Yum, yum!!

My new favorite dessert: Chocolate Raspberry Torte! O my goodness, this is so amazing (I think I can say that even though I made it, right?). It's not too sweet and not too bitter, just the perfect amount of icing, and nice and thick (I don't like fluffy cakes). I decorated it all by myself, I was really proud! Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Raspberry Torte

1 package semi-sweet baker's chocolate
3/4 cup butter
1 package raspberry jell-o powder
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
2 cups whipped cream (1 cup liquid to make 2 cups whipped [I add some icing sugar and vanilla to make my whipped cream])

Melt butter and 4 squares chocolate
stir dry jelly powder and sugar into chocolate until well blended
mix in eggs
stir in flour
pour into lined (waxpaper) 9" round cake pan
bake at 350* for 40 min (in my oven it's only 35)

Icing:
Melt remaining 4 squares of chocolate
stir in whipped cream until smooth
frost the cake once it's cooled

More great recipes to come...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I know it's a little late, as most of you won't read this until after Christmas. Hope you enjoy time with friends and family celebrating the birth of Christ and His amazing gift to us. The gift of salvation and eternal life!

Love Alison

A friend lost...

On Sunday, my friend Michael passed away. I find it hard to deal with this death as so many people were praying for healing and a miracle for Michael. The weekend was a roller coaster. There were many times where the doctors thought he would make it, and then it just went downhill. We didn't find out about his death until last night, as his wife had to fly home to tell the children. I know the Lord has a plan in all this, but it will be hard for his wife and 2 children to understand at this time. The picture I chose to post is symbolic of something that we all need to remember. Michael (the small tree and only one lit) is in heaven rejoicing with God and the Angels, while we (all the other trees around him) are on earth in a dark and dreary place. We need to remember that he was in pain here on earth, and will be much happier in eternity with God. This is a hard concept to grasp for those who are grieving... please pray for peace in their hearts and healing in their souls that can only come with time. I thank you guys for your prayers and ask for continued prayers for their family and friends. I also wanted to post a few verses that have helped me in the last few days, that will hopefully be of use to some of you! These verses are from the Amplified Bible:

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find recreation and blessed quiet for you souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good - not harsh or pressing, but comfortable, gracious and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

Isaiah 40:28-31 ...The everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength, causing it to multiply and making it to abound. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and selected young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted. But those who wait for, expect, look for, and hope in the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

We've been elfed :)

AliKat and Hubby

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Prayer Needed!!!

I have a 38 year old friend who has been having heart troubles for the past 6 years. He needed a transplant and was called on Friday morning to go and have the Surgery. The initial transplant went really well. Friday night he was doing fine. Saturday morning at 8:00 the heart stopped working. They decided to open him up again. After the second surgery, the heart was working again. They still had him hooked up to the heart machine to keep the beat steady, although it was pumping and beating on its own. The doctors were optimistic about the heart and he was no longer “critical”. During the second surgery, he lost oxygen. They were going to wake him up Saturday night and have him follow some simple commands to check for brain damage. I do not know those results. Then, they did a third surgery and were going to do a fourth on the heart, but got the bleeding under control. They were then concerned, early Sunday morning, about his pupils dilating, as that could mean bleeding in the brain. Sunday morning they did a ct scan and found bleeding in the brain. His parents are flying out to be with him and should have arrived there around 5:00 p.m. Sunday. I believe they will wait until his parents arrive to take him off life supports. The couple's brother is flying back and seeing their two children (7 yrs and 5 yrs) together to tell them about their Daddy.

Please continue to pray for him, as well as his family. His wife is in Edmonton with him, as well as her two brothers (both physicians) and his brother. The children stayed here.

We all know that God can do wonderful Miracles. We have prayed for a Miracle for my friend. Ultimately, God has a plan, and we can't change that. Please pray for healing, comfort and peace for him and his family.

Thanks everyone!!

A BioPoem

My friend did this on her blog and encouraged others. So, here goes...

Alison
Friendly, Fun-Loving, Stubborn, Bold
Sister and Sister-in-law to several
Lover of Jesus, Hubby - Sleep
Who feels Hurt, Attacked - Accepted
Who needs Hugs/Cuddling, Support, Adoration
Who fears Change, Exclusion - Spiders
Who gives Love, Gifts, Opinions
Who dreams of Performing (big time), My dream house - Being content with life
Bursting with Flavor
Gymnast (My second life alias)

Here's the original for anyone who's interested in blogging this. It would be fun to read this about everyone!

(First name)
(Four traits describing this person)
Brother/sister/ friend of
Lover of (three things or people)
Who feels (three emotions)
Who needs (three things or people)
Who fears (three things)
Who gives (three things)
Who dreams of (three things)
(Metaphor for person)(Last name)

Our tree :)

The ride to buy the tree was not very adventurous. But here's a mini funny... Andrew was driving, I was the passenger. He "saw" a "tree lot". I wasn't paying that much attention, so we proceeded to go to the "tree lot". It was a building with lots of land around, on which were lots of evergreen trees. This was not a tree lot. We had a good laugh, I called him a loser. That's the only story about our tree buying adventures.


