Cookies, Cookies Everywhere and My Feet Are Off The Ground – HBHW Newsletter

December 16th 2009

Editorial

Can you believe it – there are only 10 days until Christmas. I better get my shopping wrapped up and start wrapping all those gifts. How about you?

Yesterday’s Virtual Cookie Exchange was a huge hit and a lot of fun to put together. Bridgett and I took all the wonderful recipes and put them in one cookie recipe ebook for you. You can download it below.

Cookie Exchange Recipes (pdf)

This is our gift to you and you are welcome to pass it along and share it with family and friends.

Speaking of cookie exchanges, this week’s featured article is all about hosting one. It’s a fun holiday event that’s easy to put together. Don’t miss the tips in the article and if you have some experience as well, I’d love to hear about it. Did you attend or organize a cookie exchange this year? Leave a comment after reading the article and share your thoughts and tips.

Last but not least I wanted to give you a quick update on this month’s Angel Food Menus. They are put together and we are in the process of uploading them. You should see the first week or two on there today and everything by tomorrow.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

Inspirational Quote

“Let us keep Christmas beautiful Without a thought of greed, That it might live forevermore To fill our every need, That it shall not be just a day, But last a lifetime through, The miracle of Christmastime That brings God close to you” – Ann Schultz 

Sponsor

Get your copy of the free meal planning resource pack today at www.MenuPlanningCentral.com or join at http://www.MenuPlanningCentral.com/main.html

News From The HBHW Club

This section is all about the HBHW Club. Each week I’m going to share some tidbits of what’s going on at the HBHW Club with you. I hope you enjoy these extra tips, recipes and ideas and of course would love to have you join the club.

As a HBHW newsletter subscriber, you can join for only $10 per month here: http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

And to make it even easier, I’ll let you try it out for just a dollar for the first 7 days.

Here’s one of the recipes that were submitted this past week.

Moist Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

* 4 Tblsp cocoa
* 2 cups flour
* 1 cup sugar

* 1 cup water
* 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract

* 1 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mixing together.  Add water, baking soda, and vanilla and mix until everything is nice and moist.  Add mayonnaise and blend in well.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Use any good cream cheese frosting for the top.  The mayonnaise gives this cake a nice, moist and heavy texture.

And here are some of the other recipes that have been added in the past few days.

• Spiced French Raisin Pie
• Quick Rocky Road Candy
• 4 Ingredient Fudge
• Simple Ritz Surprise Pie
• Magic Coconut Pie

All in all, we have over 260 new recipes in the member area already.

What else has been going on at the HBHW Club? We’ve been talking about homesteading, homeschooling and working at home with kids that are in public school, making Christmas Candy etc. We’ve also welcomed quite a few new members to the club over the past week or two.  I’m sure you have a lot to contribute to the conversation. Ready to join us? Try The HBHW Club for only $1. We’d love to have you! http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Featured Article

With the virtual cookie exchange still fresh on my mind, I put together a quick article for you on holding a “regular” cookie exchange. They are fast and easy to put together and of course a lot of fun. What a great way to catch up with some friends over a cup of coffee and discover some new cookie recipes to try at the same time.

How Do I Organize A Cookie Exchange

Frugal Tips

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Do you have a tip to share? Fill out the submit a frugal tip form and I’ll be glad to add it to the site and share your tip in an upcoming edition of the newsletter.

Recipes

Here are some of the most recent recipes that have been added to the HBHW site. Enjoy!

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Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Click here to send it to me and I’ll be happy to add it to the website.

I’m Looking For:

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, submit it here and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and other readers of the newsletter will have the opportunity to share their recipes and tips as well. So take a moment to post your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to leave a comment under the appropriate post.

I’m Looking For Requests
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I’m Looking For Responses
Below you will find some of the recent responses to the “I’m Looking For” Requests. You may also want to go directly to this section and browse through all the recent submissions and replies. To do so, click on “I’m Looking for” here, and start looking through them.
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Inspirational Story

A big thank you goes to my friend Arika from www.theycallmewahmmy.com for sharing this wonderful story with me.

MY FEET ARE OFF THE GROUND

From Tyler Perry – writer and actor

This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I’m dealing with in trying to get this studio open. I was about to open my mouth and start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me about a year ago.

I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I’m ashamed to say this but I thought, ‘I don’t feel like being hustled today.’ Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen. As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, ‘Here goes the sales pitch’. She said ‘Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?’ My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aback for a second.

I took her inside the studio and had my wardrobe people find shoes in her size. As she put the shoes on she started crying, praising God and thanking Jesus, and saying, ‘My feet are off the ground! My feet are off the ground!’ Several of the wardrobe people started crying. I was crying. But I never forgot those words. ‘My feet are off the ground!’ I thought, ‘Wow! All she wanted was some shoes.’ She quickly disappeared and never asked me for a dime. I realized that I still had the money in my hand so I went out looking for her. She was gone just that quick so I looked all around the neighborhood for her. I found her standing on a corner looking down at her shoes, still crying. I was so touched. I asked her how she had gotten homeless. She told me that she had AIDS and that she was waiting to get into a shelter.. She said that her family had turned their backs on her and that she had no place to go, but she knew that God would make a way for her. I said to myself, ‘He just did.’ Her faith and her praise moved me. I took her to a nearby hotel and put her up until she was able to get on her feet. I had someone that worked for me to check on her from time to time and to make sure that she had food and clothes. After about a month or so we lost touch, but I never forgot her.

This past summer I was shooting ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ and this woman walks up to me smiling. I didn’t recognize her face, but her eyes were familiar.. She had on a really nice dress and her hair was done. It was her! She told me that the little help that I had given her had changed her life. She was in a house now and doing very well.

I said all of that to say this. After I met this woman, every time I think about complaining and mumbling I remember, ‘My feet are off the ground!’

I wanted to share this with you just to let you know that when I say that I am thankful for you, I mean it. And when I say that you are a blessing to me, I mean it. We take so much for granted sometimes that I just wanted all of you to know that I am grateful to God for you everyday. Thank you for being in my life.

~Tyler Perry

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife