Welcome to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs–food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.

The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. The ebooks are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer’s choosing.

The following recipes were my contibution to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale.

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Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan bring sugar, margarine, milk, and salt to a rolling boil.  Let boil for 1 minute.***

Add quick cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla; mix well.

Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool.

Note: Stirring too much with make the cookies have a dull finish instead of a shiny luster.

***To make the regular chocolate no-bake cookies, add 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder in the first step.

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Neiman Marcus Brownies

18 oz. box plain yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
4 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottom and sides of 9×13 pan/dish.

In a large bowl, mix together:
18 oz. box plain yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
2 eggs, beaten

Mix well; it will be rather dry.  Press into the bottom of greased pan.  (Greasing your hands will help the batter from sticking to your fingers and keep it in the pan better.)

In bowl, mix together:
2 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Spread on cake mixture layer – do not mix the batters.  Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Recommend making day before and refrigerated.

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 Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter (salted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
2 cups minus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture just until blended.  Mix in the chopped walnuts.

Press dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in preheated oven.  When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in remaining confectioner’s sugar.  Rolling a second time is optional.

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Hummingbird Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
8 ounce can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups bananas, chopped or mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees for dark pan).  Grease Bundt pan or 9x 13 inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Add eggs and oil, stirring until moistened.  Do NOT beat.  Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pecans and bananas.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes.  Cool.  Frost cooled cake with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened)
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat ingredients until fluffy; then frost cooled cake.

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 The Complete 2009 VGABS Recipes Ebook

Features all 170 of the submitted recipes. Many of the recipes include pictures.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Shopping cart courtesy of E-Junkie.

Because we know file size may be an issue for some, the below ebooks have split the 170 recipes into 4 categorized ebooks so that you can choose just 1 or 2 of your favorites, if you’d prefer. Just like for the Complete ebook, many of these recipes include pictures. And again, they are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer’s choosing.

Muffins & Breads

Features 24 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Cookies, Candy, Cakes, Bars & Brownies

Features 50 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Desserts

Features 49 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Beyond Baked Goods (Appetizers, Breakfast, Main Dishes, etc.)

Features 47 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

We are leaving for Texas Friday afternoon after DH finishes working (luckily he will be working from home so we don’t have to wait for him to commute back from the office).  As we live over 1,600 miles away from our destination, it will be a long drive in the car minivan (YAY!! much more room than in our car that we just traded in for an used minivan) with the two little ones.  I have made the trip with both of them twice by myself, but DH hasn’t made the drive with them.  I don’t think he has any idea of what it is going to be like stuck in the minivan with the kids for that length of time straight (and he isn’t allowed to smoke in the vehicle).  This will be interesting…  I am hoping that we can keep them occupied for most of the trip with toys, books and DVDs that they haven’t seen or at least haven’t seen in a long time (GRRRR…the portable DVD player is working!!  This is going to be a longer trip than I thought…). (Updated 4/8 @ 5:00 PM)

Considering I am in charge of packing for everyone (DH will pack his own cloths and toiletries), I still have tons to do!!  I do have a tip that will make it easier for me when I finally pack all of the items in the our suitcases and such:

As I run across items that I want to take with us, I throw them into a box designated as being “the things we are taking box” so that I don’t have to find them again!  LOL!  But, for me – this is a BIG time saver!

We are excited to be going on a vacation.  We aren’t making plans for the most part as to what we are going to do and when.  We are going to do what seems like fun at the time.  (This is a great concept but hard for me to do as I am a planner; however, I am going to try!)  There are so many great things to do in the Fort Worth area, and we are looking forward to it!!!  ESPECIALLY, getting to spend some quality time with our family (our parents and my sister)!!  It will be so nice to hug them again!

