My Lesson

Not everything I do is about homeschool. Even though, I firmly believe that everything you do, one can learn from...

Today we went to a Nursing Home with our Youth Group to hand out little gifts and sing Christmas Carols. It's rainy and just yucky out today. Plus, I have a headache. So needless to say...I didn't really want to go.

So after church ended today, we made an announcement that everyone that was going needed to meet in the back. Over 30 kids made their way back. My first thought, I don't' have enough pizza. My second though...Matt you can handle this, I'd rather go home.

What a nasty attitude I had! The kids were so eager to fill the bags and sign Christmas cards. As I looked at those kids working together, it was then that I decided that this day was not about me, the weather, or my headache.

Once we arrived, we split up into three groups, so that we could cover three floors of the home. As the students came back they couldn't wait to tell me stories of the people they met. Some sang along with us, some just sat and smiled and a couple, well their eyes just filled with tears. It was precious to see the residents so appreciative of our off-key singing. And it was precious to see the students so excited to do something so selfless.

I worked in a Nursing Home in high school, so I know that there were residents today that didn't even have a single visitor throughout this Thanksgiving weekend. It was nice to see them smile.

And again, this may not have much to do with homeschool...but I learn something today....serve, even if you don't feel like it.

Now that I'm out of my funk...Recipe Time!!!! :o)

I've been making these pecans for several functions lately and they've been a hit!

Southern Candied Pecans

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 cups of Pecans

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt (I like sea salt)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray one baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. (About one minute.) In a separate bowl, mix together sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Cool completely on wax paper before packing them up to retain crunchiness.