Category Archives: Holidays

Christmas Pearl By Robin Bayne

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Christmas Pearl by Robin Bayne

Joe is still bitter after his messy divorce. Since his wife had a shrewd divorce lawyer, she managed to get most of their wealth and possessions during the divorce proceedings. Now Joe is single and he’s stunned when Elizabeth (his wife’s shrewd lawyer) shows up at a family/friends gathering. He can’t forgive Elizabeth (Liza) for the part that she played in his divorce from his wife. In spite of his negative feelings toward Liza, he finds himself attracted to the pretty lawyer.

Liza is stunned to run into Joe. Why can’t he forgive her for what she’s done in the past? Liza is a Christian now, plus, she’s changed her profession – she’s no longer a divorce lawyer. Can’t Joe see that their attraction might not be so bad after all?

Due to a mishap, Liza and Joe are forced to work together at Christmas parties during the holiday season. Can they learn to overcome their differences and fall in love with one another?

This was a cute, enjoyable, light story that I think a lot of people can relate to. Sometimes, when we’re angry with others in breaking up a relationship, our anger can be a bit misguided. I enjoyed reading about the Christmas parties and the holiday touches to the story make it a nice Christmas read.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Savanna’s Gift By Camille Eide

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Savanna’s Gift by Camille Eide

I really enjoyed this short Christmas story. Savanna returns to the ski lodge where she worked a few years ago. She returns because she needs to drop off her god-daughter, Mylie, to Mylie’s grandparents for Christmas. She runs into Luke, her old flame and ex-fiancé. While Savanna worked at the ski lodge years ago, her and Luke were an item and he proposed and she accepted. However, Savanna broke off the engagement, leaving Luke believing that she didn’t love him because he was just a lowly lift operator. Luke thinks Savanna wants to marry a man who’s higher up on the corporate ladder than him.

However, Savanna had other reasons for breaking her engagement to Luke, and she’s determined to make him listen to her reasons. While they’re in the midst of a Christmas snowstorm and the roads are shut down, Luke and Savanna attempt to find their way to one another again.

I think I enjoyed this story because Luke and Savanna never forgot one another. In spite of their breakup, their love still ran deep. I also enjoyed the wonderful setting. I loved reading about the lodge and about the guests staying in the lodge, stranded during a Christmas snowstorm. The snow, the lodge, and the Christmas things (like decorations, traditions and such) gave this story a nice holiday appeal. A good, comforting read to enjoy during the cold winter holiday.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Warm, Comforting Christmas Reads

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Check out these short Christmas stories on Kindle (or other e-readers). Each one is only 99 cents and it’s a nice, inexpensive way to enjoy some inspiring Christmas stories. I’ve already downloaded these and plan on featuring on my blog over the next week or so. So, sit back, relax, get a cup of coffee and some Christmas cookies or cake and enjoy these stories. You can probably finish one of these stories in one evening! 🙂

A Texas Christmas Mystery by Anne Greene
A lady Coastguardsman searches for a killer. An oil rig troubleshooter accused of murder races to clear his name. The murderer strives to silence them both.
Sparks fly as Amber Meredith seeks to arrest Derrick Darbonne. She needs to solve her first case, but the handsome Cajun suspect makes her heart race and her toes tingle.
Derrick has worked all his life for his high-paying, adventurous job. When the past threatens his future, will he endanger the woman he loves in order to save himself?

Christmas Pearl by Robin Bayne
Joe Gardner never expected to see Elizabeth again, not after the part she’d played in ruining his life. Refusing to believe she now shares his faith, Joe tosses aside her efforts to apologize.
But when they are forced to work together in the midst of the Christmas season, Joe has to face the truth about Elizabeth, and himself.

Savanna’s Gift by Camille Eide
Forced to return to the ski lodge where she once worked, Savanna Holt is reminded of one special Christmas and how ambition led her to make the worst mistake of her life: Leaving Luke Nelson.

Stunned to discover Luke never left, but worked his way up from lift operator to manager, Savanna sees the opportunity as a gift from God. She’s determined to win Luke back. But Luke wants no reminders of his past hurt, or a relationship with the woman who put ambition before love.

Can Savanna convince Luke she’s changed and her interest isn’t because of his position? And when her dream job beckons, will she sacrifice her dream for a second chance at love?

I hope you’ll download these stories and read these wonderful authors!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Happy Thanksgiving! Pilgrim Facts!

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Do you have any Pilgrim facts you’d like to share?