Oh, for some reason he decided to drive home. The tree was on top of the car and he was holding onto it through the window. I was a little scared, I don't know why I didn't drive in the first place. Well, we made it home and the tree is fine!



I figured since everyone else was posting their trees and decorations, I would too. I know these pictures are not very good, but it's the best I could do.

Andrew the Great :)

Sorry, honey :'( I couldn't resist!!

Oma takes the bid!

In our family (both on my side and Andrew's), it's tradition to play a game called "Rook" at family gatherings. Now, I must admit that it's been upheld a lot longer in Andrew's family. I think that since my Grandpa has been in the old folks home we hardly ever play it because he's not there to demand it. But, we still do on rare occasions. The rules change from family to family, and it was hard for me to get used to the ones that Andrew's family uses (I'm such a creature of habit and really don't adapt well to change), but I suck it up and play anyway, 'cause it's a really great game. Okay, okay, I'll get to the point...

Andrew's Oma (Grandma, for you non-germans) is a very timid and reserved person. The fact that she can live through an evening of rook with her family actually makes me think of her a little differently at times. I can't explain the entire game, but I do have to tell a little for you to be able to understand why this topic was worth blogging about. At the beginning of a rook game, you bid (according to the cards in your hand and whether you think you can win the round). The bid usually starts at 100 - 120. You also call a trump color (usually the color with which you have the highest and most amount of cards) and a partner (usually a card you need, but are lacking form the trump color).

I said Oma was timid and reserved - well, here's where that comes in. She rarely bids over 100 (if she starts the bid, it's usually at 80) and sometimes, she won't put a certain card down (even if it would benefit her) because she wants her grandchildren to win or not get down because they lost a hand. Well, Andrew and I had them over for dinner on Friday. We, of course, played some rook afterwards. We had played 5 or 6 rounds, Andrew had dealt, so Oma was to start the bid. But, she did not start at 80, or even 100. She went straight to starting the bid at 120!! Needless to say we were all in complete and utter shock. How could we not take advantage of this situation. Andrew and I look at each other - both with mouths agape. We discuss (with our eyes and some mouthing of words), Opa passes, then I pass, and Andrew passes. Aha, we got you Oma. Now Oma has to take the middle (random cards to help or hinder the person who bid). I was so excited - I don't think I've ever seen Oma take the bid. That's where I got up to get the camera and take the above picture. She's a little scared. Actually - TERRIFIED would be the right word (she definitely looked it). But, we got her, now she's gotta' keep on truckin' :)

Oma won that round - how could she not. There was actually one point where she could put down a card with lots of points to screw up Andrew. She was hesitant, but she even did it (with a little coaxing from me and Opa). Way to go Oma, I'm proud of you!! (I know she won't read this - but enough people in our family do to relay the message.) And after the round was done - Oma looked so relieved. She said she was so stressed out. I didn't want to make too much of a big deal about her bidding, 'cause then she might never do it again. Well, here's hoping...

The picture says it all!

'nuff said :)

* For privacy reasons the faces in this picture have been blocked out!!
(Actually, they were never in the picture to begin with, ha, ha!)

What a tangled web we weave

I never thought it could be this crazy. First, I married an Andrew. I have a close cousin named Andrew. Not only that, but they have the same middle initial and the same last name. Then, my SIL marries a Kevin. She has a cousin named Kevin, and they share the same middle name. I have two cousin Paul's (they are brother-in-laws), so one is called PJ. This past spring, my cousin married a Michael. Her sister is married to a Michael (one is called Mike) What's even crazier is that I have a SIL Ali. Yes, her brother (my hubby) actually married someone with the same name as his sister. So, his pet name for me eventually caught on with everyone else in his family and for 3 years I was called Sweety-pie (to differentiate between us). Finally, I needed to put an end to it, I couldn't handle being 80 and still being called Sweety-pie. So, last Christmas, I walked into the family gathering and made an announcement. "I will no longer be called Sweety-pie" I said. "I have discussed this with sister Alison, she will be Ali and I will be Alison. I will not answer to Sweety-pie anymore! I WILL NOT be an 80 year old Sweety-pie!!" Well, it pretty much worked. His youngest sister Pam still calls me Sweety-pie. I wouldn't mind so much, except that we are in some shows together. I couldn't have my friends and director hearing that I'm Sweety-pie. So, I threatened her. It worked :) Also, I found out when I tried to up the limit on my credit card that I have an outstanding debt. (NOT MINE, DUMMIES!) How can they actually get me mixed up with her. Our birth dates are different (even different years), my last name wasn't even the same when it happened, I wasn't married yet. And, I've tried getting it off my record, but the schmucks won't do it. I even showed them my marriage and birth certificates. Total idiots. It's still difficult to keep track of who's who, since when we go to Ali's place to visit, there are 3 Al's (her husband is Alex), 2 Ali's, and 2 Alison's. Even if a person agrees to be called a certain thing, it's hard not to answer or be at attention when your full name or nickname's are called. YIKES!

Anyone else have same name families?!?