Over the River...

Over many rivers and through many woods, they finally arrived at Grandmother's house!
Caleb can read now! Nana just loved this story.

Lily and Jared spending some time with Papa.

Where's Gracie?

Reading is very serious business.

Here are all the cuddle friends posing for a picture. Look to the far right.

That's "Butchie" Jenny's doll from childhood.

Jam Thumbprint Tutorial

How to (or not to) make Jam Thumbprint cookies:

#1 make sure you have all the ingredients needed or else you will have to search foodnetwork.com for an acceptable alternative.

#2 don't mix up your cookie batter while eating your Kraft macaroni and cheese. While you might think the extra gluten will help~~trust me, it won't.

#3 don't pop into the living room to check on Jeopardy while mixing ingredients. Oh my, where was I?

# 4 How can you go wrong with copious amounts of butter, vanilla extract, eggs and flour?

Happy Holidays!!

Giving Thanks

I'm giggling with excitement! Everything is ready for tomorrow. My table is set. My side dishes are waiting in the fridge. When we wake up the coffee will be ready. Oh give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good!

Now, for the real life... My cheesecake is cracked, my side dishes are not a la Food Network. My doggie barks at every fruit fly that passes her way.

Sometimes you just have to be put in the mood to give thanks!

I'm excited, and Thankful anyway :-)

Sourdough Starter

I have a very good friend who is also my mentor in all things regarding home keeping, budgeting, gardening etc. Recently we have started down the road of sourdough bread making. We have already been making 5 minute Artisan Bread and have made many "converts" along the way. Not to be content in a good thing, my mentor and I are trying out a sourdough method that would produce a great bread with the same "5 minute" method of mixing. I cannot even consider myself in her league at this stage of the game. She (Susan) has the ingredients down to a science. All I know is ~~ I am producing a loaf of bread with minimal effort and maximum return in flavor for the cost of a couple cups of flour. "We" continue to tweak the recipe to come up with the exact amounts, temperature and moisture needed to produce a great loaf. Meanwhile ~~ our families are enjoying great loaves of bread!

The Frost is on the Pumpkin

The first year we moved to Lake County someone mentioned as she breezed through the Kitchen that "The frost was on the pumpkin"

That was the first time I had ever heard the saying but ever since, it has marked the wonderful season of Fall.

Oh, She was immune to the daily toil, schedule and jobs that needed to be done to make sure that the pumpkin would bring blessings. After all these years, the simple proclamation of the frost on the pumpkin brings peace. Dear loved ones have passed away and as is the promise of God..."All things have become new."

Boiling Point

Tyler and Jordan have an assignment regarding "boiling point." We put a gallon of water on the stove to boil our noodles. They had to document each phase of the process. (See above)
More documenting. Pictures, writing, details, more documenting...
Did you know there is an evaporation stage? That small bubbles become larger
bubbles? This is all very scientific!


Dinner is ready!! Chicken, noodles (scientific experiment) corn and much discussion.
Thank you Mrs. Thorley!

Birthday Surprise

Lizzie and her family surprised me with an E-Card for my birthday with a picture of my present. When I was a little girl my Nana had a glass cabinet with china figurines in it that she purchased every time she went to Canada. This has always been one of my favorites.

Nana passed away several years ago 6 months before her 100th birthday. It won't be the same as looking into the cabinet through the eyes of a shy 7 year old ~~ no it will be so much sweeter because Lizzie has always remembered the stories of my childhood and has memories of her own, looking into the cabinet with wonderment and choosing her favorite.

Thank you Lizzie, Trey and Blake!

Going Through the Motions

Ever since I started back to work I've been streamlining my schedule in order to get everything done. I cook once -- for two dinners, freeze items that I can buy on sale to cut down on trips to the store, etc.

One of my favorite things to do is to have a binder with tabs set up for all areas of life and follow all the "do ahead" suggestions such as buy cards ahead of time, buy Christmas gifts all year so I don't fall into the craziness around the Holidays and just try to keep the household running as smoothly as I can.

One thing I refuse to do is sign and address my Christmas cards now. I don't want to "Go Through the Motions" as Matthew West sings of. I enjoy praying over my cards each year asking God to bless the families I am sending cards to. If I do all this right now, I'll miss out on the blessing of the unexpected one that God impresses on my heart. No, I plan to put on Christmas music, fix something warm to drink and just spend time sending my love to you.

Ty's Friends

Motley Crew?? No...Members of our Youth Group
And just friends having a good time!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Tyler's 14th Birthday

We started off at Cobb Mountain for a rousing game of Mini-Golf

Nana and Jordan were determined to Win!!

Tyler and Dad were our most aggressive opponents!

Ahh...At the end, Family Wins!

The Great Pumpkin Revelation

You might be wondering, at what age will my child stop loving going to the Pumpkin Patch with me?
Maybe it was the pale, soft pumpkins. Maybe it was just an off day.

Maybe it's because well..."I'm a teenager now and really, I'm just humoring you until you realize this would have so much more fun if we had been allowed to bring girls with us".

Ahh ~~ next year I go it alone :-(

Baby Aaron Francis

Congratulations to our good friends Aaron and Alison!
Just look at this "little" bundle of sweetness.

I changed his diaper and discovered the newborn diapers don't really fit him well because he weighs in at 9 lbs. 12 oz.

Goodbye Garden

This is the very last of the produce from our garden.

It wasn't a banner year for us. We will do more container gardening

next year. The soil on the west side of our house isn't very good at all, even

after ammending it. Our squash never came up, nor did our pumpkins.

Well, better luck next year!

Forgiveness

There's a chill in the air. Our hearts and minds are turning to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If you want to prepare your heart ~~ rent

"An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving"

Prepare your heart for the Season to come.

Seek forgiveness from those you have transgressed.

Give to those in need.

Open your heart to someone who needs the touch of our Saviour.

Stone Soup

Remember the story "Stone Soup"? That's exactly what I felt I was making today.

I started with an amazing recipe from my friend Marsha who borrowed it from her mom.

I gathered what I thought were all the ingredients but as I got up to my elbows in chopped veggies I realized I was missing one important ingredient, ground cloves.

I knew exactly who to call ~~ Deb!

Deb came to the rescue with her fire breathing dragon son Erik.

Now this is what I call a good friend. They dress up to drop off missing ingredients!
This is not a picture of my Mulligatawny Soup but let me tell you, we ate
this delicious goodness by the bowlful. Even the 13 year old boys loved it!
The best part? It was a recipe built on friendship and love.

No Fail Cinnamon Rolls

I have finally figured out the secret to perfect cinnamon rolls. Don't stress!

I mean it. I mixed up my dough as usual. I put it in a bowl to rise. Somehow, in the midst of a very busy afternoon, I forgot about it. Oh well, I punched it down let it rise a few minutes and then rolled it out. I spread it with all the yummy goodness, rolled it, cut it, put it in the pan and then proceeded on to laundry etc.

After a fashion I popped those babies in the oven and pretty soon every 13 year old boy in the neighborhood was hanging around for cinnamon rolls!

After they were iced...well, everyone in the neighborhood could have lined up for them.

Thank you LaVonda for your recipe. I couldn't have done this without you :-)

It Was a Good Day...

We had a really good day today. At around 11:00 a.m. Emily, Tyler, Jordan and I headed out for the Harvest Festival held at Steele Winery in Kelseyville. The wine tastes were disappointing but we had fun sampling the wares of all the vendors. I was less adventurous than the rest of the group. I kept my tastings to the "unfried" variety. The smells, sights and tastes were enough to fill our senses for quite some time. I bought a jar of almost hot pepper jelly to serve with cream cheese and crackers. Then at another booth I bought a sampler of soup and dip mixes that will carry me through this Holiday season.

As is our birthday tradition, Emily bought me a beautiful glass bead to wear on my favorite chain that belonged to my Nana.

So, top this good day off we have Barry Manilow on PBS! I can just hear all of you gagging right now~~but wait a minute! Back in 1978/79 he was really popular and we managed to get front row tickets at the Concord Pavilion to see him in person! He was and still is an amazing performer. The costumes, the songs, the lights....We were within spitting distance but, alas, Barry lip synced back then and now.
Even that can't ruin my good day!

Apple Crisp

I distinctly remember my first taste of Apple Crisp. I was invited to my friend's house for dinner. We were great friends (can't remember her name). We sat right next to each other in Mrs. Monroe's 5th grade class. She had a really cool ski parka that all us girls wanted to have. So...that Christmas, many of us received one from "Santa".

So that was Christmas. Fast forward to Spring. We all made Chinese Jump Ropes out of rubber bands. I saved all the extras from my brother's paper route. We shed our ski jackets for some other fashion of the day.

My friend invited me over for dinner. I found out she was adopted. Her room was so very clean and she had all the latest educational advantages because her adoptive parents were college professors. We had a great dinner and then...warm apple crisp with cream poured over the top!

Well, I decided right then and there that I should be adopted so I could have really smart games to play and Apple Crisp for dessert!

A Sad Night

This is a sad night for me. I just found out that Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary has died.

Mary gave up her battle with Leukemia and is resting in peace.
Our children were raised on the principles of:
Loving One Another more than yourself.
Whenever possible ~~ Give Peace a Chance. You never really know what can happen when you put your own desires aside and seek to live in accord with your neighbor.
Give Back ~~ no man is an island. We live to serve one another (thank you Al)

They can all sing Peter, Paul and Mary songs verse by verse. They know "by heart" what it means to feed the hungry, pray for peace and love their neighbors.



