A Mountain Thanksgiving

Highlights of Our Mountain Thanksgiving:

* Visiting a cabin up the mountain to see the four big black bears that the hunters had harvested. The cook of the camp invited us in and told us tales of the giant no-nose bear and of the mountain man who lives in a tiny log cabin up the mountain and still lives as the settlers did.
* Realizing that I didn't have flour to make my gravy and traipsing down the road, through the woods and into the cozy cabin of a couple that lives in the mountains year-round. They were so glad to see me and tried to send me back to the cabin with half of their kitchen - what hospitality and generosity of spirit do mountain folks often have (even to this flat lander!).


* Enjoying two delicious hours of non-stop reading time by the woodstove while all the boys (plus my father-in-law who came for a visit) hiked up the mountain.
* Taking an early morning walk with Eli to collect pinecones, acorns, berries and leaves for him to make the centerpiece for our Thanksgiving dinner while M. and the other boys went to help clean up leaves at our little mountain church.


* Working on some embroidery each evening as we watched holiday movies and Sherlock Holmes over ice cream.
* Catching up with the church family at our mountain fellowship and pondering the question from the message - "Do we ever thank God for that which we DON'T have?"
* A walk through the woods one afternoon - just M. and I - then back to the cabin for hot drinks on a chilly day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be away from my computer for the holiday -see you next week!

Christmastime in Loganville

Every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving my mom, Eli and I have a tradition of taking part in "Christmastime in Loganville." For 25 years, this little town has been opening its' community for holiday merriment. The churches, fire company, state representative and several businesses open their doors for refreshments, tours and shopping for the holidays. (By the way, the beautiful church below has been a congregation since 1752!)


At the state representative's office, we enjoy the complimentary homemade candies and cookies that his employees and family have made and view a model railroad display. At one of the churches is a book sale put on by the local library - I found the old movie "Christmas in Connecticut" there today! At another church we enjoyed a lunch of vegetable crab soup and sandwiches. For dessert Mom bought a bag of Peppermint Shortbread cookies. At yet another I bought a bag of S'more Mix - Golden Graham cereal mixed with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Eli visited their Secret Santa Shop for my Christmas gift - he was very proud of himself for planning ahead and bringing his money along. I especially enjoyed the tour we took of a church that made its' own stained glass windows. The windows are beautiful and even more precious because the people themselves made them.


I LOVE this tradition!!

Chicken Salad

As requested (thanks, Patty!), here's my friend's chicken salad recipe:

Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 C. mayo
1 tsp. sugar
2 tabl. relish
Salt and pepper

Add mayo to chicken, along with a few drops of water for extra moistness. Add relish and then salt and pepper to taste. That's it - simple and delicious!

Sometimes I like to use this recipe to make Chicken Rolls for tea parties. Separate an 8 oz. package of refrigerated, layered dinner rolls into 2 or 3 layers from each roll. Fold each layer in half and pinch the middle of the edge closed. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes. Cool, open slightly and stuff with chicken salad.

Cultivating A Thankful Heart

Cultivate: To develop, prepare, make ready
Thankful: Expressing gratitude, appreciation

WHY cultivate a thankful heart? Because . . .

* God deserves to be thanked!
Psalm 107:1 - "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

* Jesus did it and He is our example.
Matthew 11:25 - "At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes."

* it is God's plan for our lives and so must be good for us.
I Thessalonians 5:18 - ". . . in everything, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."


HOW do I cultivate a thankful heart?

* Thank Him!
Psalm 30:12b - "To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever."

* Tell others what He has done by thanking Him publicly.
Psalm 35:18 - "I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people."

* Serve others.
II Corinthians 9:12 - "For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God . . ."

* Sing.
Psalm 147:7 - "Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God . . ."

* Make a list of the things you have to be thankful for.
Psalm 136 (the whole psalm is a list of things about God for which we can give thanks)

Happy THANKSgiving!

