Helping the People of Guatemala

I am ALL about it… Helping the people of Guatemala… Especially now. Sadly, adoption is not viable right now in Guatemala. It is an absolutely DEVASTATING reality. Now, more than ever, it is TIME to help the people of Guatemala…the children, the families, the single mothers and the orphanages.

The brand new organization, Across All Borders, has a very cool way that you can help the people of Guatemala…

Do you like fantastic tried and true recipes? Recipes that were submitted by people that you probably know through the adoption community and whose blogs you like to stalk visit (ahem) from time to time? ; ) If so, consider purchasing a cookbook from Across All Borders. The cookbooks cost 15 bucks. That’s it. 15 buckeroos and shipping is FREE. The book(s) will be shipped right to your door. And, the COOLEST part? The recipes were submitted by adoptive families and by supporters of adoption. How fun is that? I bet there will be PLENTY of names that you will recognize in the book. I will have a few yummy recipes in there as well. Don’t you want to know which recipes the folks in the adoption community submitted? Here is a sneak peek…

Mini Crab Quiches, Apple Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips, Crunchy Romaine Toss, Spicy Chicken Soup with Black Beans, Pasta with Black Olives, Baked Haddock with Shrimp Sauce, White Chicken Chili, Mini Parmesan Scones, Frozen Bread Caramel Rolls, Honey Bun Cake, Cookie Dough Brownies, Oreo Truffles, Crunchy Fudge Sandwiches, Pollo En Jocon, Frijoles Negros Volteados

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm… Click “buy now”…you know you want to!

Number of Cookbooks

1 Cookbook $15.002 Cookbooks $30.003 Cookbooks $45.004 Cookbooks $60.005 Cookbooks $75.00

If you purchase a cookbook (or 2 or 3…) through the BUY NOW button on my blog, please specify that “TERA” sent you! : ) The cookbooks will make EXCELLENT gifts!! What a cool fundraiser. You can order now through February 6th! That’s not a lot of time, so order today! If you are a friend or a family member of mine and you don’t have a Paypal account but you would like to purchase a cookbook, just let me know. I will purchase one for you and you can pay me back. ; )

There are SEVERAL organizations that help Guatemala. Please consider supporting an organization like Across All Borders (my, what a cool new blogsite and blog they have *wink wink*), Mayan Families (they have MANY students who are in need immediate sponsorship), Global Orphan Team, Guatemalan Harvest, etc. etc. etc. They all do unique and exciting work! The people of Guatemala need your help!

God bless,

Tera

Blog Your Heart Out

I have blogged about this before but I feel the need to blog about this again…

Do you have a blog?

Do you use Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, Live Journal, etc.?

If so, then do yourself a favor…you MUST (yes…MUST) give Windows Live Writer a try.

I do ALL of my blogging with Live Writer.  I hardly ever…almost never…log into Blogger to  compose a blog post… (sorry, Blogger…I do love you…I just prefer to compose my posts in Live Writer).

Windows Live Writer is a FREE program that you can download to help you to compose your blog posts.  It makes blogging a dream (okay, I’m being dramatic but Live Writer really is great).  You compose your posts directly on your computer…no more logging into Blogger…and when you are ready to post, you just click “Publish” and then boom, you’re done.  Live Writer gives you all sorts of fun options for your photos…

You can do this…

I cropped, resized and added a drop shadow to this photo without having to open a separate photo editing program.  And, you can do this:

I cropped this photo and I added an instant photo frame with one click and a watermark with the name of my blog.  Oh, I tilted the photo too!

Rounded corners…with one click.  Love.

View Full Album

 

You can make a little album like this.

You can save drafts directly to your computer…you don’t need an internet connection in order to compose a blog post.  When you are ready to publish your post, you will need an internet connection and then you simply click “Publish”. Also, it’s a very easy program to use…it has the same sort of an interface as other Windows programs like Word.

I have helped many people with their Blogger blogs.  Every time that I need to help people with posts, I cringe if I have to post to Blogger without using Live Writer.  LOL.  I am a spoiled blogger.  ; P

Get it.  Love it.  Windows Live Writer Beta 2009.

God bless,

Tera

A Creature Comfort Kind of Girl

Oh yes I am.  And, since it’s been below zero for DAYS, I am hunkering down, bundling up and enjoying a few of my favorite creature comforts…

Oooooo0000lala…

Have you ever tried this stuff?

