Grandma Jeanne's "Semi" Home-Made Hot Cross Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:

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1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

2 tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon milk

dash of vanilla

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PREPARATION
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• Roll dough into a rectangle, about 8x6 inches.
• Brush with the melted butter.
• Combine brown sugar, chopped nuts, and cinnamon.
• Sprinkle over dough.
• Starting at long edge, roll up, jelly roll fashion;
• moisten edges and seal.

• Cut roll into 20 slices.
•   Place rolls, cut side down, into two 8 inch lightly buttered round cake pans. 
• Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours. until doubled.
• Pour the cream over the rolls and 
• bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

• Combine confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla,
•  adding more sugar or milk if necessary. (I double this part!)
• Drizzle over rolls while slightly warm
• Makes 20 yummy cinnamon buns

"If we fix a goal and work towards it, then we are never just passing time." --Anna Neagle,  Actress

The path I desire for my life is one of integrity and honesty. I want to love myself; look in the mirror every morning and acknowledge the unique person I am. I am working on acknowledging  the kindness and good in me.   I strive to conduct myself with dignity and honor. I am taking charge of my life; nurturing it, giving myself little rewards when I overcome; hoping that the balance within will reveal itself through the smile on my face, and the gleam in my eyes.

With all of this in mind, I hope to pass these same qualities on to my son, and to my Sunday School students at our church.

The Cottage is Dressed for Autumn

It is no secret that I love decorating for Fall.  

It is one of our most vibrantly colorful seasons,

 

so I begin

 

dressing up the Cottage room by room

 

on the First of

 

September. . 

The first room to be adorned is always

The Living Room.

I started with this Hutch, a Gift to my sister and I

for our bedroom years ago from my Aunt June.

I love using Plates, Cloth, and Ribbon to bring in the

vibrant colors of the Fall Season.




 

I'll be sharing some peeks at ways

 in which I have spruced up our home

for the Autumn in the following pages

 

 of this post...



I love to place twinkling white lights outside on the front porch to greet my visitors and guests on these dark evenings.   Mums and yellow marigolds are abundant in pots on the porch, with smatterings of Scarecrow figures and a Pumpkin here and there. 

      I save seeds of chia, alyssum, and flax to scatter when the frost kills

the hotter thriving plants in my pots, so I still have a green,

lush backdrop into which I place

more jewel toned blooms, pumpkins,

wooden signs, and articles of the season.

To the Right of the Hearth is a vignette of fall. 

                               

 

 

 

I place messages on the

 

plaid message board,

such as

 

"Welcome, Friends,"







A simple vignette with pumpkins,
books, a bird, and teapot

This is one of the first places

 upon which

 the eye rests entering the

Living Room.  I love to make

little vignettes for the shelves.

Outside are all the signs of

the Harvest Season

The  back porch garden has a Scarecrow
So cute!

Scarecrow  Face made entirely of items for the Birds to eat!

Three Tall Scarecrows stand guard out front in the yard

Reader, Have you

 

started decorating yet ?

I would love to hear from you how you have

 

spruced up your home

 

for the Autumn in the

 

 comment pages

 

 of this post...

Fortune Cookies for Breakfast... or "how we start a random day off school"

 

 

 

A Breakfast for Champions includes the all important Fortune Cookie!

I love how these snippets of fortune stir up appropriate, interesting conversations among the family around the table...     couldn't even plan for these life lessons if I tried!

Autumn at The Blue Willow

Pops of Autumn fill the Cottage today.

Last Year's Birthday Bouquet from My Man





I love to add old photos of my nieces and son from Halloweens gone by...



Pumpkins from the garden... for Pumpkin Bread!

Need a Pick Me Up??

Accentuate the Positive

Latch onto the affirmative

Re-gain Peace of mind

I Have a little index card with the above three points

written on it in my silverware drawer

for when I have "one of THOSE" days.

Sometimes I need to be reminded how to

"Set My Affections on Things Above"

(Colossians 3:2and 3).

Just thought it might bless others,

& wanted to share this!

Pointing Them to the Lord through Reading

As parents, Papa and I are committed to providing encouraging, uplifting resources that continually point to the Lord. We’ve focused our efforts on children's books which we loved as children ourselves, but occasionally we will require our son to read some new material, such as the book above. 

This summer we have discovered a marvelous pastime... the Quiet Hour.  All persons in the house must quietly remain in their bedrooms for one hour, and may choose any quiet activity to spend the hour doing.  I often find I need a quick nap, but more and more, Kimba is choosing to read. 


Here are a few more suggestions for a 4th Grade Reader to enjoy:

Anselm

Anselm is one of the greatest theologians who lived during the time between Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas. His compelling yearning to know and love God as He is revealed to us in Scriptures shaped his life and permeates all of his writings. He found the greatest joy in communion with God, but was thrusted into the difficult political scene of the 11th-12th centuries.

What can Anselm teach our children? To be inquisitive and use their minds as God’s gifts to discover and understand what He has revealed in His Word (Deut.29:29).  In reading this book, my son was challenged to consider and explore Anselm’s question: Why a God-man?

What is the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross?

In The Lightlings, Dr. R.C. Sproul weaves an allegorical tale that captures the essence of the biblical story of redemption in a manner that will fascinate and delight children.

A race of tiny beings known as lightlings are a picture of humanity as they pass through all the stages of the biblical drama - creation, fall, and redemption.

In the end, children will understand why some people fear light more than darkness, but why they need never fear darkness again.