Holidays

Vintage Holiday Dessert – Hot Pudding

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When you were a kid did you have a favorite holiday dessert that you can recall? We all have those special memories of a meal, a side dish or a dessert that just brings us back to our childhood. I remember this dessert so much and when I made it this time once again, it brought back all those wonderful memories.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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Hot Chocolate Bar in a Bag – A Great Gift Idea

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Do you need a last minute gift idea of something practical that you can give a loved one or a friend? Who doesn’t like hot chocolate? You can customize this any way you want too and enjoy coming up with creative ideas for your gift. Here is a simple idea that I put together for a friend.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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Contact me At:

  • resumeofamother@gmail.com

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Quick and Easy Gift…no Cost Gift Idea!

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Do you need a cheap and inexpensive gift idea that can last a lifetime?  My kids, this year, gave me a wonderful gift and I wanted to share with you all.

Gifts can be expensive, and/or sometimes we just don’t really know what to get.  I know myself; so many times I have purchased a gift for someone and they in turn gave it back to me, put it on a shelf, or who knows what.  Why waste your time and money buying something when you have other options?

Check out this great gift idea; comment below if you decide to do this, and let me know what you did.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

The Journey that Saved the World

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I am about to teach this coming Friday to a group of young people at church.  The ages range from three to fourteen. Trying to incorporate enough information to keep them all interested in the devotion can be hard at times. We, as a church, have committed to reach out to our neighborhood kids and share each week with them that Jesus loves them.

This weekend the topic is “The Journey that Saved the World.”  We have gone with an overall theme this year of the “Olympics.” Teaching the kids about preparation, endurance, and finishing the race.  So, let me take you on the journey that I have prepared for the kids.

  • Preparation:
  1. In order for Joseph and Mary to hear the call of the Lord, they needed to be prepared and walking close with Him.
  2. Then when the angel came and told them what was to happen, they needed to prepare for the journey.
  • Endurance:
  1. Because they were prepared, they would be able to endure the journey.
  2. They knew that God called them to do this task, so they needed to endure no matter how hard the journey would become.
  • Finishing the Journey:
  1. When they got to Bethlehem the journey was not done. They needed to find lodging, a safe place to deliver baby Jesus, and prepare the area for the baby to come.
  2. Once the baby was born, they could look back and see that they had prepared for a work to be done. They could see that they endured the journey they had to go on to get to the place where He needed them to be, and then they needed to deliver the baby to finish the task.
  • What we can learn from this:
  1. We need to be ready and prepared for when He calls us to do a job.
  2. We need to know that we will need to endure the journey, and that it might not be easy all the time.
  3. We need to know that when the journey is over, we can look back with joy, and we completed what was asked of us.

 

We also can look at the fact that when we prepare and answer the call, endure the journey, and finish it, that it is not only us who are affected but many around us. A task given to us by the Lord always has layers to it. Our lives are not our own, and we affect others all the time.

Mary and Joseph answering the call brought us the Savior (His divine plan). This Savior would ultimately be the One who would save the world. I am sure that Mary and Joseph had no idea the impact they would have on us today, thousands of years later.

Read Luke Chapter 2 today for the story of their Journey.

Lynn A.C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Oreo cookie truffles… Quick & easy!

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Need a quick and easy cookie swap idea or a holiday treat for your table… Try these truffles out. This was the first time I ever made them, and it definitely will not be my last. They were so quick and easy… and they were a complete hit at our Thanksgiving dessert table.

Ingredients needed:

  • A bag of Oreo cookies or similar
  • One 8 ounce block of room temperature cream cheese
  • Candy melts of your choice of color
  • Sprinkles

How to assemble:

  • Take about 30 to 35 Oreo cookies and crush them in a bowl or chop them up in a food processor to the consistency of cookie crumbles.
  • Add in room temperature cream cheese and mix together
  • Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill
  • Take mixture and roll into small balls on a cookie sheet layered with wax paper
  • Please entire cookie sheet with rolled balls on top of the wax paper into the freezer for about 15 minutes
  • In the meantime melt down your “candy melts”
  • Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and dip each ball into the melted chocolate’s and place back on the cookie sheet.
  • Add sprinkles to the top of each chocolate covered truffle
  • Let cool for about 20 minutes… And it will be either ready to eat or ready to package up.