An Autumn Luncheon

My friend, Joanie, asked me to lunch yesterday at her home - what a treat! We spent a good two hours catching up with each other's lives and finding out what God is doing in each other's hearts. Such a good time of fellowship . . .


Our luncheon menu included:

* Pink Goblets of Iced Water with Lime Slices
* Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Tomato Slices (Joanie makes THE BEST chicken salad!)
* Potato Cheese Soup with Crumbled Bacon sprinkled on top
* Slices of Pumpkin Bread with Mini Chocolate Chips garnished with Chocolate Syrup Drizzles, a dollop of Whipped Cream and a sprinkling of Instant Mulling Spice
* Hot cups of Tazo's Passion Tea made with hibiscus flowers, mango and passionfruit, lemongrass and rose hips


Besides a great lunch, I brought home a copy of Nancy Leigh DeMoss's newest book - "Choosing Gratitude" - which Joanie loaned me. Perfect for this season of Thanksgiving. Speaking of which, I am SO thankful for friends.

Pilgrim Hats

I saw this cute idea for Pilgrim Hats over at Econobusters, and E. and I made some of them up on Saturday afternoon. First flip a fudge graham cookie upside on a cookie sheet. Dip a large marshmallow on a toothpick into melted chocolate to coat and place on top of the cookie. (It helps to have a helper pushing it off with another toothpick.) Pop in frig and allow to harden. Pipe a small buckle on the side with a tube of frosting. Store in the frig.

Watched Last Night Over Popcorn

Caleb's New Room

Caleb's been spending his afternoons and evenings helping his dad re-do his bedroom - insulation, drywall, fresh plaster, paint, a new ceiling fan and carpet to boot. He's bunking with his older brother right now and though they've had fun, he's eager to move his stuff out of the attic and get back into his own room.


Basket on the walls and Roadster Blue on the trim -

Apple Butter For A Friend

To make the Thanksgiving card, simply press your fingerprints on an ink pad and form a turkey on a small square of cardstock. Add turkey details and a greeting with a small Sharpie marker. A great project to do with children -

Cranberry Relish

I spent a few hours this morning out at the gym helping my church family prepare part of a huge Thanksgiving dinner that we'll enjoy together after worship tomorrow afternoon. Walking in the gym door, delicious smells hit me right in the nose - the turkey was already cooked, the broth and bones were being cooked down for the gravy, and the filling was being sauteed in a half-dozen skillets by a handful of my apron-clad friends. My job involved helping another lady make two big pans of cranberry relish. I don't typically like cranberry sauce, relish or anything remotely resembling it - but I did like this! It's a unique recipe that was handed down to one of the ladies in our church by her mother-in-law. Making it is, indeed, a treat - for the eyes, the nose and the mouth (I was encouraged to sample it!).

This is the original recipe as it was given to me. If I made it for a gathering, I would cut down on some of the sugar as it was a bit too sweet for me. The sugar does offset the tartness of the berries, but I think a little less would be better.

Cranberry Relish

3 oranges
3 apples
1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 qt. water
3 C. sugar
3 small boxes of strawberry Jello

Peel, core and seed TWO of the 3 oranges and TWO of the 3 apples. Cut into quarters and set aside. Core, seed and cut the last orange and apple but DON'T PEEL them. (The tiny bits of peel will add texture and beautiful color.) Add them to the other fruit and pour a bag of washed, fresh cranberries in with the apples and oranges. Blend all the fruit in a food processor until very fine. (As I was told, it can't be too fine.) Set aside. Bring the 1 qt. water to a full rolling boil. Add the sugar and stir well until dissolved. Then add the Jello and stir well until dissolved. Carefully pour the liquid mixture into the fruit, stirring well. Pour into whatever dish or bowl you like and then place in frig until firm and chilled.

Faith & Sight

"Those who walk by faith in the goodness of the Lord shall in due time walk in the sight of that goodness." -- Matthew Henry

Caleb's 14th Birthday

Today is Caleb's 14th birthday though we celebrated yesterday as Wednesday nights are busy with Grandma-visiting and church-going. Caleb requested the following birthday menu:

* Beef Pot Pie (which we could barely eat - I somehow managed to use powdered sugar instead of flour!!!!!)
* Grilled Asparagus
* Yellow Two-Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (I managed to get this right - REALLY right.)


Chocolate Fudge Frosting (this stuff tastes like and feels like fudge after it sits)

1 stick margarine
2/3 C. baking cocoa
4 C. 10x sugar
1/8 C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt margarine and stir in baking cocoa. Alternately add 10x sugar and milk, beating on medium. Add more milk if necessary for a creamier texture. Add vanilla.

For Caleb's gift, M. and I had a ball the night before going to a candy outlet and buying a big bag of candy for his special birthday treat. He had to dump it all out at once on the kitchen table. You should have seen his smile . . .

LEGOs (and Christmas) in Ohio

We've been to Ohio for the past few days - it was time for our annual "Christmas" gathering of my husband's family. He has one sister who lives there, so we all pack up and travel out to spend a long weekend together playing dominoes, eating whoppie pies, catching up, eating veggie pizza, taking walks, eating shrimp, visiting a book shop, eating spaghetti and meatballs, opening stockings, eating deli sandwiches and going to church together. (Notice a theme?) Anyway, on the way out, the five of us stopped in Bellaire, Ohio, to visit The Plastic Brick Museum- home of the world's largest private LEGO collection. The museum is housed inside an old school which gives it half its' charm and is just amazing. There was a mural of Mona Lisa done in LEGOs, a life-size LEGO Darth Vader, intricate boats, a huge basketball player, large LEGO animals, a city of LEGO skyscrapers and the list goes on. One cool place to visit if you ever get the chance!

Blogging Break

I'll be away from my computer for a few days - be back next week!

Dinner & Dominoes

This week is my mom's birthday, so we asked her to dinner last night. Her requested birthday menu was as follows:

* Meatloaf
* Buttered Noodles
* Green Beans
* Homemade Applesauce
* Triple Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting (a joint effort - Caleb did the sprinkles, Eli the squiggles and I did the writing)
* Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

And to top the evening off, we played several rounds of the domino game "Chicken Legs." Years ago when the boys were little, Mom would come to the farm for dinner and dominoes once a week. I thought she would probably enjoy playing dominoes again with the boys even though they're a tad bigger now - I was right.

Thanksgiving Idea Links

Here are a few fun links in preparation for Thanksgiving:

* This one has a printable outdoor scavenger hunt that I printed off and plan to use after Thanksgiving dinner at the cabin. I also read somewhere that it would be fun to use a fall scavenger hunt for a get-together. You could invite another family or two, divide into teams with copies of the hunt and have fun looking for the items. Afterwards, serve pie and ice cream - sounds like a great idea to me!

* The other link is the website Econobusters. On this blog Molly is doing a count-down to Thanksgiving with 30 days of fun ideas for preparing for Thanksgiving. Click on the link and then scroll down and to older posts for the days you've missed.

Enjoy!

Giggly Goo

Eli was in the mood to play with some Giggly Goo, so he mixed up a batch on Saturday afternoon. It's simple to make but can be a little messy - you might want to cover the area with newspaper. You just measure out a cup of water and set it aside. Put a cup of cornstarch in a large bowl and then pour about 1/2 of the water into the cornstarch and stir with a metal spoon. Add the rest of the water and stir well. The mixture is just right if it flows when you tip the bowl but feels firm when you poke it. You can always experiment and add more cornstarch or water. The consistency is crazy - you can quickly roll it into a ball, only to open your hand and it pours out. The concoction is really cool and a little addicting to play with! Eli's been messing with it every afternoon since he made it. He, by the way, added red and blue food coloring to the initial mixture - he's got a beautiful lavendar color going on.