Valentine Love for Show & Tell Friday

Some might say seventeen is a bit young to know about love.

And some might be even more skeptical about love at first sight.

I bought this identification bracelet for my sweetheart a couple of weeks after I met him.

(yes, guys wore I.D. bracelets back in the 70's)

The tiger eye earring is the only one I still have from a pair John bought for me for our 1st Valentine's Day.

I had the bracelet engraved.
Considering I had known him for just 20 days (26 if you count from our first phone conversation), my mom asked if I thought I would
love him always.

Who would have thunk I'd love him even more 37 years later.

♥
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you

Philippians 1:3

left to right:  Lorrie, Johnnie (family still call us by those names), John's brother Wesley and girlfriend, Charlotte during a double date in 1974.  Charlotte was my girlfriend and we frequently went roller skating. We met Wes there.  Wes gave my phone number to John and that is how our story began...

linking to Cindy @My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday

Someone has Made a Decision

a very important decision.

A bookmark for her Bible so she will always remember

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

John 3:3

Comfortable?

I don't think I could sleep in this position.

Not if I ever wanted to stand up straight again.

But he's sleeping like a baby.

bless his heart...

It must have been a long day at school.

I can't put into words how much I love this boy.

Even when he's awake.

♥
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace

Numbers 6:24-26

Chicken Wings with Orange Tomato Glaze

I have started a search for our favorite chicken wings.

Kind of sweet and gooey.  Maybe with an Asian flair. A little hot but not too much.

John and I have a file full of contenders. 

He is picky about what he likes in wings.  His all-time favorite were from a now closed shop near our daughters home.

Our first go ~ Chicken Wings with Orange Tomato Glaze

 It was the hint of orange that sold us on this one.  And also that they baked slow and long.

Very tender ~ Very good

Lets just say he ate more than a sampling.

This recipe is from a lovely food blog called Seasalt with Food.

You will find a fantastic collection of tempting recipes including more wing recipes.

Chicken Wings With Orange Tomato Glaze

My adjustments in red

 I doubled the recipe and tripled the amount of wings but still had more sauce than I needed.  I removed about 1 1/4 cups from the pan throughout the baking so the skin would crisp up a bit.

Ingredients

12 Chicken Wings
110 g (3 1/4 oz) Light Brown Sugar
375 ml (13 Fl oz/1 1/2 cups) Fresh Orange Juice {The quantity of OJ seems too much so I reduced it by half using 3/4 cup}
185 ml (6 Fl oz/3/4 cup) Tomato Passata (Pureed Tomatoes)
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Sweet Smoked Paprika
{I added 1/4 tsp. black pepper and 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes to add a little kick and did not think the wings were spicy or hot}

Method

Preheat the oven to 160˚C (315˚F/Gas 2-3). Put the sugar, orange juice, passata, soy sauce, paprika and Worcestershire sauce in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread the chicken wings in a baking dish just large enough to fit them in a single layer and pour the sauce over the top. Bake for 2-2 1/2 hours, basting and turning the pieces over every now and then, until the chicken is crispy and sticky and the sauce is a thick glaze. Serve warm, or even at room temperature.

Linking to Foodie Friday

Mosaic Hearts for Mosaic Monday

I finally got to it!

I have been wanting to try my hand at making a mosaic project.

I bought some glass tiles and broken china on eBay a few years ago.

Then found a box of supplies at a garage sale.

I used a coupon to purchase the cutter and picked up a few heart shaped pieces of wood.

And it all sat in the closet ~ until now.

 This Valentine's Day I would make some hearts for the little girls in my life.

 Not sure where to begin, I donned a pair of goggles and began cutting some pieces and playing around with a design.  Trying to make the finished heart a little more useful, I added a tiny peg that can be used to hang a necklace or two. I glued down each piece into place with an adhesive for mosaics.

 When the glue was dried, I opened the bottle of grout to find it was rock hard.  Off to the craft store for a new one and then on to the messy work of grouting.

Being sure that all of the spaces and crevices between each cut piece was filled, I scraped the excess off and waited about 30 minutes.

I lightly sprayed the surface with a water bottle and began rubbing away the grout that covered each tile.

Finally each little heart was finished.  A loop of ribbon was glued to the back and covered with a heart-shaped piece of card stock.

With an 'I love you!' sticker on the back, these hearts are ready to box up and make their way to the post office on Monday bound for some precious little girls that melt my heart.

Joining Mary @Little Red House for Mosaic Monday!