Sunday, November 1, 2009

Recipe...

This month our featured recipes will be geared for Thanksgiving. Here is a fun treat that I found that the kids would love!!!




"Aut-YUM" Leaves Recipe


Here's a treat no kid will leaf behind. Made with store-bought piecrust dough, these leaves are filled with chocolate and peanut butter chips -- but try jam and cream cheese, or chocolate chips, walnuts, and mini marshmallows, if you prefer.
Ingredients
1 egg
1 teaspoon of water
Prepared pie crust
Mini chocolate chips
Peanut butter chips
Raw sugar
Flour for work surface

Instructions
Heat the oven to 375°. Whisk one egg with a teaspoon of water and set it aside.
On a floured surface, roll out a prepared pie crust so it's about 1/8-inch thick. Use a large leaf-shaped cookie cutter (ours is 4 1/2-inches wide) to make as many dough leaf pairs as possible.
For each pocket, spread about 4 teaspoons of mini chocolate chips and peanut butter chips on a leaf, leaving a 1/2-inch margin at the edge. Brush egg wash onto the edge, place a second leaf on top, and press the edges to seal.
Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle it generously with raw sugar. Bake the leaves on a parchment-covered cookie sheet until their edges are just beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Let them rest on the sheet a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Book Review...

Kiriath's Quest by Rick Barry

I just finished reading Kiriath's Quest and I really felt like I couldn't put it down! The main storyline is of the kingdom Xandria. The king of Xandria, Jekoniah, is kidnapped by a group of evil intruders, Grishnaki. Prince Kiriath goes on a mission to save his father, and his kingdom. But the quest is not an easy one. It is long and dangerous and Kiriath must be quick and brave to conquer all of the dangerous territory.

I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and this book reminded me of them. It seemed to be set in that "time period" and it was full of fantasy. Flying serpents, Grishnaki(which I pictured as Urukai if you are familiar with Lord of the Rings) and vines that would come alive to crush its victims. I was also picturing that same terrain. The beauty of the mountains, woods, and streams. The story line was completely different, but it had that same feel, and I loved that.

I think it is fun to be able to enjoy a fictional story and think of how it relates to our world today. There is no talk of God or the devil in this story, however it is filled with good and evil. You want good to triumph. One particular verse that I really loved was:
"Righteousness and and evil will never change...only those who work them." Isn't that the truth? Not just in this fantasy novel, but in our lives right now. There are so many evil things happening around us, yet so many wonderful things too (we just don't get hear of the wonderful things as often.) We must all remember to hang on to the Lord, who is good, and with him, battle evil.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fantasy novel. It was fun to read and I am really hoping that Rick Barry will continue these characters into a series!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Only...

60 Days
'til Christmas!
YAY!

Top Ten!!!

Don't forget...
Kira's Cottage Christian Store has many perks for you this Christmas Season.

1. FREE Gift Wrapping
2. Layaway
3. Extended Shopping Hours
4. Church Fundraiser Shopping Nights
5.Christmas Catalogs with special savings
6. Weekly Specials
7. Frequent Shopper Club
8. Wishlist Program
9. Weekly Emails with fun Christmas tips, recipes, and much more...
10. 24 hour website to shop when you want to http://www.kiracottageshop.com

Holiday Hours...

Extended Holiday Hours start on Nov 2nd!
Store Hours will be:

Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm
Fridays 9am-8pm
Saturdays 9am-6pm


We will also be open for other special events throughout the season.

Christmas Open House...

Kira's Cottage Christian Store
Christmas Carnival Open House


Friday, November 6th
9am-8pm &
Saturday, November 7th
9am-6pm


Come to our Christmas Carnival Open House to celebrate the start of this Christmas Season! There will be games, face painting, snacks, "Santa's Workshop" mini art lesson, and more! There will also be some surprises that we can't talk about just yet...We will also be collecting canned goods for Human Services. They are in dire need of food for their pantry, so please help us help them. For every non perishable food item you bring in, you will be entered in our "12 Months of Christmas" giveaway. 4 cans of food=4 chances to win! So please, mark your calendar and join us on this special weekend!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Bible Verse today...

“Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”- Galatians 6:2


Wow. What a good verse. We don't have to face things alone. We always have the Lord watching over us and loving us.

Not only that, but we must help one another get through burdens in our lives. We all have hardships. No matter how big or small, they are there. We must help eachother get through them and come out strong on the other side.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Book Club...


Kiriath's Quest
by Indiana Author, Rick Barry

Our October Book Club title is Kiriath's Quest by Indiana Author, Rick Barry. Rick has been to Kira's Cottage Christian Store a couple of times for book signings, so we are excited to read his latest book for our book club! Our next book club meeting is Thursday, Oct 29 at 6:30pm.

Book Description:

When King Jekoniah of Xandria is kidnapped by evil Grishnaki, the royal family searches for a way to save him. The desired ransom is impossible, and an outright war on the Grishnaki would end in disaster—so Prince Kiriath undertakes a secret mission into the Grishnaki’s valley. But danger slows the prince's journey, and as the ransom deadline approaches, Kiriath begins to wonder whether he will reach his father in time.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Clearance Corner...

Our "Clearance Corner" is stuffed to the brim with fabulous items! There is lots of baby gifts and kids gifts along with other fabulous items. These items aren't damaged or badr, just items that we are no longer going to sell here at Kira's Cottage Christian Store. So, come while it's available! Everything in our "Clearance Corner" is 50% off, so come and get it while it is still here!!!

All Dressed Up and No Place to Go...



mtl magazine:my family
All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

by Ken Summerlin




Kinda like Forrest Gump sitting on this bench, an unemployed adult male is an awkward thing to watch. In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say that I'm not a behavioral scientist, just a recently unemployed male who's speaking from a first-hand, front-row position. I'm sure that there are exceptions but men are wired to be hunter-gatherer-providers. When we're not doing that hunter-gatherer-provider thing (a.k.a. we're unemployed), we're just a fish out of water and it's usually not a pretty sight.
Sure, the first few days are good. We catch-up on things we've been meaning to do around the house or maybe play a round of golf. Secretly, we're wondering what people are thinking:
"I wonder why he lost his job?"
"Does he expect his wife to support him while he just sits around the house?"
"Does he think she's his Sugar Mama?"
"How long is she gonna put up with this?"
"Is he really looking for a job?"
"Is he being prideful or too picky?"
The truth is that when we are not providing for our family, men are unfulfilled. Some men may not realize that this is the source of their frustration but I'm convinced that when we are not fulfilling our God-given responsibilities, we know that something is just not right. I want to be the provider and when I'm not, nothing else can substitute for that.
Early in our marriage, Julia made more money than me. You may want to read an earlier post I wrote about her in which I boasted that I married-up. My first career lasted 20 years and the vast majority of that time I was the principal bread-winner. In my subsequent career, she again outpaced my income. Julia was fully supportive of my career change but I confess that I've never been completely comfortable when Julia brought home more income than me. It's not about the money but rather, it's about what the money represents . . . provision. The people who know me well will testify that I'm not particularly competitive; I just understand my role and responsibilities. I'm not driven to be wealthy but I am driven to be the family provider.
So what does a wife do when her husband becomes unemployed? Shoot... how would I know?
I've never been the wife of an unemployed guy! Here are my thoughts anyway:
Affirm his self-worth
Acknowledge that unemployment robs him of at least some of his dignity
Encourage but don't nag
Pray for him
Pray for the right opportunity to present itself and for him to recognize it
Help him identify as many of his skills and talents as you can so that he can better see what options may be open to him
Encourage him to "cast his net wide"
Be patient
Just for the record, my wife has done an exceptional job on each of these. Remember that this is a season in your life and some seasons can be tough but no season lasts forever.
What do you see as the challenges for unemployed men and their families during these challenging economic times?
For more articles or to share your thoughts with Ken, visit http://www.kenwords.com/.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Posted by Ken Summerlin at 6:00 AM