Movie Review: Breaking Dawn, Part 2

Now I am not a film critic and I don’t get to the movies very often, but last night I had the opportunity to go and see Breaking Dawn, Part II. I have to say that I LOOOVVEEEDDDD this movie!!! J But then again I also have to admit that I am a diehard Twilight fan.  The movie closely followed the book. There were a few noticeable differences at the end of the movie, but the differences just really enhanced the story and did not detract from it in any way. The movie brings to conclusion the story of Edward and Bella and Jacob in a happily ever after type of way.

I do have to say that while I loved the movie there were a few things that did detract from it for me. The opening credits are a long and drawn out series of videography that is meant to show the world from Bella’s newly opened vampire eyes. The problem I had with it is that while the video is beautiful. They could have shortened it and not lost any of the wonder. They also showed all of this before showing Bella or Edward so it wasn’t clear at first what the point of it was. They also didn’t place as much emphasis on Bella’s gift as a shield as the book did which disappointed me because in the book it was Bella and her gift that leads to Aro’s decision to leave the Cullens alone, but in the movie Bella is not the reason that he changes his mind. (And that is all I can say without giving away the ending of the movie. ;-) )

I do recommend the movie especially if you love the Twilight series. I do not recommend it for children 12 years or younger though. There is some violence and nudity that is inappropriate for young children. It is definitely not a family friendly movie.

Parker House Rolls

This recipe is one of my favorite recipes for rolls. The recipe originated at the Parker House,  a hotel in Boston.  I made them just yesterday for my mother. She works in a doctors’ office and the office was planning on having a special lunch today.  She asked me to make four dozen rolls! I had to find a recipe that was easy to multiply.

After preparing the rolls, I had to taste one. J My nephew was with me. He helped shape the rolls, and when I tasted one, I gave him a bite. He immediately asked for another one so they are 4-year-old approved!

Parker House Rolls

7 ½ teaspoons dry yeast (3 packages)

3 cups milk

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 tablespoons sugar

6 eggs, beaten

12 cups unbleached flour

6 teaspoons salt

Extra butter melted for glazing rolls and greasing baking sheets

Sprinkle yeast into 1 ½ cups of the milk in the bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan with the butter and sugar. Stir until the butter has melted. Cool until lukewarm, then beat in the eggs until evenly combined.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast and the butter mixture. Mix in the flour to form a soft, sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead until smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Knead in extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky. Resist adding too much flour, as the dough should not be dry, but soft.

Put the dough in a buttered bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Punch down dough, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Shape the rolls as desired. Place the rolls on a buttered baking sheet. Proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425º. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Bake rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

 This recipe will make about 4 dozen rolls depending on the size of the rolls.

God Approves of You!

Last night I was reading my daily devotional on my YouVersion app. It was entitled God Approves of You! I want to share that devotional with you.

Nobody knows you as well as God does. Yet even though He knows everything about you, including all of your faults, He still approves of you and accepts you. God sees your heart, not just the exterior shell (the flesh) that seems to get you into so much trouble. He does not approve of your wrong behavior, but He is committed to you as an individual. God can hate what you do and yet love you. He has no trouble keeping the two separated.

God never intended for you to feel bad about yourself. He wants you to know yourself well and yet accept yourself. You must be able to say, "I can love what God can love. I don't love everything I do, but I accept myself because God accepts me." God is changing you daily. Ask Him to help you accept and love yourself in spite of your imperfections.

(From Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer)

As I was reading this, the story of the adulterous woman kept coming to mind. In John 8, a crowd of people brings a woman who was caught is the act of adultery to Jesus in order to trap Him. They asked Jesus what they should do with the woman since the law demanded that she be stoned. Jesus stooped down and began to write on the ground. They continued to question Jesus and He said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to thrown the stone." Then he stooped down and began writing on the ground once again. The crowd slowly began to disperse until only the woman and Jesus stood there. He stood up and asked her where the people had gone and had they not condemned her. She answered that no one had. His response was this "Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

To me this is a wonderful of story of how God approves of who we are but does not like what we do. He approves of  her, but because He does not like what she is doing, He tells her to stop living that lifestyle. This is my definition of unconditional love, accepting someone even if you don't agree with what they are doing.

Book Review: Be Still My Soul

Be Still My Soul is the first book in the Cadence of Grace series by Joanne Bischof. It is a beautifully written story about two young people who are forced to marry after her father sees them kissing. It takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the early 1800’s. Lonnie is a young woman of 17 years who loves the Lord, but earns to be loved because she came from a home where she was abused. Her husband, Gideon, is a young man of 22 years who is fighting against a belief in God and who refuses to take responsibility for his actions when things don’t go his way. When Gideon becomes abusive as he and Lonnie are traveling to Stuart so that he can find work, an older gentleman named Jebediah steps in and then offers Gideon and Lonnie a place to call home. As Jebediah states throughout the book, Gideon “has a few lessons he still needs to learn.” As Gideon grows closer to Lonnie, he also grows closer to a belief in God. This is a wonderful book about a young woman’s faith that God will provide and a young man’s struggle to become the man that he is supposed to be. 