It’s thick, it’s rich, it’s Double Rich Hot Cocoa body wash and shampoo by Philosophy that smells like…

Chocolate cake…

A candy bar…

Brownies!

I can’t wait to take a shower tonight!

 

Mmmmm…chocolate… 

Do you sense a theme there?  ; ) 

I gave Jason a few dark chocolate bars recently and I had to taste the Lindt Excellence dark chocolate bar with chili.  And…  It was not what I was expecting.  The flavor of the chocolate is rich and deep and then…as you are melting the chocolate in your mouth, you sense just a bit of heat on your tongue.  The chocolate is rich, not too sweet and it has  just a hint of warmth.  It’s really fabulous! 

I love candles.

And this is my favorite candle of all time…  The Oatmeal Cookies candle by Beanpod Candles.  It’s wonderful. 

I keep an Oatmeal Cookies jar candle in our room with the lid off and the scent of the candle lightly scents our entire room even when it is not lit.  It’s scrumptious. 

Really.

Get one.

Slipper socks.

I love them.

I have many pairs of them.

I often wear them morning,

Noon,

And sometimes at night too.   : )

I especially love the slipper socks by Karen Neuburger and Bath and Body Works.

 

I love this scent by Philosophy.  It’s Amazing Grace.  It’s feminine without being ultra flowery or overpowering.  It’s clean, pure.  It’s a fragrance that I just keep coming back to.  It’s a wonderful fragrance for everyday.  I love the body butter…it’s super thick and rich and moisturizing…perfect for the long, dry winter months!

 

Do you have any favorite creature comforts?

God bless,

Tera

Belated Anniversary

Happy belated anniversary, Jason! 

WOW…

13 years!

I love you…

We love you…

Very much. 

This is one of my favorite photos of you with Emma…

From our very first visit trip…

Look at how TINY she was!!

What a special time.

Again…

I love you!

God bless,

Tera

Christmas 2008

A Christmas post.  Finally.  Hee hee.  : )  Sorry to keep you waiting…  We had a wonderful Christmas.  It was filled with the true meaning of Christmas.  We also had fun at the Christmas parties and get togethers.

You know that I probably took at least 37363338373 photos.  So, here are just a few of them…  : )

Needless to say…Elmo Live was a HIT (thanks, Papo and Clem)

So was the Little Tykes basketball hoop.  DUNK!!!!!  (thanks Jimmy and Lesa)

My parents peeling potatoes for a tasty Christmas dinner.

The dollhouse?  A MEGA hit!  I couldn’t even get my niece and Emma  to turn around so that I could take a photo of their smiling faces.

“Ooooooooooooo…JACKPOT…cousin Izzy’s Hannah Montana guitar…”

“YEAH, baby!!!!”

Sorry, Dave.  You SAW me taking photos of you rockin’ out with your daughter’s sweet Hanna Montana guitar…and, you could have stopped me.  Any photos taken with my Rebel are bloggable, my friend.  ; )  Hey, give thanks…I decided to keep the truly blackmail-able shots all to myself.  : D  I will erase said photos for a price…lots and lots of Godiva.  Truffles.  Dark.  Oooooo yeah…  ; D

On a sentimental note… 

My beloved Grandmother passed away earlier this year.  When her grandchildren were small, each year she would have each one draw her a special picture.  She would then take all of the pictures and hand embroider them onto pillowcases and she would give the pillowcases to them as gifts at Christmastime.  Needless to say, the pillowcases are true TREASURES…I have a STACK of them and they are precious to me.  Not only are they a snapshot of childhood…but they are true handmade gifts of love.  My mother has decided to pick up where my grandmother left off.  And, this year, my mother’s grandchildren each received an embroidered pillowcase…  My grandmother would be touched and proud.

Emma’s pillowcase had her handprints and footprints embroidered onto it.

Ahhhhh…young love.  My brother with his fiancé, Lesa.

My niece Isabel with her handmade tutu from auntie Tera.

Goodies…fresh off of the plane from Guatemala.  A PRECIOUS gift from precious friends!!  I love you, Tricia!!  This sweet gift meant so much to me!

If you have not read about Tricia’s recent trip to Guatemala, please visit her blog and read all about it.  You will be touched and you might even be inspired to ACT.

I love Emma Grace.  Very much.

God bless,

Tera

Happy New Year!

A new year and a new look for my bloggy.  : )  Yes, I will post Christmas pics…I’ve been slacking!  ; )

I hope that you had a fun and safe New Year’s Eve!

God bless,

Tera