You guys are full of great ideas! It is satisfying knowing how much your angels mean to your families and how you all are incorporating your angels into your lives to make meaningful family memories.

Since you can touch the angel without it losing any power, one family is taking turns hiding the angel each night while the others in the family try to find it. How fun taking turns to hide the angel! We will start doing that in our house. Maybe we can make a game out of who hides it in the most creative way with a special treat for the "winner". Hmm...my wheels are turning...we are a competitive bunch in our family!

One complaint I've heard about the elf is that parents inevitably forget to move it. We forgot twice when we did it last year. Our kiddos our pretty astute when they are looking for something. They know when something hasn't moved and they shout, "Foul!" Ugghhh... That's one reason the Where Is Your Angel?™ series was created - to make it easy on families to make meaningful memories that last a lifetime.

Keep your ideas coming in. We love to share them with everyone.

#angel #elf #familymemories #ideas

Have you ever gotten "lost" using Pinterest? I have. There are soo many ideas and creative pins from people. I like going on there, scrolling through all the pins, and saving them on boards for you all. This is just another way you and your family can add to your angel experience. Here is one of the 100's of angel pins you will find on our Pinterest page (whereisyourangel). It's for a Lemon Angel Pie. This is one of those make ahead desserts. It's also simple, vegetarian, and gluten free.

Lemon Angel Pie

​4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 c. sugar, divided
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/4 c. lemon juice (one large lemon)
1 T. finely grated lemon zest
1/4 t. kosher salt
2 c. heavy whipping cream

Crust directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat until white and fluffy, about 3 mins. Put egg yolks in another bowl for the filling.
Gradually add in 1 c. of sugar and cream of tartar. Beat another minute to combine.
Scoop into a buttered glass pie pan and bake for 50 mins., until puffy, lightly browned, and beginning to crack.
While the crust is baking, make the filling and refrigerate. 
Remove crust from oven and set out to cool completely. Crust will begin to crack and fall as it cools.

Pie filling:

Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 c. sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt.
Microwave for 3-4 mins., stirring or whisking until smooth every 45 seconds. Repeat for about 5 mins. Let cool then refrigerate.

When the pie crust and the filling have cooled, whip the cream into peaks and whisk 1/2 the whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Spoon the lemon mixture over the crust and spread with a spatula. Scoop dollops of the remaining whipped cream over the lemon filling and smooth with a spatula.
Refrigerate 12-24 hours before serving.

If you're pressed for time, you can buy a ready made crust and use that instead. I would suggest making this at least once with the home made pie crust though. 

Get ready for yummy! Grab a friend, kid, or neighbor, a fork and enjoy!

For more angel recipes, angel crafts, sound advice, angel antics, and even angel hair styles check out our Pinterest page.

#yummy #lemon #angel #cake #pinterest

Have you ever driven down the road, passed by a church, and read something clever on a church sign that made you ponder or laugh? I have. Here are some quips that I've read on signs along my travels. May they make your Monday a little brighter!

"We aren't Dairy Queen but we have the best Sundays."

"Is prayer your steering wheel or spare tire?"

"What's missing from ch_ _ch? U R."

"Need a life guard? Ours walks on water."

"Every Goliath needs a stone of faith."

"Wake up before you fall asleep."

"Forbidden fruit creates many jams."

"The only time you should look down on a man is when you are helping him up."

#churchsigns #inspiration #ponder #laugh

The other night I was pressed for ideas and time to get dinner on the table. After looking in the almost bare fridge and halfway stocked freezer, I came up with this dinner plan. It was simple, easy, and tasted delicious. My husband and kids were raving about the meal afterwards. There are just a few ingredients to make a great wholesome meal. A few tips are thrown in along the way for good measure.