We can all "Light One Candle"

While I'm At It...

I just can't seem to do one thing at a time. I think it may be some sort of personality flaw. O.K. I heard one of you snicker "ADD" under your breath. I prefer to call it "multi-tasking" if you please.

For instance, this morning I was putting clean sheets on the bed. As I made my way around the bed I stopped to put the Tums back in the nightstand drawer, then straighten the books and dust off the lampshade on my side of the bed. While tucking in the sheets on Al's side of the bed I put away the clean laundry that was stacked on top of the dresser. Then there were the random shoes I kept tripping over so they just had to be put away.

Hold on, I'll be right back...

O.K. so I'm back. The washing machine was on the rinse cycle so I added fabric softener and on my way back I noticed Bella needed fresh water and I had to check the date on the water bill to make sure it isn't late and...

Like I said, I'm beginning to think I have some sort of personality flaw :-{

Oh My...

So, for the second time in my Math/Blogging history I have dropped an online math class. I'd like to think I'm not dumb. I'd like to think that figuring out recipes, shopping lists, gas mpg ratios etc...has given me some sort of a "math brain" but alas, no.

Truth is, I can't figure out anything online. Give me paper, pencil and a really smart teacher and I can spit out most of the right answers. Given a book and an online program and I am reduced to your regular barnyard animal.

That's o.k. I know my limitations. I will sign up for this class (in the classroom) sometime in the near future. As for this semester~~Ouch, I don't have a clue!

Time Traveling

Sometimes we define a "good day" by one singular moment that made it such.

Today was a day that was defined by many different moments combined to make it all "good".

First, we had a worshipful morning at Church. Good music, good fellowship, great preaching.

Next, Emily and I went to see the move "The Time Traveler's Wife". We didn't know what to expect, but we left moved and challenged.

Next, we visited Mom at Deerwood. Talk about "time traveling". It was a good visit, but we realize with each visit, that Mom is on her own time traveling journey. She mentioned her "free ticket to Heaven to see her boyfriend" this afternoon.

After that, I returned home. There was Bella to tend to. Laundry that refuses to dry after two cycles ( dishwasher doesn't work either )

My husband is alive, doesn't time travel, no one is deathly ill. I could list all that is wrong and it would take up a lengthy blog, but I won't.

I just found out that someone is dying. I just found out that an entire family is ill. I just found out that another family is losing their home. I just found out that someone is hungry.

Our only solution is a permanent time travel to Heaven. In the meantime, join me in prayer for those who are hurting.

Jordan's New Do

I wish I had a "before" picture to show you...
but here is Jordan's new "do"

Isn't he handsome?

Promises to Keep

Wrapped up in a blanket (even though the thermometer has already tipped over the 100 degree mark), dosed to the hilt on anti-inflammatory meds I start to promise myself that when this pain subsides I will....Peel those peaches and make a cobbler. Hang the sheets on the line so when my sweetie comes to bed at night he will say "Oh, I love clean sheets"~~~
Pick all the ripe tomatoes before they start rotting on the vine. Ahh...Make a yummy grilled sandwich with swiss cheese and tomatoes :-)

Make a batch of cookies for Tyler because his friends just seem to eat them all before he can enjoy the fact that his mom bakes "her own" chocolate chip cookies.

I kept those promises today and it felt GOOD.

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Wow 35! You'd never know it by looking at you.

So, you were born on your due date which tells us why you always worry if you are late. You were born very easily and really gave us no worries until you were about 18 months old and had to spend several days in the hospital. It used to break my heart that they tied you down to the crib so you wouldn't tear out your IV. One good thing came out of that visit~~you were potty trained right away because you didn't want that little bag attached to you!

You've always been a beautiful, adventurous girl. You could make up games that kept your sisters occupied for hours. I know they have their own version of the story but this is your post and we will celebrate!

You've always had long pretty brown hair. Remember back in the day when I would match your yarn ties and earrings to go along with your outfits? I remember you and Chris were the very best of friends growing up. One of Grandma's favorite stories is how Chris made you a grilled cheese sandwich when she was babysitting you.

Enjoy your special day Jenny! Let us know if you hear from Franna.

Oh Just Wait...

Oh, I can hear you now...doesn't look like much too me. Ah, but to me it is the promise of

many things to come. Would you like to pick a pumpkin with us this fall? Here is the beginning of the fun.
Pretty soon this beauty will be the star of a swiss cheese and tomato sandwich.
Have faith!

Twins just waiting for harvest.

See you soon!