One of my favorite desserts

Christmas time is wonderful for so many reasons but food is one of my favorites. I love to eat and I love sitting around a table enjoying good food with family. It is amazing to me how there are certain foods that we only cook during the holidays. This dessert is one I do anytime but always during the Holidays. It is such an easy recipe and good for any occasion. When it comes to yummy food what are some of your favorite recipes that you would always cook during the Holidays?

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 sticks softened butter (or margarine) 6 eggs

1 8 ounce cream cheese dash salt

3 cups sugar 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

3 cups plain flour

Grease and flour tube pan. Preheat oven to 300° F.

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together until light.

Add eggs (1 at a time) alternately with flour (1/2 cup at a time) mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

Bake at 300ºfor 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours – test for doneness with cake tester or slender skewer. Cool and remove from pan. This cake freezes well.

Recipe from Maureen Ray ( Dr. Steve Ray) in Rescue Squad cookbook.

The Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.

They were discussing their hopes and dreams when

The first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a great Treasure chest.
I could be filled with gold, silver And precious gems. I could be
decorated with an Intricate carving and everyone would see the
beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a Mighty ship. I will
take Kings and Queens across the Waters and sail to the corners of
the world. People Will feel safe in me because of the strength of my Hull.
'Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be The tallest
and straightest Tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the
hill, look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and
how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree
of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a
group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first
tree he said, 'This looks like a strong
tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, and he
began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew the
carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree.
I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.'
The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to
becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened
because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come
true. One of the men said,'I don't need anything special from my
tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed
box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay.
This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His
dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying Kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and
they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the
first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the
baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the
importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest
treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the
second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were
out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was
strong enough to keep the men safe The men woke the sleeping man, and
he stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the
tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through
the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When
they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the
air to die at the top of a hill.
When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough
to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was
possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going
your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your
trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had
imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us.. We just know that
His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best..

If you want to..... pass it on, so God may inspire more people on
their way. if you don't nothing will happen, but if you do this might
just be the inspiration another person needs this day to carry the
heavy burden they are struggling with, as we all must shoulder the
crosses we have been required to carry along this journey called our
lives...

Are you listening?

How often do we find ourselves so busy in our lives that we are not listening for the Lord? I know that I do it too often. This morning I am spending some time at Starbucks enjoying coffee and time with the Lord. He began to impress on me as I was writing in my journal to email a couple friends and ask them specifically what I could pray for them about. This does not happen regularly for me but I did as I felt and sent them messages. I instantly received a response from one who had a very specific request and was told the Lord's timing was perfect and a few minutes later my other friend responded with the same type of response that my timing could not have been more perfect. This made me sit back and think about how many times am I so busy in my life that I miss the Lord speaking.

I like to say that I take quality time each day to sit in quiet and focus spending time with the Lord but that is not always the case. There are days that my time with Him is on the run, whether it is praying in the car, listening to praise and worship as I clean, reading a quick devotion because I have 5 to 10 minutes to pause in my day. I would love to say I have 30 minutes to an hour daily but that is not always the case. What I noticed today is that the Lord reminded me that all I need to be doing is wanting to hear from Him and He WILL speak.

It is so easy to get caught up in life's chaos and especially during the Christmas season when it seems like our schedules are tripled. It is my prayer that as you pause in your day and seek the Lord, even if it is on the run that He would speak and that you would be obedient immediately.

Jesus really is the reason for the season so let's all strive to make sure that is where our hearts and minds are as we strive to survive the chaos.

Merry Christmas and God bless!

A different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room, and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard, to a winter delight.



The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was, Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure, and surrounded by love, I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps, I started to dream.



The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But, I opened my eyes, when it tickled my ear..
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,


Then the ,sure sound of footsteps, outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And, I crept to the door, just to see who was near.



Standing out in the cold, and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.



"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home, on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment, I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold, and the snow blown in drifts..



To the window that danced, with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed, and he said, "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand, at the front of the line,
That separates you, from the darkest of times.



No one had to ask, or beg, or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here, like my father’s before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl, on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas, 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch, in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn, and so, here I am.



I've not seen my own son, in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent, and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... An American flag.
I can live through the cold, and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house, and my home.



I can stand at my post, through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole, with little to eat.
I can carry the weight, of killing another,
Or ,lay down my life, with my sister, and brother..
Who stand at the front, against any, and all,
To ensure for all time, that this flag will not fall.."



" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting, and I'll be all right."
"But, isn't there something, I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little, for all that you've done,
For being away, from your wife, and your son."



Then his eye welled a tear, that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights, back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember, we fought, and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you, as you mattered to us."


This poem came over my email. May we remember and thank all those who have served, died and serve today to provide our daily freedom.

2009 Christmas Card

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