An Afternoon With Flowers

Eli and I spent the afternoon at the local flower show - taking photos, collecting ideas and sniffing hyacinths.

Ben's Blog

Blog fever is catching! Ben has created a blog called "When Mom's Not Watching!" It's primarily for the enjoyment of his cousins, but he said I could mention it here. So if you like to see teenagers jumping bikes, hanging from trees, and shooting each other with marshmallow guns, then this is the place for you!

Baking Day

Tuesday and Thursday afternoons have become the usual times for the baking of desserts to keep us stocked for the week. Wanting to save some time in the mornings, I thought perhaps I would institute one large baking day on Thursday afternoons which would include typical items for dessert as well as the baking of items to use for our breakfast throughout the week.

Yesterday's baking list included:

* 2 loaves of potato bread (the taste is very good but need to work on the texture - next time I'll use 3 pans instead of 2)
* a pan of classic Indoor S'mores
* 2 wedges of Winter Spice Scones (substituted French vanilla creamer for gingerbread flavor this time)

The boys are totally enjoying the results of Baking Day.

Mashed Potato Bread
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 C. warm water
1 C. milk
2/3 C. shortening
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. mashed potatoes, warmed
1 tabl. salt
2 eggs, beaten
6 C. all-purpose flour

Note: The words in parantheses are my notes - not in the original recipe.

Dissolve yeast in water in a small bowl; set aside. Heat milk to just below boiling point; add shortening, sugar, potatoes and salt and allow to cool (about 45 minutes). Add dissolved yeast and eggs; mix well. Add enough flour to make a soft dough just stiff enough to handle (exactly 6 C.). Place dough on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, about 8 minutes. Allow rise until double (about 3 hours). Divide dough in half; shape and place in 2 (try 3) greased 9X5" loaf pans. Allow to rise again (about 2 hours). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

-- From Gooseberry Patch's "Patchwork Potluck"

Sunshine on the Windowsill

These mini daffodils found their way into my basket when it was discovered they were on sale yesterday at the supermarket. Last evening they were popped (plastic pot and all) into a few terra cotta pots that the boys painted in their younger days. Much better -

Flowering

"A flower that stops short of its flowering misses its purpose. We were created for more than our own spiritual development; reproduction, not mere development, is the goal of matured being - reproduction in the lives of others."

-- by Lilias Trotter from "A Passion for the Impossible - The Life of Lilias Trotter" by Miriam Huffman Rockness

A Grape Tip

The next time you find yourself at the farmers' market during the afternoon, inquire at fruit and veggie stands whether they sell loose grapes. Sometimes vendors will gather the loose grapes that have fallen off clusters and sell them in baskets for a discounted rate. I've gotten some beautiful grapes like this - and I'm not paying for stems.

Eli's Blog

Eli has taken the plunge and entered the land of Blog! Visit him at journeywitheli.blogspot.com.

Fastnacht Day

Enjoying the fastnachts that my mother-in-law stayed up most of the night to make for her family. Warm, fresh fastnachts coated with sugar - so good. And truly a labor of love . . .

It!

A game from "Family Fun" that we played around the holidays but can be played all winter thanks to the snowman shape:

Put a donut of tape on the back of a homemade construction paper snowman. Being very sneaky, stick him on someone else's back. If they discover what you're doing, you remain "it." But if you successfully get it transferred, they become "it" until they discover and can pawn it off on someone else. Good for a party or just day-to-day fun . . .

Fighter Verses 17

(Photo by Eli)

Fighter memory verses for weeks of 2/22 & 3/1 -

Matthew 6:33-34: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Fruit Snowmen

A few of these fruity fellows showed up at our table for lunch the other day. Cute as they may be, what we're really hungry for is a big bowlful of fresh berries from the garden. Oh, well . . . I guess apples and bananas (with a few clementines thrown in for good measure) will have to do us for now -

Eli & Chicken Spaghetti

Eli left last night to spend the night with his grandparents and then volunteer with them today at the nursing home. His agenda includes making ice cream floats with the residents, helping them make suncatchers and playing the piano for them. (He made sure to pack his music and spent much of yesterday practicing.) Eli told me before he left that he plans to make chicken spaghetti next week for us on his night to cook. It's one of our favorite meals, and thought I'd share it here. Kind of a round-about way to introduce a recipe, but there it is.

Chicken Spaghetti -
Cook 3 chicken breasts and save broth. Cook 1 lb. spaghetti and drain. Warm 4 1/2 C. of the chicken broth (if not enough, add water to make up) and add 1 lb. of Velveeta to it. Let melt and add 2 1/2 tabl. garlic powder and several shakes of pepper. Put in shredded chicken and spaghetti. Pour into a 13x9 pan and bake uncovered at 350. Bake for approx. 25 minutes - stirring after every 10 minutes or so. Let stand for at least 5 minutes after removing from oven. Great to serve with broccoli or cauliflower - the cheesy sauce is yummy over the veggies.

Notes on John 4

(Photo by Eli)

"Jesus answered and said to her (the Samaritan woman), "Whoever drinks of this water (from the well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." -- John 4:13-14

Thinking on this water: The water from the well is quiet, placid, content to lie there waiting to be used. But a fountain of water is active, bubbling with joy, busy with purpose, streaming toward heaven. I want to be refreshing to people like a fountain - full of life, reaching out and pointing others to Jesus. Too often I'm content to sit and wait for people to come to me. And when they do come, I try and quench their thirst with my wisdom instead of the riches of Christ.

Afternoon Tea

Ben and I have taken to sharing a pot of tea in the afternoons - a teacup for me, a mug for him. It seems to soothe our spirits after algebra lessons. (Enough said.) Our current favorite: Zhena's Gypsy Raspberry Earl Grey.

Great is His Faithfulness to Me

(E. took this shot yesterday afternoon during our bird count of the farm. I love his way with lighting.)

A rendition of this song played on the radio yesterday afternoon. This hymn never fails to stir my heart to praise and thanksgiving.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not,
Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou has been
Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided -
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!

-- Verse 1, Lyrics by Thomas Obediah Chisholm (I love that name - it sounds so old and lovely); Music by William Marian Runyan

Flowered Sugar Cubes

These would have been perfect for that spring picnic of Anne's. Simply pipe tubed icing (not gel) from the supermarket onto the cubes using the little plastic attachments that come with the tubes. Allow the icing to harden and then store. After a day or two the color will seep into the cubes. So if you want to make these for a special tea party, make them only a few hours before teatime. Warning: they're slightly addicting to make.

A Spring Picnic

""And I want you to come over early Saturday morning and help me prepare lunch. I'm going to have the daintiest things possible . . . things that will match the spring, you understand . . . little jelly tarts and lady fingers, and drop cookies frosted with pink and yellow icing, and buttercup cake. And we must have sandwiches, too, though they're not very poetical."

Saturday proved an ideal day for a picnic . . . a day of breeze and blue, warm, sunny, with a little rollicking wind blowing across meadow and orchard. Over every sunlit upland and field was a delicate, flower-starred green."

-- From "Anne of Avonlea" by L. M. Montgomery

And the Winner is . . .

Monica!

Congratulations! Please e-mail me at thedrucks@netzero.com with your snail mail address, and I'll send out your books next week! Happy Valentine's Day to all -

His Covenant Love

"The New Testament writers tell us that we should not be surprised when we face trouble, trial, and suffering. They tell us that we should never conclude that God has forgotten us. They say that for the believer, the opposite is true: trials are the result of His covenant love! We experience difficulty precisely because we are the children of His love. God will not neglect us so that we can experience the ease we want. No, He will perfect us through trial after trial."