A side note… I totally dipped most of them in the melted chocolate and only a handful did I swirl chocolate on the top of the chocolate balls. Unanimously it was voted that the truffles that were completely dipped in chocolate came out the best.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Instant pot… Turnip

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I absolutely love having turnip at our Thanksgiving meal and or Christmas holiday dinner table. This year I found some nice large turnips at one of the Amish farms, and as much as I love turnip I dreaded the thought of having to cook it once again.

So this year I decided to give it a try in the Instant pot. Never again will I boil it on the stovetop for what seem to be an endless amount of time.

Here is how I cooked it…

It is called Turnip or waxed Turnip

Cut the outer skin off very carefully with a sharp knife

Continue to cut until you have a clean turnip.

Once clean… Rinse off and start cutting into cubes.

Try to cut into similar sized pieces.

Give it a nice rinse.

Pour into the Instant pot and add a 1/2 to 1 cup of water, depending on how much and how large your turnip is.

Use manual pressure at 4 minutes, once done use the rapid release.

I use a plastic measuring cup in place of a steam cup when I do a rapid release.

Open the lid and carefully check with a fork to make sure they are as tender as you would like.

I add one stick of butter, and salt and pepper to taste.

Use a potato masher to break up the turnip to the consistency that you like.

Pour into your favorite bowl and enjoy as a delicious side dish.

Lynn A. C. Wilson Resume of a Mother

Fall Treats, Treasures & Decor!

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I think the fall season is my favorite time of the year! Pumpkin pie, fall spiced candles and of course the movie “You’ve Got Mail”.

I love to hit the Dollar Tree… Target Dollar Spot, thrift stores and any other local stores for some new fall decor and goodies for the house.

The house is usually filled with faux pumpkins, lots of fall scented spice candles… And white twinkling lights throughout the house. Candles are lit every evening, mood lights are turned on… and we sit and enjoy some pumpkin spice coffee while watching a good movie. I have quilts and throws over the chairs to make it a cozy home for us to enjoy during this season.

Here is some of my new goodies for this year that I will be using around the house as well as some fun Fall day trips, and some adventures of the season. I love watching some of my YouTube friends who  I like to call my friends… and to see what they post on their channel, for some new Fall items that they get for their homes as well. It gives me some great ideas of what stores are selling each year and where they shop….before I head out to look for my goodies.

What do you use to decorate your homes? Do you have traditions that you do when it comes to decorating for the seasons? Send me some comments and pictures below so that I can get some ideas from you as well.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Fall color trees are a Favorite!!!

NJ Fall skies are fantastic.

Hubbard Squash from the Amish country.

Crisp Fall leaves.

Family road trips

Scenic sites on road trips.

Seasonal produce.

Traditional places to visit.

Beautiful views from where I work.

Halloween fun times.

Fall harvest.

Pretty backdoor goodies.

New Fall centerpiece.

My famous pumpkin bread.

Harvest festivals.

Apple picking

Fall decor at local farms.

Sunflower patch.

Freshness

Bonfires

Friends gathering

Hayrides

Smores…Yummy

Ringing in the New Year….. How depression and FEAR had taken over … learning to adapt and changing my perspective!

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For years….and I am not sure why exactlring-in-the-new-yeary, the New Year was one of the most depressing times for me and I could not handle the midnight celebration that comes with New Year’s Eve.

When I was a kid….we would always go to my Aunt Kay’s house with lot and lots of munchies and tons of food …of course was one of the favorite parts of the evening.  As kids it was also a treat to hang out with the cousins and stay up past midnight and not get told that it is past our bedtime. Another great part of the evening was…the memories of my mom and her 5 sisters dancing together to the “oldies” music.  I absolutely loved watching them dance around as if they were young school girls again while giggling together.  Even today when that type of music is playing somewhere….I have those wonderful fond memories pop into my head.

My teen years….well we had a great night of food, games, memories, shared stories, songs and a message at church.  We were renting a local school gym and I can remember it as if it were yesterday…carrying all the chairs, tables, food and decor in and out for these events. memories as well.

Then during my college and career age ….I would hang out with my friends and have a get together at someone’s house and play games until the wee hours of the morning.tree-of-depression

When I became a mom and my hours and my husband’s hours at work changed……each year would be something different from year to year and what event we could attend.  I am not really sure where the depression for the New Year came from but I do remember it being such a rough time ….not being able to deal with it when it came on. I am not trying to make light of the depression but I am not going to dwell on it and or the details of this horrific time for me. It was a bad time but learning to move on is one thing I have had to do. I do believe FEAR and the ripple effect it can have over our lives played a big role in this for me.

My husband said one year when he saw me almost loose it…..while I was watgo-to-bedching the clock tick and turn towards midnight….”why not just go to bed”.  It was like an epiphany.  Why not just go to bed?  Why did I not just think of that. Just think I could go to bed and wake up the next day and keep going and not dwell on the fact that at 12:01 AM the new year arrived.

After doing this for several years….. (Of course he would sit up and watch the ball drop in NYC for himself), I adjusted back to “normal” or at lease my normal….. and was able to deal a little better with the whole New Year’s Eve thing.

This past year in 2016 ….was a year that I entered into feeling like it was going to a year of challenges, new beginnings, and a full year of events.  That it was!!!

God had prepped me for this in a small way by preparing my mind with these feelings noted above.  It was by far one of the toughest years for us.  It was the first year without my father-in-law on this earth. It was a full year of firsts for things at church, at my work, with my Autistic son with some of his new norms and a year full of many, many , many….seizures with my husband. It was probably the most challenging year in our almost 30 years of marriage.

As I reflect back…..I realize that when I wrote my first blog…..”Normal is a moving Target”, how true this statement is in my life. And how far in many areas of my life I have learned to adapt and have a fresh new perspective!

My families “normal” would not be normal to most.  I don’t think that I ever make plans that pan out in the way we even ever thought they would.  I am sure many of you also feel the same way.

john-15-7This year again New Year’s Eve came and went but with a different twist.  I have to say I am a BIG fan of Dave Boyer and he was in concert for New Year’s Eve where I work.  Just think of that…..I was able to work and see him in concert at the same time….oh boy did this bring back some childhood memories of the “oldies” and my mom and her sisters..  What a treat for us and then we headed home around 11 pm and you guessed it, “I went right to bed”, before midnight could set in.

The next day of course was New Year’s Day 2017.  I worked 7-3 that dafile_000-6y and when I got home my hubby said let’s go out and grab a bite to eat at the new local restaurant called the Mellow Mushroom. You might have one near you.  Well, what a great place….it is on my favorites list!!!.

Now I saved the best part of my story for last!!! That same day my hubby and had our devotions separately and both felt we were given a verse by the Lord.  Mine was John 15:7 and my husbands was I Timothy 3:15 -17.  As we were walking out of the house to head to dinner we were sharing this with each other.  As we walked towards the van the night sky was so full of stars…..so brightly lit like we have not seen in years since we were kids.  The North Star was actually twinkling and the moon seemed to shine right around it, as if it was talking to us.  We both looked up and at the same time…..spoke out loud the word “HOPE”.  Nothing mystical happened at the moment….but for us….we felt like the Lord was giving us that very moment in time of a clear chance to see HIS handiwork.  It was a little sign to us …..that this night’s evenings sky was just for us. It was a clear sign and direction for us to continue claiming our verses He gave us, and that this would be a year filled with hope.women-of-faith

We took that special moment in time, the 2 bible verses and a few other things that happened on that day and called it “the most encouraging New Year’s day that we have ever had”.

Happy New Year everyone….share your story of how you enjoyed your New Year’s Eve and or what the Lord has shown you already in this New Year of 2017.

Lynn Wilson – Resume of a Mother