This post is linked to

Gratituesday

Talk about Tuesday

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
-Robert Brault

Photo: Tamara

We tend to take things for granted and overlook the small blessings in our lives.  When we take pleasure in the little things, we live a more graceful life.  We have a more joyous heart.  We tend to live a richer life – full of the beauty that is encapsulated in everything around us. As I contemplate the multitude of blessings in my life, these are some of my favorite little things that really are the big things in life:

• Hugs and kisses from my two little boys. It is amazing just how quickly they grow up!  My youngest is still a kissy, huggy snuggler, but my oldest son has grown up into a “big boy” and isn’t much of a snuggler anymore.  Although I am very blessed that my older son still gives hugs and kisses, just not constantly like he did two short years ago.

• My boys taking turns sitting on my lap while I read them books. I know that all too soon, neither of them will want to sit on their mommy’s lap.  I relish each moment that I have now!

• Reading books to and with my sons. I absolutely LOVE books!  To be able to share the joy and knowledge that one can gain from a book with my little ones is such a privilege!  I love the fact that I get to share in the adventures they embark on when they enter the world of books.  Another cool thing is that my oldest son can sound out and read rather large words, but still prefers me to read aloud to him.  I treasure this time of him wanting me to be part of his intimate world!

• Observing my sons helping each other. Watching them interact in a kind and generous manner without external interference is heartwarming.  I cling to these moments to help me deal with the much more often bickering that occurs.

• Holding hands with DH. So much intimacy is communicated between us when we hold hands.  The reassurance that we are sticking together through the good and the bad with God’s help and guidance and hearts full of love and devotion to one another.

• Spending time with extended family. We take those that we love for granted as they have always been a part of our lives and we expect them to always be there.  Spending time with my grandparents and other extended family last weekend refilled me.  Simply being in their presence brings me reassurance that all is right with the world.  Spending time with our parents is a gift that we don’t take as lightly anymore as they live over 1,600 miles away.  When we do have the opportunity to spend time with them, we cherish it greatly.  It is amazing just how much you miss being able to hug your parents!

• Chatting with my best friend. I am very blessed to be able to talk to my best friend almost daily on the telephone for extended periods of time (thank you, unlimited long distance!!).  We are able to talk about all aspects of our lives and find support in each other for the struggles we are facing.  Even when we don’t have any “news” to discuss or issue that needs debate, just hearing her voice brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

• Praying as a family. We say grace before meals.  We all say a bedtime prayer together as part of our nightly bedtime routine for the boys.  The feeling that I get listening to them recite the prayers is indescribable.  It feels as if the Holy Spirit is filling me up to over-flowing.
  

• Watching the children get excited about something. I wish that I could capture their joy and amazement when they discover something new or are enthralled with something!  But I have found that I enjoy life more fully when I am experiencing it first hand, instead of through a lens (which is what I used to do).  There are many times that I wish I had my camera in hand in order to capture those moments to be relived many times over, but alas, it just isn’t the case much anymore.

• Falling asleep next to DH. The warmth and security of DH laying beside me at night isn’t so much physical as emotional.  Knowing that he will always be by my side is comforting.  When we are apart, I have a hard time falling asleep.

• Hearing “I love you.” Sometimes we hear this phrase so often that it seems trite, but isn’t that what life is really all about – loving and being loved? I know that I am touched every time that someone tells me that they love me – even if it is off-handed.  Just because the phrase can be said by anyone doesn’t mean that they don’t care about us.  And, well, I enjoy being loved!  It makes me feel, well, loved!
  

I am going to make a more concerted effort to enjoy the little things and bask in their pleasure!

What are the little things in your life?

Please check out Amy’s Finer Things Friday for more little/big things.

I love my home, but you wouldn’t be able to tell it from looking at the piles of paper clutter than have accrued.  (I have a hard time letting go of papers as they represent information and knowledge to me.  I am working on internalizing the fact that most information is readily available on the internet thus I don’t have to keep physical copies of articles and such.)  So, today, I am going to show my family and my home just how much I love them by clearing all of the piles of paper clutter.  I am going to be vicious!  Can I live without it?  Yes!  Great – meet the recycle bin!  My home will be singing by dinner as it won’t be littered with papers!

