Digital Scrapbooking: Gatherings, Birthdays, and a Special Baptism

There's so much to be thankful for, and I love preserving the memories! These three digital scrapbook pages capture some of our thanks from the month of March.

Another Cru breakfast, with staff and a few of our amazing volunteers (on St. Patrick's Day so lots of green!), and a Cru North student meeting! And so thankful for our youngest granddaughter, Eva ... turning 6 years old!

March 25th was an extra special day, with son-in-law Sean's baptism! PassageWay held their Sunday morning service at the YMCA, where the baptism was held. So very much to thank God for! And the next weekend a celebration of Jake & Cole's 9th birthday ... so very thankful for these two grandsons!

Easter was a quieter day for us ... an amazing service at Citylight Midtown, followed by a special dinner-for-two back at home. 

__________

Note: Most of the page templates and digital products that I use are purchased from Digital Project Life. About seven years ago I switched from paper scrapbooking, and took some online lessons from Digital Scrapper to learn how to digital scrapbook using Photoshop Elements. (You can also click here for some great tutorials on the Digital Project Life website - maybe a quicker way to learn than the site that I used six years ago.) Also, besides being able to share my completed pages online, I also print them out at home in 8x8 inch size to fit in the albums that I purchase from Michael's.

My Favorite Dinner Roll Recipe: Dilly Rolls

My mother was known for her excellent dinner rolls, pies, and other baked goods. I've tried her recipes for dinner rolls over the years and also other recipes I have found, but somehow, never quite acquired her touch with dinner rolls. That is, until I tried this recipe. This Dilly Rolls recipe, shared by a friend (thanks, Vicki!), turns out amazing every time I make it.

The cottage cheese, the onion, and the dill weed make for a very tasty dinner roll, and it is my current favorite dinner roll recipe. It also freezes well, which is a huge factor to make it a winner for me. I made several batches of this recipe for our big Family Christmas, and then made it again for an event this spring. I always make more than one recipe at a time, and store the extras in the freezer, ready to pull out when needed.

Click on the "Source: tasteofhome.com" link (below) to print.

Dilly Rolls

Source: tasteofhome.com

Course: Breads/Rolls

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Total Time: 45 min

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups (16 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp per pkg of yeast)
• ¹⁄₂ cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₄ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 1-2 tablespoons dill weed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• 4-¹⁄₂ to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook cottage cheese and butter until butter is melted. Cool to 110° to 115°. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add eggs, sugar, onion, dill, salt, baking soda and cottage cheese mixture. Add 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Form into 24 balls; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 2 dozen.

Powered by

After the first rising of the dough ...

And after the second rising of the dough ...

For faster risings, I often place bread dough, or dinner roll dough in a very slightly warmed-up oven (turning the oven off and closing the door). That's what I did for both of the risings (above). 

Each pan (one recipe) provides 24 dinner rolls! I doubled it recently, making 48 dinner rolls, enough for our special event, and extra for the freezer.

My View

This ⠀
has been my view⠀
much of the past few days.⠀
Sometimes when we’re⠀
forced to take a break⠀
out of necessity ⠀
(for me, something in my lower back
moving out of place),⠀
it can turn into a blessing.⠀
⠀
Our busy pace slows,⠀
and we have time to listen.⠀
To listen and to really hear.⠀
So our pain can become ⠀
our place of rest, our restoration.⠀
⠀
This is what I was longing for,⠀
though this doorway to peace⠀
and to rest, was a different doorway
than I would have chosen.⠀
But I would have missed the view⠀
and the peace in this place⠀
if I had wandered, and searched⠀
for peace on a different road.

On My Heart: Living as Beloved

Just how does it really happen?

That we can be going through an ordinary day,

or even a rather complicated kind of day -

and completely unexpectedly, we open our eyes

to beauty, and love, that takes our breath away.

And all of a sudden we are enveloped completely

with love, and overwhelmed with the best of joy 

in an unexpected and wonderful kind of way.

The sun shines through, and our spirits are lifted

in the best of ways - beautifully, perfectly.

I wonder, how does this happen -

unless we really are so very. deeply. loved.

It's easy to forget in the midst of the hurry,

and the gray that clouds our world and our days.

But we are loved; we are His beloved.

Dare we believe this? Dare we open our eyes

and our hearts to watch each day for this love?

For the beauty, for the surprises, for the joy

that He has for us. For me. 

Loving Father, help me to live as who I am ...

Your B-e-l-o-v-e-d, Your dearly loved child.

May I live my days with open eyes and heart,

watching for glimpses of Your love, 

listening to Your Words, coming close to You.

"Come close to God, 

and God will come close to you."

(James 4:8a)

"For He satisfies the longing soul,

and the hungry soul He fills with good things."

(Psalm 107:9)

And as I come close, and as I receive, 

the fullness of His love, and joy

spills over and out for others to see.

- - - - - - -

(Taking some time on this Monday morning as the sun is shining through the often cloudy days we've been having, thanking Him for His unexpected gifts of love over the weekend. Taking me by surprise, filling me with joy, reminding me of who we are, who I am; His beloved. It's easy to forget at times, to become too focused on the tasks or the problems at hand, that we don't even see. And this photo? A reminder of our beautiful trip to Italy in 2011; an unexpected gift, beauty at every turn. And today can be the same as we keep our eyes and our hearts open to His love and beauty ... at every turn.)

A Special Spring Dinner for Two

It doesn't happen very often that it is just the two of us for Easter, but it happened this year. My hubby offered that we could go out to eat, but I chose to prepare a special little Easter Dinner for Two. But this menu would work great for any special day in spring, or even throughout the year.

My menu plan started falling into place when I remembered that I had two rock cornish hens in the freezer that needed to be used. From there I pulled out three new recipes that I had set aside to try, and then finished off the menu with a favorite from my collection.

A Special Spring Dinner for Two

Honey-Glazed Hens with Fruit Stuffing

No Boil Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Bacon Pea Salad

Fruit and Nut Slaw

Whole Wheat Cranberry Rolls

On My Heart: Because of Today

Because of today,

it all can change for us;

Because of today,

we can be made new.

We can try to fix ourselves,

try to perfect ourselves;

not once, but over and over.

Always falling short ...

But there came a day in time,

in real time here, on our earth,

when there was One who came

to remedy our sin, our imperfection.

For when we put our trust

in His work on the cross;

His sacrifice, freely given -

then we are perfected forever.

We become His own, dearly loved -

we are declared righteous,

without fault, complete;

we become beautiful in His eyes.

"I am overwhelmed with joy

in the Lord, my God!

For He has dressed me with

the clothing of salvation

and draped me in a robe

of righteousness."

(Isaiah 61:10a)

Thank You, Lord ...

Because of today,

I am forgiven, I can live

deeply loved, fully accepted;

I am declared righteous -

all because of Jesus.

(Sharing the thoughts on my heart Easter Sunday 2018)