours later, I took it out of the fridge and it was a brick! I had to let it thaw out for about 3 hours until I could roll it into a log.)

Tip: store your plastic wrap in the freezer, and when you need to use it, the plastic wrap will unroll easily without getting all stuck and crumpled together. (This tip drastically reduces Saran-Wrap-Stress)

Divide the dough in half, and roll into two 11-inch-long logs.  Wrap one of the logs in waxed paper and then plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.  Place 3 TB sugar crystals on a flat pan. Brush the second log with a beaten egg and roll it in the sugar crystals, coating it thickly. 

Carefully wrap the sugared log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.  (At this point, the dough can be frozen until later)  I made only 1/2 recipe this time, and left out the "pecan log" and used all sugar crystals instead. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the unsugared log of dough into round slices about 1/8" thick, and place the rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1/2" apart. Top each round with a pecan half.  Cut the sugared log of dough into 1/8" slices, and place them on prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle each cookie with more sugar crystals, if desired. 

Place one baking sheet of cookies at a time into oven. Bake until edges barely turn golden, 4-5 minutes.  (I cut mine a little too thick, and I had to let them bake for 6-7 minutes instead.)  Remove cookies to wire racks and allow to cool.          TA-DA!!

Other Blessings from today worth mentioning:  (43) Jacob and I spent some QT together today.  We went to Kearney together this morning so he could register for classes at UNK for next semester.  While he was doing the college thing, I was doing a little shopping at the mall and bumped into Chad's cousin Marci and her little guy (44) who I haven't seen in a really long time.   I enjoyed Mexican Gumbo at Q'doba with my favorite college guy (45).  Jenica's braces got a new look today with red and green bands (46) to make her smile even cuter.  Who else do you know that decorates their smile for Christmas?  More blessings:  Having Jillian assist me with my Danish Rye Bread (47).  My weekly Bible Study (48) last night with my fellow coaches wives as we studied the life of Peter while sipping on Beth's yummy caramel-apple cider (49When Jenica asked me to help her pick out clothes for the Jr High dance tonight (50).  Flat Iron Steaks purchased with a gift certificate from one of Chad's satisfied mowing clients (51), which we decided to grill tonight since the snow storm is a-comin' very soon and we won't be able to grill for a few days.  Movie Night!  We all watched "Polar Express" (52 - love this movie!) tonight - minus Jenica, who was at the dance.  And as an added bonus, we enjoyed a big bag of Movie Theater popcorn from the Sun Theater (53) while watching the movie (Thanks, Jacob!).

Giving Thanks

(16) One of my favorite songs is "Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart".  And there is so many reasons to be thankful.  You can click on this song and hear it on YouTube if you'd like.  Just think of how grateful they must have been at the First Thanksgiving, when the Pilgrims and Indians came together to thank God for His protection and for a wonderful harvest.  Just last night, Jillian turned to Chad with a very serious look on her face and said, "Daddy, were you a Pilgrim or an Indian?"  After the initial shock of the question wore off, Chad said, "go ask your mother." 

(17)  Good Health.  I am so thankful for the health and well-being of our family.  Okay, okay, we aren't the most healthy family around when you consider that I have RA and the other 4 members of our family each have a heart condition.  But, I am so thankful that we are able to lead normal lives, despite our health challenges.  And I'm thankful for good doctors and for the insurance provided by the school. It could always be worse.  In fact, our dear sweet neighbor Linda has suffered from a brain tumor for over a year and she is now in her final days.  She would have been Jenica's 7th grade English teacher if she hadn't gotten sick the spring before.  Her husband has done some carpentry work for us on our home.  And our hearts just ache for their family.  Please pray for them today and in the days ahead.  They are going to be difficult days. 

(18)  Betty Crocker.  I love to bake!  That's no secret.  My sister even refers to me as "Betty" periodically.  And boy does good old B.C. put out some good recipes.  And easy!  Today, I am baking  Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars to take to my mom's house tomorrow.  They aren't very hard, and look so delicious!  I can't wait to try them tomorrow.  I'm going to make homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over the top.  I also made buttermilk brownies, and since Jenica was at a friend's house, I got to lick the frosting bowl myself.  I'm also extremely grateful for Chad, who is always eager to help with the dishes, even when the counter can't get any fuller.  I love a man with dishpan hands! 

Betty Crocker's Divine Caramel Sauce
1 c. light corn syrup
1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
In 2-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and butter to boiling over low heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in whipping cream; heat to boiling. Cool about 30 minutes. Serve warm. Store covered in refrigerator up to 2 months. Reheat slightly before serving if desired.

(19)  Reading with Jillian.  Jillian is in first grade, and we get to read together a LOT.  She is supposed to keep track of how much time she spends reading, and her teacher has assigned homework of 15 minutes per night.  Today, we are reading a book called "If You Were At The First Thanksgiving."  This is a book that I will get to read, as it's a bit lengthy.  But Jillian does great and is learning new words all the time.  Phonics are a bit challenging for her, but she's catching on to our very challenging English language. 

(20)  Lending a helping hand.  I love helping people, which tends to run in the family.  Our whole family enjoys helping others, which makes this mamma's heart smile.  Jacob is in his first semester at college, but when he was home a couple weeks ago, he noticed a sign-up chart at church for Salvation Army Bell Ringers.  So, he quickly went and put his name down.  He has been doing this every year since 9th grade.  This noon, I volunteered to fill in at Curves so the owner could leave for her Thanksgiving trip a little early.  And tomorrow afternoon our family is going to a homeless shelter in Hastings to help serve their evening Thanksgiving meal.  This morning, Jenica got up early (when she could have slept in, since there was no school today) and joined a group of friends from youth group, who raked leaves for someone who needed help.  They filleded 25 33-gallon bags with leaves!   And last week, Chad offered to help a single lady in town by cleaning out her gutters (which took 3 hours).  What joy fills my heart at the opportunity to lend a helping hand.