November is National Adoption Month

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:

To visit orphans and widows in their afflictions,

And to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

~~James 1:27

One of my dreams has always been to adopt. While the Lord has not yet seen to bless me with this opportunity, I pray that in future He opens the door for this dream to be fulfilled. In His Word, He admonishes us to care for the orphans and widows. I have done a lot of research into the process of becoming a foster parent and adoption. I want to share some of those resources with you today.

Show Hope is a Christian organization that promotes adoption. It was founded by Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. While they do not provide adoption services, they do provide information and resources on the process of adoption and the need for orphan care around the world. Visit http://www.showhope.org for more information.

The Christian Family Services is an organization in Overland Park, KS that helps mothers-to-be and families interested in adoption. They are licensed in both Missouri and Kansas to aid families in the adoption process.  For more information visit http://www.cfskc.org.

Other sources for information on adoption in Missouri include:

Hope for Orphans http://www.hopefororphans.com

Bethany Christian Services http://www.bethany.org

All Blessings International http://www.allblessings.org

Adopt Us Kids is a photolisting of children who are currently available for placement in Missouri. http://www.adoptuskids.org/states/mo/index.aspx

Cornerstones of Care also offers foster care and adoption placement services in the Kansas City area. For more information visit http://www.cornerstonesofcare.org/

Please take the time to pray and consider adoption. There are many children out in the world who are in need of love and a family.

Who is the BarnPrincess?

I realized recently that I have never taken the time to introduce myself and to tell you about who I am so that is what today’s blog is about.

My name is Misty Boone. I am a 37-year-old, single, Christian woman. I have never been married, and  I don’t have any children although my niece says that I am “like a parent.” I have a niece and a nephew who I get to spend a lot of time with. I don’t think of myself as shy, but I tend to be introverted and quiet especially in a group setting. One –on-one I have a tendency to relax more and be more outgoing. I love to read. I will usually read anything that is suggested to me, but my personal taste does run more towards non-fiction and romance. I love to craft and repurpose things. I usually always have a crochet project in the works as well as several books that I am trying to get read. I enjoy sewing, embroidery, and painting as well. I like cooking and baking.

Up until last May, I taught preschool. I love the children that I have taught, but it recently came to me that I don’t love the directions that our schools are heading and the lack of discipline in them so I decided that it was time for a change. Right now I am trying to get this blog going, and I have started selling books and gifts online through Amazon marketplace. I am also trying to find work to support me until I get everything else going. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time finding a job. I am also in the process of searching for my calling. I always thought that I was called to work with children and to a certain extent I still believe, but I don’t believe that I am supposed to teach preschool anymore which is one of the reasons that I am having difficulty finding work.

Quickie Facts

1.       I’m 37 years old.

2.       My birthday is in September.

3.       My favorite color is red…not fire engine red, but a deep red like the color of burgundy wine.

4.       My favorite book is the Bible.

5.       I am most passionate about my faith.

6.       I am also passionate about children and families.

7.       I like to crochet.

8.       I like to sew.

9.       I like to do crafts in general.

10.   I love to read.

11.   I like to dance.

12.   I like to cook. My favorite recipe is chicken parmesan.

13.   I like to bake. My favorite thing to bake is snickerdoodles.

14.   I like the outdoors, camping, and horseback riding.

15.   I enjoy exploring old barns.

16.   I am learning to garden. Until recently I couldn’t seem to grow anything, but in the last couple of years I have actually managed to keep plants alive all summer.

So what about you guys? Introduce yourself to me and tell me a little bit about you. I love making new friends.

Chicken with Potatoes

I have not tried a lot of Greek food before. I have mainly eaten gyros at local fairs and festivals, but I found this recipe for Chicken with Potatoes in an old Kansas City Star magazine. It was submitted by Mrs. Adam Kanas. I think I fell in love with this recipe. I will definitely be making it again.

Chicken with Potatoes

4 large potatoes, julienne

3-pound chicken, cut up

¾ stick butter

Salt

Pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

½ can tomato sauce

1 ½ cups water

Flour and brown chicken quickly in butter in large skillet. Remove from pan. Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Sauté potatoes in the same skillet until well coated. Place potatoes in large baking pan. Place chicken over potatoes. Bring tomato sauce and water to a boil in the skillet. Add to the chicken and potatoes. Bake covered for 10 minutes. Then bake uncovered for 20 minutes or more at 375 degrees. Add small amount of water, if needed.