Ipsy October 2013

This month's theme:

The Art of Beauty

Cute bag!

(Yep, that's one of my paintings in the background!)

Groupings of different items in each Ipster's bag.

I received:

Sexy Hair "Spray Clay"

Nourish organic "Coconut & Argan Body Lotion"

OFRA Lip Gloss in Plumper Sultry

Face oasis "h2o" Hydrating Treatment

ZOYA Nail Polish in the color Mason

(very similar to a color I already have,

so I will "gift" this to my new daughter-in-law, Katlynn.

I received an extra gift this month for referring friends:

NYX Bronze Smokey Look Kit

The compact opens up to reveal nine eye shadows,

and a drawer slides out with two shades of lip gloss and applicators.

Thank you Ipsy!

Here's another quick glance at October's bag!

Remember, it's only $10 each month

and if you don't like or need an item,

you can "gift" it, like I do!

If you would like to order Ipsy for yourself or a friend,

click on the link below:

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h8hqaawjtrmj2y7

 

Thank you and enjoy YOUR Ipsy!

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

Don't Let Satan Fool You Like He Did Me

This is not a craft or recipe I am sharing today.

It is an admission. A lesson learned, that I would like to share.

A warning to others.

Ever since I was little, I could see spirits.

I could hear them.

I could feel them.

Communicate with them.

At first, they frightened me.

But then I started seeking them out.

Séances...

Ouija Boards...

Tarot Cards...

Tea Leaf Reading....

I dabbled in all of it.

And it worked.

The forces in the "other" world are real, yes....

I found it fun, intriguing, I wanted more.

I talked others into joining me...

trying to seek out and speak to the dead.

I sought out psychics,

even found out I had psychic abilities of my own.

The more I dabbled, the stronger they became.

More spirits would visit me.

Most were friendly,

yet some were evil.

They brought the evil into my home.

My house became uncomfortable,

my family sickly....even the cats were aware something was awry.

Instead of turning to God for answers, I visited a pagan store

to find out how to get rid of the evil spirits dwelling in my house.

It worked, yet only offered temporary help, because I was lost,

looking for help in the wrong places.

I became scared, and stayed away from the spirit world for awhile.

But it was so interesting...I missed it.

Little did I know...

Satan was seeking me out.

 

He is real.

God is real.

Why wouldn't the devil be?

But surely, what I was doing could not be evil...

I believed in God.

Guess what?  So does the devil.  He believes in God too.

 

Satan wants you and me to stray from the Lord.

He wants us on his side, away from God.

He will do whatever he thinks will work.

       

"Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

 

Yet, I was being fooled.

I tried to convince myself that if all of this was evil,

why was it so fun?  Why did it work?

Well, think about it.

  You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Satan is wise, manipulative....he's no dummy.

I was having fun.  I had proof that there was a spirit world.

Yet, I was losing my faith, my salvation, I was running further away from God.

Now I am here to tell you, I got out.  And so can you.

How did I get out?

Through our savior, Jesus Christ.

By reading the bible, going to church.

It all sounds so simple, doesn't it?

But it wasn't.

I wasn't raised in the church. Yet, my parents were both Christians. My father was a police lieutenant.  He discovered the same people he was arresting during the week for domestic violence and disorderly conduct, were the same people who were leading church on Sunday morning.  My parents were disappointed in the church and the "so-called Christians". So we did not attend church on Sunday mornings.  I found the church later in life. 

 Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who attend church who will not go to heaven.  It's not about what you call yourself, or pretend to be, (just because a mouse lives in a cookie jar, doesn't make him a cookie)  but accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and turning away from your sins....repenting.

I would listen to preachers.  Listen to what others had to say about the bible.  But it wasn't until I started reading it for myself...literally "opening" the bible, praying to the Lord to open His words to me so I could understand, that I did.  I asked for the Lord's forgiveness and thanked Him for the wonderful gift of His Son, who willingly came to live on this earth, God in flesh, to suffer and die on the cross for me, so I could have everlasting life. It is a daily struggle, to live day by day. So studying the bible and praying to the Lord is a daily must for me.  I need Him every second of every day.

