Hope for the Holidays

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to You and Yours from all of us here at The Ladybug Cafe!

May your holiday season be filled with the HOPE that can only come from the Savior who came to earth that first Christmas night!

Miracle on Main Street

The Miracle on Main Street was one of three performance the Ladybug participated in this Christmas season. This musical is the story of a mayor choosing to cancel the town Christmas pageant only to realize that pageant's message of hope is one that needs to be shared.

The program

A small part of the set

You can see the Ladybug blowing kisses in the center of this pic.

The Ladybug and the program director...Ms M's talent and commitment are AMAZING!!

The Ladybug with two friends/castmembers...what fun!!

A short clip from the show....

Guest Chef in the Ladybug Cafe

The Ladybug Cafe has enjoyed a visit from Gran, a guest chef in the Ladybug Cafe. During her visit, she has added a few new items to our menu....

Ladybug Crispies

These are made from Coco Crispies, Rice Crispies, Strawberry Marshmallows, and Crushed Peppermints.

In addition to Ladybug Crispies, we have made Haystacks (melted chocolate and butterscotch chips mixed with Chinese noodles) and a gingerbread house (yeah, Target!!). What is more fun than holiday baking!?!

Thanksgiving 2011

Today is a day of giving thanks....for the many ways that we have been blessed over the past year, for the challenges we survived, for the wonderful surprises we encountered, for the love of friends and family, and for the transition into the Christmas season and the celebration of our Savior's birth!

"Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but is is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective." (Eph 5:20, Ps 118:1, Ps 89:15)

(taken from November 24, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young)

....and thanks to BBQ Pit Boss for doing all the cooking!

A Bit of Catching Up....

In July, we left the Ladybug Cafe under the watchful eye of the BBQ Pit Boss (a.k.a. Daddy) to visit with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc in Florida. These are just a few pics of the trip....check back for more!

Yesterday

So...I, obviously have some catch-up blogging to do, but I thought that I would start with yesterday. It is hard to really capture in words what life is like at the Ladybug Cafe on a daily basis. Here are two pictures that I think are worth a thousand words.

Here is the recipe for the Ladybug's Sundae:

In a sundae glass (preferably one of a set purchased from an antique shop with a website and a nice bathroom but no a/c)add ...

3 strawberries sliced
1 smallish scoop of ice cream (we used vanilla)
1 generous layer of chocolate "shell" topping
1 generous (bordering on HUGE) spraying of whipped topping, the kind from a can, not a tub (Note: Do not leave the can of whipped topping unguarded, Pots had to be chased down so that the can could be secured--and not emptied all over the cafe)
Get a long spoon and ENJOY!!

Judy Moody and the NOT so Bummer Summer!

We have been looking forward to Judy Moody and the NOT so Bummer Summer since summer began. The Ladybug has been working hard on her job chart (www.myjobchart.com) to earn points that could be used to go to the movies. Yesterday was the big day!

We loved the movie...Judy is an energetic, imaginative, and adventurous girl (sound familiar!?!) who participates in a contest she designed to earn "thrill points." As the contest moves forward, she is not earning points as quickly as her friends. Ultimately, she realizes that even though she may not have "won" the contest, she did enjoy a wonderful summer with her brother, Stink, her Aunt Opal, and her friend, Frank.

We loved the movie--it also received positive feedback from Focus on the Family...especially the searches for Big Foot! What better place to be than a cool, dark theater when it is 95+ for the who-knows-how-many-ith straight day!