Moonlight

I absolutely love nighttime, not necessarily going out at night but being able to sit down on my patio furniture with a glass of wine and enjoy the evening.

We have one of the most stunning full moons tonight and I only wish I could fully capture it on camera, but shooting at night time is one of the hardest things to do.....maybe not for all the brilliant photographers out there with the special cameras with all the doodads, but for a stay at home mom with a pretty inexpensive simple camera, yes.

Even so, it didn't stop me from stepping outside and snapping some shots to share with you all.

We're having a barbecue, pretty late at night for us considering we're early folk and usually eat dinner around 5pm.  It's 7:40 and we just couldn't help it, it's a beautiful night, with nothing but a few wispy clouds in the sky, not a breeze in sight and the scents of fall all around mingled with grills, the only sounds I hear right now are my children playing on the swing set (in the dark), my pugs sniffing around in the yard and the crackling of my candles on the table.

It's pure bliss!

America's Prophet by Bruce Feiler

  America's Prophet by Bruce Feiler

The pilgrims quoted his story. Franklin and Jefferson proposed he appear on the U.S. seal. Washington and Lincoln were called his incarnations. The Statue of Liberty and Superman were molded in his image. Martin Luther King, Jr., invoked him the night before he died. Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama cited him as inspiration.

For four hundred years, one figure inspired more Americans than any other. His name is Moses.
In this groundbreaking book, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler travels through touchstones in American history and traces the biblical prophet's influence from the Mayflower through today. He visits the island where the pilgrims spent their first Sabbath, climbs the bell tower where the Liberty Bell was inscribed with a quote from Moses, retraces the Underground Railroad where "Go Down, Moses" was the national anthem of slaves, and dons the robe Charlton Heston wore in The Ten Commandments. 

We all know the story of Moses but what if it was told in relation to what America is today? 

In this book the author Bruce Feiler does just that, he goes back in time and traces the influences that Moses had and still has on America.

I hadn't even stopped to think about how many times the name Moses has been mentioned in the past, many Presidents have done so, they've touched on the commandments and the need to follow the Lord's word.

One thing I love is History and learning about what makes the world what it is today, where did we come from, how did we get here, what sacrifices were made and who was responsible or served as a great example.  This book has it all, it teaches us, it instructs us, it gives us hope and faith.

We learn how the Liberty Bell came about, what God's role played in it and even down to the inscription and what it means.

"PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF LEV. XXV X."

I absolutely love how Feiler went above and beyond to trace these steps, often times attempting to put himself into certain situations to make us understand, like when he retraced part of the Underground Railroad.  I truly felt like I was right there with him.

It's a wonderful book, chock full of information, it will definitely make you stop and think about the role of Moses in the shaping of this Nation.

For more information on the author Bruce Feiler, you can visit his website,  twitter or facebook page.

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours for a review.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Cooking Thursday - October 21

Won't you join me and share with us one of your new recipes, or an old family favorite, you can even throw in a recipe for homemade soaps or detergents (just remember to specify).

For the guidelines, you can go here.

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Crunchy Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion flakes
2 teaspoons dry mustard (you can also use bottled mustard)
Bread Crumbs (I use my homemade)
1 pound chicken tenders


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine 2/3 cup mayonnaise, the onion flakes and mustard in a shallow bowl.  Mix well.  In another bowl, place the breadcrumbs.

Dip the chicken in the mayonnaise mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs.  Arrange the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the chicken until cooked through and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.

From behind closed doors!

My morning started out with a cool 66 degrees outside, it felt absolutely wonderful, it was like being transported to another place where you actually feel the coolness of Autumn.

I stepped out back with my coffee in hand and noticed that the skies were a looming dark color, there were clouds moving in and then some sprinkles and anytime I see that I literally want to jump up and down for joy.  I must be one of the few people on earth who just love rainy days.

There's something about the darkness in the house, the illuminating candles glowing while the pitter patter of rain surrounds you and the prospect of baking in a warm kitchen.

I'm often asked if I really do love being a stay at home mom as much as it looks like I do on my blog.

I always answer with a resounding yes.  Yes I do.  You may find that hard to believe, but I vividly remember being about 6 or 7 years old and while other little girls were playing hopscotch and dreaming of being a teacher or a model, I was in my house surrounded by toy pots and pans and dolls.

I dreamed of being a wife, a mom, of staying at home and following in my Greatgrandmother's footsteps.  I wanted to be just like her, to cook for a big group of people, to dust and iron and mop and smile everytime the family returned home after a long day of work or school.

In essence, I'm living my dream.  Oh it's not all wonderful, there are days that I have breakdowns like everyone else but really, I'm blissfully content and I really couldn't ask for more.

So today, I found myself in my quiet house.  The kids were at school and my husband was asleep as he works Mid Shift or the Graveyard shift.

I puttered around, I lit candles, I picked up here and there and straightened out the living room for the umpteenth time because really, when you have children, no matter how old they are, there is always some sort of mess going on in that living space.

Then I stepped into the kitchen and while the raindrops hit on my kitchen window, I pulled out my Kitchenaid and made a Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread.  Lordy do I love these, but I did omit the raisins as my kids are not particularly fond of those.

Before I knew it, it was time to pick up the kids and head back home to get dinner started.  I made some delicious crunchy chicken tenders which left everyone licking their lips and announcing that they are the best things they've ever had  HA!

Truly, if you think about it, there are so many foods out there that you could be making at home, much healthier and cheaper than buying, and you KNOW what is going into them, no weird colorings or additives.

Both recipes are up on Full Bellies, Happy Kids if you want to give them a try.

I'm going to round up the kids and make sure homework is done.  Tomorrow I have Parent/Teacher Conferences and quite frankly, this is the first year that I'm having issues with one of the teachers and really not looking forward to this meeting.  I'm not impressed with a lot of what goes on in that school and the classroom.  I can't tell you how happy I am to be pulling my children out next year, I just can't wait.

See?  Not everything is roses in my household :)

In the Kitchen........

Want to know what I've been busy doing in the kitchen?????

Well how about some Caramel Popcorn for snacking????  No need to go dig in a cracker jack box when you can whip a humongous amount of these goodies in your own kitchen.  They're great for snacking but they're also great for goodie bags and it's just what I was looking for to hand out to my kid's friends around Halloween.

If that's not your cup of tea, you can try out my Ricotta Potato Skins. I was contacted by the wonderful folks at President and Precious Cheese and asked if they could send me a copy of their The Skinny Cheese Cookbook to try out, along with some coupons for me AND my readers. Ooohhhh cheese and potatoes, one of my favorite things in this world.

Go on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids and enter for a chance to win two VIP coupons for a free package of Feta cheese and a free package of ricotta cheese. Yes FREE!