There are small slivers of time in our lives where one can see so many arrows pointing towards the same direction. I experienced such a sliver when writing my last Neighborlies piece. I felt a mere co-writer, with the real Author giving me a special opportunity to share His message.

During the past few weeks I've been reading a book that is resonating and rocking the foundation of my faith. It's called "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller. The message in this book dovetails so beautifully with what I wrote of our daughter, Hope, and I felt nudged to share just a small portion of it with you here:

"Jesus, unlike the founder of any other major faith, holds out hope for ordinary human life. Our future is not an ethereal, impersonal form of consciousness. We will not float through the air, but rather will eat, embrace, sing, laugh, and dance in the kingdom of God, in degrees of power, glory, and joy that we can't at present imagine.

Jesus will make the world our perfect home again. We will no longer by living "east of Eden", always wandering and never arriving. We will come, and the father will meet us and embrace us, and we will be brought into the feast."

You can buy The Prodigal God book HERE.

You can read "Hope That Floats" right HERE.

Here's to bright (and actual!) hope for tomorrow, my friend. May today you experience a sense that truly, the best is yet to come.

Love,
Jeane`

What's this depression thing all about? Just people in a bad mood, right? You can just shovel yourself out. Right?  

One of our contributors learned first hand: 
"I understood two things: mental illness existed (for real) and medicine helped. I was a smug survivor. “You’re sick, you take medicine, you get better. There.” How tidy. How easy. How vastly I underestimated the layers and nuances of the many diseases that fall under the umbrella of mental illness. " Read the full article HERE. 

And with more (and more and more?) snow and frigid weather on the way, some may even be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Yeah, that's real too. 

Need a sweet treat for the sweeties in your life this week? A delicious after school treat with milk, and delectable with your coffee - you can't go wrong with these bars! These little bars freeze well too. After cutting them, wrap them in wax paper or foil, freeze, and then pull out as needed for packed lunches, coffee dates, or desserts. Enjoy!

Strawberry Crumble Bars 

1 (18 ounce) box yellow cake mix
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (use only quick-cooking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
18 oz strawberry preserves (or any flavor preserves or jam)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl combine cake mix, oatmeal, cinnamon and brown sugar; mix with a spatula or a large wooden spoon. In a small cup whisk egg with lemon juice and vanilla until combined; add to the crumb mixture along with 1/4 cup melted butter, and 2 tablespoons oil.
Using a large wooden spoon toss to combine then use your fingers to finish the mixing. Mix until the mixture clumps together. 
Sprinkle a little more than half of the crumb mixture into the pan then spread out evenly pressing firmly to cover bottom.
Spoon the jam carefully over the crust in the pan and spread evenly.
Cover with remaining crumb mixture over top of the jam then gently pat the mixture down slightly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown on top.
Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe Source: kittencalskitchen @ www.food.com

A recent Neighborlies guest contributor shares a poignant and personal perspective on the recent Biggest Loser controversy - and how "strong feels so much better than skinny ever felt." www.bighipslittlehips.com

Never underestimate the sanity-saving dependability of this common household "power tool". As I type, I'm tucked behind my bedroom door listening to five children tearing through our basement-less home to the sound of the stereo playing the "Frozen" soundtrack at the highest decibel possible. They can probably hear it in Denmark. I never stay here for long (although I would lie to say the temptation isn't there), but sometimes the simple lock is my best friend in the quest for even keeled mothering during a long winter....



It's five o'clock somewhere!

Jeane'

Waking up to another freezing morning and seeing snow STILL on the ground has got me feeling a little more then blue. Taking a look in the mirror officially put me over the edge... all white and colorless, kinda like the great outdoors. If I could live in a tanning bed this time of year I would! I'm having to content myself with a bit of bronzer, which is a quick fix and adds instant glow and depth to the face. Nothing a little bronzer can't remedy! I went out and purchased: Mineral Fusion in "luster"... love this stuff. I dust it lightly under the cheekbone, on the temple area, bridge of the nose, under the jaw line and a bit on the neck so as to blend it all in and keep my head looking like it belongs with my body. "White" girls unite in the name of banning pastiness, go get your glow on! 

Do you have any anti-pasty-winter-skin products or tricks that you swear by? If so, I'd love to know!

If you're like me, you need a new dip to be addicted to like you need a hole in the head. But I'm going to share this with you anyway. You can thank me as you're running that extra 10 minutes on the treadmill, or getting that rubber band out to jerry-rig your jeans shut.

This dip is our family's favorite and is always served when we're at my Grandma Marilyn's house. One of my many favorite memories attached to her.

If you're taking this to a Superbowl party - definitely double this. If you're making a batch to eat while watching Wings reruns on Netflix, do not double this.

Ham & Cheese Dip (we call it Frito Dip)

1 4.25 oz can Deviled Ham
1 5 oz jar  Kraft Pimento Spread
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T minced dried onion
1 tsp dried parsley, or fresh
few drops hot sauce
Chives for garnish (optional)

Mix all ingredients. Garnish with chopped chives (optional). Chill for an hour before serving. Serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, or raw veggies. Fritos are the way to go in my opinion!

If there is such a thing as being unlucky with animals, then my family is certainly the unluckiest. We've had a plethora of them throughout the years, but none seem to last as long as we'd dreamed they would. Between death, illnesses and strange disorders, one by one each animal has left us. I think we are much better off without them...but my daughter, poor thing, strongly disagrees. She's been begging for a kitten for months. For the time being we are animal-less in our house and that's okay by me. I pacify her with an occasional funny animal video, like this one, hoping that it'll satisfy her. It usually doesn't, and in a weak moment, the kitten at 4:57 could almost convince me to give in. And then I remember that sometimes animals are jerks { I mean that in the kindest sense of the word} -and anyway, it seems kind of unfair to them, what with the record we hold and all. (Warning: dogs doing the nasty, mid-video, sorry!} -Terri 

If we were really have coffee this morning (and I wish we were), I'd be doing a whole lot of complaining. Ok, so maybe you're glad we're not having coffee right now…Anyway, I'm 36 weeks pregnant. That's a whole lot of pregnant and it's true what they say: the last couple of weeks really do prepare you for being up all night with a newborn, which is just a nice way of saying that you're not going to sleep from now until kingdom come. Never ever in my life have I been more thankful for the following items: Sally Hansen facial wax, makeup, hair straightener and coffee. With those combined forces, I am able to mask my true self and face the world hiding behind a more palatable appearance. This is not vanity, my friends, it's a public service. You're welcome. 

Some among us (see below prancing dog  post) think winter is the most WONDERFUL time of the year. And some of us don't. Anyone else trapped inside their homes with cabin-fevered children? Anyone else questioning the sanity of the schools who keep closing and delaying school? It's just SNOW, people. It's just a little chilly. Let's teach our kids to be strong the face of life's little (enormous) storms (blizzards with subzero temperatures). - Heather, Displaced Former Floridian

PS: don't just take my word for it... Some of our readers agree. And I think Kerri P says it best...