Easy Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat (I usually buy turkey burgers when they are on sale and keep them in the freezer. I use turkey burgers for everything - tacos, meatloaf, chili, etc. For this meal I used 4 frozen ground beef patties that remained from a box of burgers and 1 frozen turkey burger patty.)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 packet of Lipton Onion Recipe Soup and Dip Mix (I only used 1/2 of the packet to reduce sodium intake.)
(I usually put an egg in my meatloaf but this time all my eggs were gone and there was no time to run to the store. Usually I would ask the neighbor but since we recently borrowed butter from her I didn't want her to think we were dependent on her for our groceries! So, I opted to try it without the egg...and the results were yummy.)

Thaw meat*. Here's a tip - if you have granite counter tops, put the meat on the counter top to thaw. Keep the meat in its plastic wrapping. Flip it occasionally so it evenly thaws. If you don't have granite counter tops, thaw meat as you normally do.

​Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Put mixture in a glass or metal loaf shape dish and place in oven for 30-35 mins. until meat is no longer pink in the center.

Easy Potatoes

6-8 medium size Idaho or russet potatoes 
1-2 T. olive or canola oil
1/2 packet Lipton Onion Recipe Soup and Dip Mix

*Time management tip - while you are waiting for the meat to thaw, clean the potatoes. Cut into wedges or cubes - your choice. We like the skin on but if you like the skin off, peel potatoes.

Put potatoes in a large bowl. Lightly coat with 1-2 T. olive or canola oil until all potatoes are glistening. Take the remaining 1/2 packet of the onion soup mix (that you used for the meatloaf) and coat the oiled, glistening potatoes. When the mix is evenly distributed on the potatoes, place evenly on a baking sheet.

Put the potatoes in the oven (with the meatloaf) at 400 degrees for 25 mins. To make sure potatoes are done stick a fork in them. If they are still al dente, bake for 5 more minutes.

Easy Veggie

1 bag frozen green beans (We used PictSweet.)

Heat the green beans or whatever frozen veggie of your choice according to package instructions.

This meal was easy, required only a few ingredients, and was a winner with the family.

Another meatloaf variation - you can put ketchup or barbecue sauce on top of the meatloaf for the last 5 mins. of baking.

As for just using 1/2 a packet, not only do you get less sodium but you also get twice as much yield and it doesn't compromise the flavor.

Happy eating!

#simplemeal #delicious #easy #neighbors

Here are some places we will be so you can come out, get your books in the Where Is Your Angel?™ series, and start your angel's mission. 

This Saturday, 10/21/17, from 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. we will be at the Elks Lodge Ladies Event, 4755 Howell Branch Rd., Winter Park, FL 32792. There will be lots of other vendors, hors devours, desserts, and raffles! This is going to be a fun event. Admission is $10.00 at the door and includes the yummy treats.

Saturday, 10/28/17, we will be at a large private kids event. If your neighborhood, church, or community has kids events you would like us to come to, email us and let us know!

Wednesday, 11/1/17, from 10:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. we will be at the Merry Market at the Country Club of Orlando, 1601 Country Club Dr., Orlando, FL 32804. There will be lots of vendors there too and a raffle. There is no admission charge and no food included.

We hope to see you at one of these events. They should be lots of fun! If you don't want to wait for one of these events to start your angel's mission, you can always order your angel book online and have it shipped to your door.

Happy shopping!

#ladies #shopping #events #vendors #food #angels

Wingsday is an angel's favorite day of the week! Happy Wingsday everyone! 

In honor of Wingsday we are busy making a new craft for the Kids page of the website under Activities. We hope to have it tested and ready for your enjoyment soon. Check back often!

More fun and silly Angel Trivia like today's can be found under the Kids page of the website.

#wingsday #angels #trivia

This may be too soon to mention for some of you but Advent is 6 1/2 weeks away. One mom I was talking to said she is going to use the watchman angel during Advent as a type of Elf on the Shelf®.

She will introduce the Where Is Your Angel?™ series on December 2nd (a Saturday) at bedtime with the Angel Watching Over Me book. That night while her kids are sleeping, she and/or her husband will place the angel somewhere in the house for the kids to find in the morning. They will continue this until Christmas morning when the angel will finally wind up under the tree by the kids' presents.

