Our Thanksgiving Trip

E. took these lovely photographs on Thanksgiving Day – it was snowy and cold at the cabin which made for some beautiful scenery. We took a ride through the mountains on Thanksgiving afternoon which is when E. took these photos. The woods were just beautiful.


Some highlights of our trip:

* having my father-in-law (who visited with us for a few days) teach us a new card game called Five Crowns which we’re really enjoying
* eating supper on Thanksgiving Eve at the famous Wellsboro Diner – it was the first time the boys ate there and they loved the Christmas lights strung in the windows, how the diner sits right on a busy street corner and the huge three-layer cake sitting on the counter


* gingerbread donuts for breakfast one morning
* waking up to snow showers two mornings


* the guys’ annual hike – this time to an old slate quarry
* some great bargains at the Woolrich store on our Black Friday excursion – the kettle corn they were selling didn’t hurt either!
* sitting by the woodstove with a cup of tea quietly reading with carols playing in the background while the guys hiked


* our delicious Thanksgiving dinner – turkey breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, two kinds of filling, green bean casserole, Martin’s potato dinner rolls, pumpkin pie and leaf-shaped chocolates
* watching a different Christmas movie every night with old Dick Van Dyke shows in between
* Peanut Butter Ripple Ice Cream from Cohick’s Trading Post which tastes like it was made in our kitchen

Christmas Coloring & Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream (or Mousse?)

Eli wanted me to take some shots of the coloring pages we did the other night. Each year about this time, he gets the hankering to color in Christmas coloring books - a left-over tradition from when the boys were little. Every December I used to buy them fresh Christmas coloring books for the season. So we sat down and colored the other night - I actually find it very relaxing! Amidst the artistry, I took a break and made up a batch of Pumpkin Gingerbread Ice Cream - a new recipe I came across in the newspaper that sounded like fun. The flavor is good though the texture is more like a mousse than ice cream when it's set up. Anyway, the recipe is below in case you feel adventurous:

Pumpkin Gingerbread Ice Cream

1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
16 gingersnap cookies, coarsely crumbled

Heat pumpkin and spices in a medium saucepan, stirring to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Transfer to shallow pan; freeze to cool quickly. Soften ice cream (15-30 seconds in the microwave). Turn into a large bowl; stir in pumpkin mixture until nearly incorporated. Crumble cookies into ice cream and continue to fold until incorporated. Freeze until ready to serve.

Christmas Bazaaring

My mom, sister and I went Christmas bazaaring last weekend. It's an annual tradition for us to visit a local town where the churches, fire hall, and variety of businesses open their doors for delicious food, crafts and inspiration. We enjoyed vegetable crab soup for lunch, looking for treasures at a used book sale, sampling homemade cookies and candies at our local Representative's office, and being inspired through decorations and other beauty.

Sky

(The first photo was taken at home the night before we left for the cabin; the second two here in the mountains.)

Scrabble Letters

Last week Mom and I spent a day together for her birthday outing. She chose to go thrift shop-hopping and then for lunch at a nice little coffeehouse. We had a great time, and I found some lovely new skirts and tops to wear.

I took the photo because I thought it was a fun idea to keep in mind. At the one thrift shop we were in, they had put similar labels for the various sections of their used books. They simply used old scrabble letters and holders as clever markers for the sections. This unique idea could be used in lots of different ways - now I've got my eye out for old Scrabble games!

Fall Photos

(The first and last photos by Eli.)

Salmon & Corn Chowder

You can't leave M.'s aunt and uncle's home without something in your hands. Last Friday night we stopped in to visit and left with a handful of vintage ladies' handkerchiefs, a sales flyer for a local store, a deer sausage patty for each of us, a box of popsicles for the boys and a recipe for Salmon & Corn Chowder!

I made the soup recipe this week. Though no one else in the house was jumping for joy over it, I found it very, very good. Let me warn you that it is rich - as the cream in the recipe will testify. You could probably substitute all milk for the cream -though, of course, it would change the consistency and richness somewhat.

Salmon & Corn Chowder

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 C. celery, chopped
1 - 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 C. light cream
1 C. milk
1/4 C. butter
2 tabl. flour
1 - 16.5 oz. can of cream-style corn
1 - 16 oz. can of salmon, drained, boned and flaked (I didn't take out the tiny round bones as M. likes the crunchiness of them.)

Cook covered the first 5 ingredients about 10 minutes until veggies are tender. Stir in cream, milk and butter. Combine flour and corn, stir soup. Heat but do not boil, until slightly thickened. Gently stir in salmon and heat through. Makes about 2 qts.

The Big Muskie

A few weekends ago, we went out to Ohio to visit M.'s sister. On the way out we drove through McConnellsville in the southeastern portion of Ohio to see The Big Muskie's bucket. The Big Muskie was an incredible dragline built in the late '60s that harvested an insane amount of coal in its' lifetime. Known as the biggest machine ever to walk the face of the earth, it was disassembled in the '90s. That is, all but its' bucket - which sits in the middle of Miners' Memorial Park.

M. took a picture of me in the bucket.

From far away:


And then close-up:


The bucket is big enough to hold a marching band. See how little Ben looks (bottom left) in comparison to it?!

Turkey-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

I made turkey-shaped rolls for breakfast yesterday morning using cinnamon rolls and biscuits, and they looked really sweet! The only change I made to the original recipe was that I used just one extra large biscuit per cinnamon roll instead of 1 1/2 biscuits per cinnamon roll. I also didn't put the sprinkles on, and they were still cute. As it was dark out when I made them, I didn't take a photo - but the recipe and photo are HERE.