 

Choose God!...not Satan.

 

BEWARE!

Satan is everywhere.

Some examples of the devil's work in our world today?

 

Do you notice all of the mediums on television?

They are very convincing, funny, lovable.

What could be wrong with them?

Everything.

 

"Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. 

 I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 19:31

 

So, please, do not be fooled by Satan.

We cannot speak with our loved ones who have passed away.

If anyone claims to do so, they are fooling you.

If they truly believe they are speaking to the dead,

then they are being fooled.

Demons under the rule of Satan are on this earth

trying to fool us all.

It is working with many.  Do NOT be one of them!

I was, and vow to fight against them.

Put your faith in the Lord our God and do not be deceived.

 

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all people."

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV)

 

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Kerri



Enjoy Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte at Home

There is a crispness in the air,

leaves turning golden and burgundy,

it's the beginning of Autumn!

 I'm ready to break in the season

with a steaming cup of my favorite

Pumpkin Spice Latte!

But instead of purchasing these at my local

coffee shoppe this year,

I plan on saving my money

and making it at home.

Sometimes I think we forget how simple it can be

to make our favorite recipes at home.

With simple, inexpensive ingredients at the grocery

store, I will make my own decadent chai tea,

"semi-homemade"!

I purchased two types of Chai Tea bags:

Stash "Decaffeinated Chai Spice" 

 and

Twinings "Chai Pumpkin Spice"

I bring fresh, filtered water to a boil

in my tea kettle on my stove.

When the whistle blows,

I know it's ready.

I use two tea bags in an 8oz. mug

because I like it strong.

Let steep 4 minutes.

Then I stir in a couple tablespoons of

Nestle Coffee-mate in the flavor

"Pumpkin Spice"

and a teaspoon of my favorite sweetener

which is Stevia granules.

 

Enjoy!

I spent a total of about $9 for:

2 boxes of tea bags

1 bottle of creamer

1 box of Stevia

This will make at least 18 servings.

That's 50 cents per serving

compared to $3 or $4 per serving at the coffee shoppe....

and I don't even have to change out of my pajamas and slippers

to drive there!

 

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

Even the John (Latrine, Water Closet, Lavatory or Loo) gets Halloween Decorations

 

Some of my decorations

like the Jack-o-lantern above

were passed down from my parents.

Others I purchased at The Dollar Tree

like the crow, hand and grave stone.

These Jack-o-lanterns were made

by my boys about ten years ago...

recycling jars by mod-podging

strips of orange tissue paper and gluing

on cut out facial features from card stock.

The "severed hand" is holding a scoop

to the bath salts.

A black spider is getting ready to crawl up the finger.

I hung a string of pumpkin lights along the mirror.

This gives just enough of an eery effect

for night time-bath time.

I filled the homemade Jack-o-lanterns with a little

bath salts and popped in a few

battery operated votive candles.

How do you decorate your "Loo"

for Halloween?

DIY Wedding Mints - a Family Tradition

This recipe was handed down from my Nana Ruby.

She had four daughters...my mother had four daughters...

my oldest sister Beth had four daughters...

sister Lindy had three daughters....

sister Lisa had a daughter and a son....

and I have three sons.

Most of these have already gotten married and

had these homemade mints at their weddings.

Me included!

We make it a family occasion.  Everybody gets together

around the kitchen table and rolls out mints,

visiting, sharing stories.

IT'S A FAMILY TRADITION 

Now it's my son, Austin who is getting married!

WEDDING MINTS

You will need:

4 oz. of Cream Cheese (not low fat)

1 lb. of powdered sugar

1 tsp. mint flavoring (or flavor of your choice)

food color (I use gel)

Start mixing your cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Use a fork, if needed to "cut" in the cream cheese.