She would like to read both books to them during the Advent season to get her kids excited about their watchman angel and to know how much they are loved.

This is a great idea of one way to incorporate the Where Is Your Angel?™ series into your home. Use this idea and come up with your own throughout the year. Our hope is that your family will hold on to and believe in something that will last your entire lifetimes. 

Be sure to take pictures of your watchman angel's antics and memories! When you post them, tag us too. It is great to see what your families do with your angels!

#angels #find #presents #advent

This is the season of the year where people start decorating inside and outside their homes. Fall pumpkins adorn the door steps, cornucopias sit atop tables, soon Christmas lights and decorations will abound in just about every neighborhood.

All of this seasonal stuff has to be stored somewhere. A friend of mine told me how she organizes her seasonal decorations and I liked it. She puts her seasonal decorations in themed recycle bags. Her Christmas decorations go in red recycle bags or recycle bags that have a Christmas theme on them. Her fall decorations go in an orange bag or similar theme and so on. That way she is able to quickly pick out which decorations are where. She puts these recycle bags in her closet or garage, depending on space.

I personally use the big plastic bins. My Christmas decorations are in green and red bins. The other holidays are in clear bins with a prominent display of something seasonal inside facing the outside. This way either my husband or I can easily decipher the contents of the bin. We tried those sticky note-type labels made for the bins without much success. 

What's your solution to keeping your decorations organized? We'd love to hear them. Who knows, after we take our fall decorations down we may be implementing your idea into our routine. Happy organizing!

#organize #decorations #seasons

Any meal with the word "angel" in it!

I found this recipe on Pinterest (and it is also on our Pinterest page) and wanted to highlight it today. This is a slow cooker meal. I like those meals where you toss all the ingredients in, set it on low or high and then come home and have a wonderful smell filling the air. Dinner's done! This particular recipe claimed to be the best pork chops ever! Try it and tell me what you think.

Slow Cooker Angel Pork Chops

Serves 4-6
re
Ingredients
4 Pork chops, boneless
1 10.75-oz can Cream of chicken soup
1 (0.7-oz) packet Italian dressing mix
3 tbsp Butter
4 oz Cream cheese
3/4 cup Chicken broth or white wine
1/2-1 lb Angel hair pasta, cooked (served separately; amount depends on how much pasta you prefer)

Here you can use some "poetic license" with this recipe. You can either mix all of the ingredients (minus the pork chops and the cooked pasta) into a bowl and then put the mixture in the slow cooker on top of the pork chops or you can put the pork chops in first and just toss all of the ingredients on top of the pork chops without mixing them together. 

Turn slow cooker on for 4 hours and then savor over angel hair pasta when done.

Another variation if you don't have a slow cooker or the time, is to combine all ingredients (except the cooked Angel hair pasta and pork chops), mix together. Place pork chops on the bottom of a glass baking dish, then pour mixture on top of the pork chops making sure to cover them with sauce. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, serve pork chops over the cooked Angel hair pasta.

Safety first - always make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked. Pork should be cooked until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat is 145 degrees. 

Savor and enjoy!

#dinner #angels #meal

Happy Columbus Day! To all those of you whose ancestors were not native to the country you live in, you should thank Columbus. It was because of Columbus that our forefathers, including the Pilgrims, traveled to this continent and its nearby islands for a new world. My ancestors are Native Americans, English, and Norwegian so 2/3 of my ancestry came here because Christopher Columbus found land on this side of the "pond".

In one of his writings at sea, Christopher Columbus quoted Scripture and said he felt like the Spirit of the Lord was moving him on his discoveries. Sometimes angels are known as being spirits sent from the Lord. I am so glad when His Spirits help us discover something we didn't know that becomes beneficial to us.

So, on this Columbus day, lift a glass of your favorite beverage and say, "I'm so glad Columbus left Spain's dock that day!"



#angels #discovery #Columbus #native