My six-year-old son was assigned a Thanksgiving project recently. Of course, I had to help him. His topic? The religion of the Pilgrims. We scoured the internet and came up with this list from various sources. Feel free to add anything you think was missed. He’s only six, so he couldn’t understand the concept of everything. I tried to focus on stuff that he’d understand. Also, I added a few things that I thought were interesting that he did not include in his project. He had to do a poster with pictures and facts. Here are some of the facts that he covered – as well as others that I found interesting. REMEMBER, THESE ARE BASIC FACTS, UNDERSTANDABLE FOR A SIX-YEAR-OLD – IT’S NOT DETAILED ADULT MATERIAL. IF YOU’RE A HISTORY BUFF AND FEEL THIS IS TOO INCOMPLETE, THEN FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR FACTS! 🙂:

The Pilgrims used the Geneva edition of the Bible. In response, King James had his own edition of the Bible translated and published in 1611 for use by the Church of England.

The Pilgrims observed the Sabbath – they did not work on Sundays.

The Pilgrims were also called Puritans.

Queen Mary did not let the Pilgrims worship the Lord – she persecuted and killed many Pilgrims. After Mary died, her sister, Elizabeth, became queen.

Queen Elizabeth (Mary’s sister) let the Pilgrims worship the Lord.

King James became king in 1604.

King James did not let the Pilgrims worship as they pleased.

Many Pilgrims were arrested and put in jail because of their beliefs. Some Pilgrims were killed because of their beliefs.

To worship as they pleased, the Pilgrims moved from England to Holland. The Pilgrims then moved from Holland to America.

The Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas or Easter.

The Pilgrims believed the Bible was the Word of God.

The Pilgrims believed in infant baptism and communion (The Lord’s Supper).

The Pilgrims called their church building a meeting house.

Do you have any Pilgrim facts you’d like to share?

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Chocolate Splash Photo courtesy of Idea Go.

I want to wish all of my blog readers a Happy Valentine’s Day! What are you doing to celebrate? My husband and I are going out to dinner today.

I’ve been in a totally crappy mood over the last few weeks. I know I rarely vent on my blog, but I’m taking the liberty to do so today. Things are winding down and hopefully everything will be better soon. I’ve been stressed and tired and with the little bit of free time I’ve had, I’ve been trying to lose myself in my cookbook. Meaning, I’ve tried a few new recipes, trying to cheer myself up.

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share a few chocolate recipes that I tried recently:

Chocolate Waffles

1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Directions
1 Stir cocoa and butter in bowl until smooth; stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to cocoa mixture.

2 Bake in waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. Carefully remove waffle from iron.
NOTE: Leftover waffles can be frozen; thaw in toaster on low heat.
Serve with maple syrup and butter. These were good, but, to tell you the truth, I enjoyed them about as much as regular/non-chocolate waffles.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2 cups buttermilk baking mix (I used Bisquick)
1 cup milk (You might need more milk. I thought the pancakes were too thick when using just one cup)
2 eggs
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat an electric griddle or large skillet on medium heat.

Combine baking mix, milk and eggs. Add chocolate chips. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Flip when one side is done – you should see bubbles. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Best Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING (recipe follows) Directions
1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

2 Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

3 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

I made these brownies without the frosting and they were still good! I was too lazy to make the frosting. We enjoyed these last Sunday while we were watching the Superbowl. Also, I used cashews for my nuts. Very tasty brownies. Maybe I’ll try them again with the frosting soon.

I made my lasagna recipe last weekend with the following change: I made my own sauce. Due to high blood pressure, I’m trying to watch my salt intake and most of the pre-made sauces have a high sodium content. To make my own sauce, I used four small cans of low-salt tomato sauce and one can of tomatoes. I poured that into a pot and added a chopped onion, a whole bulb of chopped garlic, and A LOT of Italian seasoning and oregano. I also added a little bit of sugar and some SEA SALT. I let it simmer for a few hours. It smelled heavenly while it was simmering on the stove! When the onions were soft and done, I completed the recipe as I stated in the link, substituting my homemade sauce for the pre-prepared sauce. It was so good! My husband thought the version made with the homemade sauce tasted better than the jarred sauce version! Yummy! We enjoyed this last weekend while watching the Superbowl, too!

If you try any of these recipes, let me know how they turn out!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :-)

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Happy New Year to all of my blog readers!

Question: What are you doing on this New Year’s Day?

I’m going to be baking chicken and I placed black-eyed peas in the slow cooker. I might watch a movie with my family later on today, too. I might even get some writing done! The Twilight Zone Marathon is on the Science Fiction Channel today, so I might catch a few hours of that, too!

Have a great New Year’s!

~Cecelia Dowdy~