Add in your flavoring and coloring.

It will be extremely dry.

It will NOT look like it will mix into a dough,

but resist the urge to add any water.

I promise it will come together. 

EACH RECIPE WILL MAKE 100 TO 150 MINTS

(depending of the size)

I will be making four batches.

Half with mint flavoring in purple.

Half with almond flavoring in fuscia.

 

Use your (clean) hands to knead the dough...

and knead...

Eventually it will turn into the consistency of play dough.

Yay!

Purchase a candy mold in whatever shape you choose.

Usually we made roses and leaves.

But for Austin and Katlynn's wedding

I chose hearts.

The royal purple will match the bridesmaid dresses!

Set up your work station at a table:

Put down wax paper

a bowl of granulated sugar

a drying rack (cookie rack) or paper towels

a knife

clean hands

roll out a snake of dough about 8 inches long

and the thickness of a magic marker.

Cut into sections.

For my molds I needed about the size of a large blueberry,

smaller than a grape or cherry.

Just keep trying, until you get the right size.

Roll the balls in the granulated sugar

and squish into the molds.

Be sure to push the dough to the edges of the mold.

Turn over the mold

and the mints will pop out.

Turn them right side up to dry.

(if the mints wont come out of the mold easily,

go ahead and take those out and clean the mold.

Now sprinkle the mold sheet with granulated sugar,

this will help them not stick to the mold)

The top row, above is done correctly.

The bottom heart is not pushed completely to the edges... 

Notice how the heart on the left is much more defined

than the one only pushed part way down.

You don't want to "overstuff" the mold either

as shown above on the right....

It will come out as a blob (on the left)

So just take your time to press each mint completely to the edges

and take off any access.

Now put these on a rack to dry for at least 24 hours.

Cover them lightly with paper towel.

If you do not have a rack, lay them on paper towel

and turn them every 12 hours or so.

I let mine dry for 36 hours

and then freeze in between paper towels

in ziplock bags until the day of the wedding.

This can be very time consuming.

So if you have to put away the dough for awhile,

put it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator.

 

This is a very easy recipe and so delicious!

We usually snack on them as we're making them,

so be sure to make some extras!

 

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

 

Mom's Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a recipe for my mother's chocolate sheet cake,

a family favorite. Chocolate with a hint of cinnamon.

This is my son, Ethan's, favorite cake.

He requested it this year for his 23rd birthday.

So here's the recipe:

MOM'S CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN BLEND:

1 stick butter

1/2 c. shortening

4 tsp. cocoa powder

1 cup water

Heat until dissolved (only a slight boil)

Take off of heat and let cool.

IN A LARGE BOWL SIFT TOGETHER:

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

FOR THE NEXT STEP you will need 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

I didn't have any, so I made a substitute out of

1 Tbsp. of Apple Cider Vinegar,

then filling up to the 1/2 cup line with

evaporated milk.

(rarely do I keep buttermilk on hand)

IN MEDIUM BOWL COMBINE:

the 1/2 cup of buttermilk

2 beaten eggs

1 t. vanilla

Pour cooled chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl,

then add the buttermilk mixture.

Stir completely, but do not "over mix".

Pour into a prepared sheet cake pan or stone.

(the average sheet pan measures 13"x18").

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare your

ICING:

IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN MELT:

1 stick of butter

6 tsp. buttermilk (again, you can sub sour milk)

4 tsp. cocoa powder

LET THE MIXTURE COOL FOR 10 MINUTES:

Then add 1 box of powdered sugar (1 lb.)

1 tsp. vanilla

and 1 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Stir to combine...

if too thick, add one Tbsp. of milk at a time,

stirring between each, until a creamy consistency.

ICE THE CAKE AS SOON AS IT IS REMOVED FROM THE OVEN.

This cake is a light chocolate cake with a slight hint of cinnamon.

The frosting is sweet and nutty.

Very moist and decadent.

ENJOY!

Keep Calm and Kerri On!