Hey, Al

Both man and dog agree: There really is no place like home. Story by Arthur Yorinks and pictures by Richard Egielski. 1987 Caldecott Award.

Party Cakes

31 Birthday Party Cake Ideas - Thanks Gabrielle!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cocoa. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Set crust aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk; beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate before removing sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.

Turtle Cheesecake:
Before refrigerating the cheesecake add chocolate syrup, caramel topping and chopped pecans.

Gratitude

As in all of life, the critical thing is whether we take things for granted or take them with gratitude.
~G. K. Chesterton

To Be A Friend

The Ten B's
Be sincere
Be compassionate
Be understanding
Be considerate
Be kind
Be supportive
Be honest
Be courteous
Be strong in your moral convictions
Be trusting

~The Family Book of Manners

Make a Bird Treat

Use a cookie cutter to cut a heart shape out of a slice of bread. Poke a hole in the top with a pencil or crayon. Brush an egg white onto the bread and press birdseed on top. Let it dry. Then thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the hole and tie it to a tree branch as a treat for the birds.

A "Tall" Tale

~based on a true story

Author's note:

Martin Van Buren Bates was born a baby of normal size on November 9, 1845. But he continued to grow until he was twenty-eight years old, reaching a height of seven feet eleven and a half inches...After the war, he joined the circus and was billed as "The World's Tallest Man." While touring with the circus in Halifax, Canada, he met Anna Swan. Anna Swan stood almost eight feet tall!...In 1871, they were married in London and became history's tallest known married couple.