December 19 marked the first day of Hanukkah. To celebrate I tried to make Challah bread, but being in the mountains I didn’t take into account that there might be some issues with baking, so it didn’t turn out as well as I wanted but it was still edible.

So, if you’re baking from a box, make sure to check the directions for higher elevations. If you’re trying your favorite recipe in the mountains, you’ll probably need to make some adjustments.

I found some websites that address this issue. It seems like most of them mention that liquids evaporate faster so you probably need to consider that. They also said that doughs rise faster in higher elevations. Still more, you may need to make revisions to the amount of flour, sugar and baking powder and soda.

An article on Epicurious seemed to explain it the best. Check the link here.

There are some other helpful articles. Click here for one on Betty Crocker’s website.

King Arthur baking.com also has an article here.

And, tomorrow is Christmas Day. So Merry Christmas. May it bring all the delights of the season that you imagine.

I know this is a busy season, so I just wanted to remind you there’s still time to get unique gifts this Christmas by sponsoring our Kickstarter-Any child would enjoy either the Hey Man or Anna Maria rag dolls, or other items like the paper doll book, or sew your own rag doll kit.

If you don’t have kids or know any young ones, you can still sponsor any amount just because you like the idea. Even $1 would help. So, go ahead and click through and bring joy to a child’s face.

Here’s just another little message I recorded while I was putting together the video.

Hey, It’s Shop Small Saturday. Your kids will love our new rag dolls, Hey Man and Anna Maria. They are currently being manufactured and will be delivered mid-December. Check out the Kickstarter that tells you all about them. You can also order them directly from us. There is also an Anna Maria paper doll book and you can also purchase the materials to sew your own rag doll. Go to our sales page. Thank you.

OK, so if you’re looking for an appetizer to feed hungry guests before the Turkey finishes cooking on Thanksgiving day, try this savory Caramelized Onion-Cheddar Rugelach. I found the recipe in Food Network’s November ’22 magazine. Ignore the negative reviews. There’s only two of them and they probably didn’t taste them! They are so yummy and you can make them a few days ahead, minus the egg wash, and then just stick ‘em in the oven adding the egg wash on top on Thanksgiving Day.

Mmm, mmm Good! Remember the Campbell’s Soup slogan?

Christmas Rag Dolls Update
We are steadily gaining momentum on our Kickstarter and outreach campaigns for the Christmas rag dolls. The dolls are with the manufacturer and we’re excited to see the prototypes soon. If you haven’t yet contributed or know someone who would be interested, please forward the project to them. Thanks so much for your support.

So, our Kickstarter has a couple of supporters! Yeah. We’re asking that you let people know about it so we can reach 100%.

Here’s the press release that is going out. Feel free to pass it along. Thanks, and happy holiday season.

What Was Your Favorite Toy From Childhood? November, 2022. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and San Diego, CA…

What is the toy you remember having as a child that you treasured? Do you remember the Holly Hobby or Raggedy Ann rag dolls? This Christmas, a limited supply of new rag dolls based on love and joy will be produced through an effort with Kickstarter and outreach campaigns.

The dolls will be manufactured by Joyus Toyus, a family-owned USA custom plush toy factory in South Carolina. They will be produced in part in China and in the USA, as a “hybrid” toy. Joyus Toyus will be stuffing and finishing the products in their USA facility, and using recycled polyester fiber from South Carolina.

Christopher Gann is the owner of Joyus Toyus with his wife Raquel. They have been in the custom plush toy business for over 20 years.

The first doll is Anna Maria. She is based on love and has a message on her back that says “But the fruit of the spirit is love…”. She has yarn hair and wears a dress with hearts. The Hey Man, Amen doll wears striped shorts. He is inspired by a funny story of misinterpreting people saying Hey Man for Amen. He has John 10:16 inscribed on his back. They are both inspired by the Bible verse in

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, ….

They will both be available in December and can be ordered right away through Kickstarter and delivered in time for Christmas.

Janene Roberts Massieh illustrated and created the dolls and is also the author of the book Anna Maria Fruit of the Spirit which is available on Amazon and also through the wholesaler Baker & Taylor, ISBN#978-0-9674351-3-8.

Here is a review of the book from an Amazon reader.

“Most interesting children’s book. Interactive book that draws in a child’s imagination. I would recommend this children’s book for parents, churches and teachers to use. Got to have this for your class or home use.”
Larry Westfall, church leader

Well, Christmas is not that far away and we wanted to let you know about a couple of new products we are launching through Kickstarter and outreaches this Christmas. In years past we’ve hand sewn and stuffed rag dolls and this year we will have them manufactured.

Check out the Kickstarter page. We’d love it if you would support the project or forward it along to someone who might be interested. Thanks. Click here.

Hi All,
This is Janene. I have been learning Adobe Premiere Video editing software and how to record on Garage Band. I am sharing with you a reading of Psalm 42 that I produced yesterday with both programs.

The other day, the sky in the Carolinas was so beautiful I had to capture it. So, the video in the background sets the scene for the production.

I also wrote and played the background music on the guitar, which I am also learning. I have spent a lot of time educating myself and growing and hope that in some way this process will benefit others.

The basis for the Psalm, according to one rendition, is that King David wrote it when “he found himself in a place of discouragement, looking back over the Jordan Valley.”

I hope you will see that even in the midst of his discouragement, he finds something to hold onto. Click here to listen.

I would appreciate any feedback as it helps when you’re in a learning process.

Christmas 2022

The Kickstarter campaign for our Christmas Rag Dolls project will begin next week. There are two dolls, a boy and a girl that would make wonderful gifts for the holiday season. They are inspired by a bunch of cool people who spoke love and joy over our lives. Following is a link to the preview page. If you are interested please click on the Notify Me On Launch link.