-- From "War of Words - Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles" by Paul David Tripp

Plans for Presidents' Week

* Eli and Caleb will set up a log cabin made of Lincoln logs on the cedar chest in honor of Abe - an annual tradition

* We'll watch the film "Gettysburg" as a family

* A pile of books on the people of the Revolutionary War await couch time with Eli

* The boys will watch "President Abraham Lincoln" (from the animated history series of videos put out by Nest Entertainment)

* We'll enjoy this menu with the following presidents in mind:
- Favors at each place of red jelly beans (Mr. Reagan's favorite treat)
- Appetizers of a log of sharp cheese with crackers (in honor of Lincoln's birthplace) and peanuts-in-the-shell (for Carter, of course)
- Beef Stew with roast beef, potatoes and carrots (Dwight Eisenhower's favorite dish to cook)
- Ice cream (a hat tip to James Madison's wife, Dolley, who served it in the White House) with maraschino cherries on top (George Washington, of course)

Valentine Cakes

Cupcakes in a jar. Practical? Not really. But sweet to look at? Definitely.

(If you want to make cakes in 4 oz. jars, grease each one, fill with 1/3 C. desired cake batter, bake for about 15-20 minutes, cool, frost and sprinkle.)

Great, Gentle & Good

(Photo by Eli)

O God, I have stood
in the shadow of mountains,
at the brink of oceans,
under the spread of clouds,
by the foot of redwoods -
And I have learned of Your greatness.
O Lord, I have touched
baby fingers,
feathers of a canary,
petals of a rose,
lather from soap -
And I have been reminded of Your gentleness.
O Father, I have known
true friendship,
joys of love,
unconcerned care,
unrestricted consideration -
And I have thought of Your goodness.
O great, gentle, good God,
do some good, gentle, great thing
today through me,
that others too may know
more of You,
I pray,
In Christ's Name,
Amen.

-- From "War of Words - Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles" by Paul David Tripp

Streamer Surprise

To make a streamer surprise, collect small toys, some candy, confetti and a roll of crepe paper. Starting with a toy or larger piece of candy, begin wrapping the crepe paper around the item. As you continue to wrap into a larger ball, add confetti and other items as you go. When you have a good-sized ball, put a piece of tape on the end with a little note to unwind. As the child unwraps the ball, little surprises will fall out along the way. I made these last year for the boys on Valentine's Day, and they were a hit!

Books for Valentine's Day

These are two books that I've recently been encouraged by and thought I'd pass them along to one of you through a little Valentine give-away. "Keeping A Quiet Heart" by Elisabeth Elliot is a compilation of articles that the author's written through the years which are focused on keeping a quiet heart in various aspects of life. "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. E. Prentiss is written as if it were a diary from the life of a young woman in the 1800's. It chronicles her spiritual growth amidst the demands of her daily life. If you would be interested in receiving these books, add a comment to this post before midnight (EST) on Friday, February 13. I'll place each name in a hat and have Eli (who is very eager to do so!) pull a name on Valentine's Day morning. I'll post the winner later that day.

Wednesday Night Notes

(Photo by Eli)

Just a thought or two from Wednesday night service:

"My brethren, count it (consider it) all joy when you fall into various trials (difficult circumstances), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (stick-to-it-tiveness, stubborn faithfulness)."
-- James 1:2

Why does testing come?
- Sometimes so that God reveals OUR hearts to us
- Sometimes so that God reveals HIS heart to us

The testing is a blessing.

Seasonal Vintage Hankies

Last night I draped my Valentine hankies on the living room bookshelf. Next month will be green-colored and shamrock-coated ones. Once spring and summer arrive, pastel and flower prints will be displayed. And of course, the dark-colored autumn hankies and Christmas-themed ones will grace the shelf in their time. Simple and sweet home-
keeping . . .

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Eli and I have decided to participate in "The Great Backyard Bird Count" this year. All over North America, people spend at least 15 minutes on one or more days during February 13-16 counting the birds in their area and recording it on the GBBC website. The information collected is used by scientists worldwide who study ornithology. You don't need to sign up to participate - simply visit here to find out how to count and record your results as well as view lots of other information and frequently asked questions regarding the Count. Last night we printed off a regional bird list for our area to use as a checklist as well as a data form to write down the info. they want before entering it into the computer. Eli and I are looking forward to our "search" next weekend!