Check out how others are making their home’s sing at momstheword.

Today started off on a very bad note.  To begin with, my alarm clock woke me up.  I know, I know – so many of you use an alarm to get up every day, but I am spoiled in that my normal alarm comes in the form of one or two sweet little boys trying to climb into my bed to give me morning hugs and kisses (and hopefully at a much later hour than this morning).

I was able to wake the boys easily and they were both in good moods UNTIL Little One decides that he does not want to get dresses PERIOD!  Now, the reason for the alarm being set this morning was the fact that I had an appointment to take my car in which in order to arrive on time we had to leave the house in less than one hour.  And, of course, this is the morning that a 2-1/2 year old chooses to assert his independence and not want to get dressed!  UGH!  Well, let’s just say that after much fighting arguing declaring my impending victory debate with Little One we made it out of the house just on time to make it to said appointment.

When we arrived at the dealership to have the needed work done on my vehicle, they gave us a rental car.  Now, I am not usually impressed by rental cars, but this was a brand-new 2009 Honda Accord – as in it only had 125 miles on it!!!  Well, that was a nice treat.

Since the boys and I had gotten all of our bickering for the day out of the way with the dressing situation this morning and we were all enjoying ourselves, I suggested that we go and visit my grandparents whom we haven’t seen since before Christmas who live about 3-1/2 hours away.  The boys were elated!  So, we drove home and packed an overnight bag after getting the okay from DH to leave him alone overnight and Friday (he was suppose to have the day off) which I have to say caused him much anguish with the thought that he was going to have an entire evening and the next day to do whatever he wanted without interruption.   Anyway, with blessings from DH and our bag in the car, we started off on our trip.

We had a blast during the drive!!  The three of us sang along with the radio at the top of our lungs.  We pretended we were in a rocket.  We even enjoyed our pit stop which allowed us to have a race back to the car!  We were simply being ourselves and relishing each other’s company.

How can I top that?  Well, when we pull into my grandparents’ driveway and park, Little One keeps saying, “We are at Gamma & Gampa’s house!!  Get me out, please!!”  In the meantime, Big Boy unbuckles himself and exits the car is at Grandma and Grandpa’s door before I can even get out of the car!  (Note: Big Boy did wait until the car was parked to unsecure himself.)  It was heart-warming to see how excited they were to see Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa!!

Being here with my grandparents is like being at home.  It really is a home-away-from-home for me.  Being in their house and especially in their presence fills me with peace and comfort.  I am very fortunate to still have my grandparents (actually, I still have all of my grandparents so I am extremely blessed!) who are in their 80s.  As I sit here writing this tonight, the only thing that could be better about being here with them is if I were still little enough to climb up in their laps to cuddle with them!  Spending time with my grandparents fills my soul.  I am so blessed!

Please join Amy for more Finer Things Friday.

Have you ever been out and noticed that you had deodorant on your top from when you pulled it over your head to put it on? Or what about when your lunch gets away from you and lands in your lap? When I worked in the corporate world, my appearance was very important.  I certainly couldn’t walk around the office with remnants of breakfast stuck to my clothing or deodorant on my top.  And, since most of my career cloths were “dry clean only,” washing the spot in the washroom was out of the question.  But, I had secret stashed in my desk – and in my car – to handle such situations.  What was it???  Baby wipes!  They are great!  They work wonders on most “dry clean only” clothing and aren’t so wet as to drench your clothing so the spot dries off rather quickly.  The only problem that I have run across is that if the article of clothing is dark (like black which I wore alot), you have to be careful on how hard you rub as some of the white fibers can transfer from the baby wipes to your clothing leaving you with a fuzzy whitish spot.

For more tips and tricks, visit Works-For-Me Wednesday.