Eli's Animals

E. recently did a photo shoot with some of his Schleich animals down by the creek. I think the bear is my favorite:

Notes on Genesis 22 (and My Grandmother)

I've been reading through Matthew Henry's Commentary on the book of Genesis. I came across several remarks of his on Genesis 22 - Abraham's obedience to God in sacrificing Issac - that are worth noting (and remembering):

* "God's commands must not be disputed, but obeyed; we must not consult with flesh and blood about them, but with a gracious obstinacy persist in our obedience to them."

* "Those that do the will of God heartily will do it speedily; while we delay, time is lost and the heart hardened."

* "God, by his providence, which is truly the voice of God, calls us to part with an Isaac sometimes, and we must do it with a cheerful resignation and submission to his holy will."


As a side note, it looks (for the time being) as if I will not have to part with my Isaac. My grandmother was successfully taken off the ventilator yesterday - she is breathing on her own, talking and even smiling. Her heart is still sick though, and I'm not sure where this will lead but I thank the Lord that I am blessed to enjoy my grandmother's sweet spirit a little while longer on this Earth. Thank you all so much for your notes and prayers -

Caleb's 15th

The menu for Caleb's 15th birthday:

* Beef Pot Pie
* Boiled Asparagus
* Warm & Cold Applesauce
* Yellow Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting
* Assorted Ice Creams


Though this photo is fuzzy, this one captures Caleb's true personality the best. (Notice the hint of mischievousness in his eyes and smile?) He is enjoying the tractor book that we gave him and has added it to his ever-growing library of such books. His birthday dinner was extra special because M.'s parents joined us. And we even got my father-in-law to play dominoes with us afterwards - a real treat!

Waiting

“He gives and takes away, He gives and takes away,
My heart will choose to say: Lord, blessed be Your Name.”

That chorus from the praise song keeps running repeatedly through my mind.

Several nights ago, my grandmother’s bad heart threw her into cardiac arrest. She now lies in a hospital bed hooked to a ventilator. And so we wait.

I got to see her last night. The fact is that I wasn’t sure the woman in the bed was my grandmother. I had to check the computer screen for her name to be sure. I was able to wake her, and we proceeded to have a torturous, one-sided conversation. I rambled on about this and that – meaningless rabble – as she tried to respond. I know that she understood me – I could read her lips as she repeated some of the words that I spoke.

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to see her, my prayer is that she not linger. And yet, I will trust Him. His ways are higher than mine. His plans better than mine. And yet, I will trust Him.

I don’t know how much I’ll be sharing here for awhile. I’m helping with meals for my grandfather and taking him back and forth to the hospital. Though these things don’t take a whole lot of time, I just don’t have the mental gumption or desire to blog right now.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job 1:21

What would I do without Him? Thank God, I don’t need to know.

Crispy Chocolate Log

Here's the recipe for the Rice Krispies dessert that I mentioned earlier in the week:

Crispy Chocolate Log

1 - 10 oz. pkg. large marshmallows
1/4 C. butter
1/8 C. peanut butter
6 C. Rice Krispies
1 1/3 C. milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
3/4 C. butterscotch chips

Line a 15x10x1" pan with waxed paper. Spray paper well with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine marshmallows, butter, and peanut butter. Cover and microwave for 1 minute. Stir until well-blended; stir in cereal. Spread in pan with buttered hands. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in microwave for 2 minutes. Spread on cereal mixture to within 1" of edges. Roll up long way, peeling away waxed paper while rolling. Place seam side down. Refrigerate 1 hour before slicing.

Paper Pumpkin

I love how this paper pumpkin turned out and plan to give it to a friend as part of a little Thanksgiving gift. Here's the link with directions for how to make it.

Dinner & Dominoes

My mom came over the other evening for her annual birthday gathering of dinner and dominoes. She usually requests tuna noodle casserole - I made a rendition of it with the added feature of onions which adds a nice, extra flavor to the already "homey" meal. Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting was the requested birthday cake. And her face light up when I told the boys to get out the dominoes - she loves playing "Chicken Feet" with them. We played 5 rounds over Wild Berry Tea, and she ended up winning the game. A cold night of warm memories . . .


Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 lb. wide egg noodles
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/2 tabl. olive oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 soup cans of milk
1 - 5 oz. can of tuna in water, flaked
Sliced cheese

Cook noodles and drain. Cook onion in oil until tender. Combine soup, milk and tuna; stir in cooked onions and add noodles. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Stir; top with sliced cheese. Bake another 5 minutes more until cheese melts. (NOTE: I usually double this recipe for our family - it provides left-overs for lunch the next day.)

The God That is Enough

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. -- Genesis 17:1

"He is a God that is enough; or, as our old English translation reads it here very significantly, I am God all-sufficient. Note, The God with whom we have to do is a God that is enough. He is enough in himself; he is self-sufficient; he has every thing, and he needs not any thing. He is enough to us, if we be in covenant with him: we have all in him, and we have enough in him, enough to satisfy our most enlarged desires, enough to supply the defect of every thing else, and to secure to us a happiness for our immortal souls."

-- an excerpt of Matthew Henry's from his commentary on the translation of "Almighty God" in Genesis 17:1

Scenes From Sunday

Yesterday after worship, we enjoyed having a young couple over for lunch. Our guests brought the dessert - delicious chocolate chip cookies and slices of Rice Krispy Roll which I requested the recipe for as the boys and I especially enjoyed that. They stayed for several hours as we ate, got to know one another better, and introduced them to the antics of the goats.

Our menu:

* Grilled Sausage
* Cooked Cauliflower
* Grilled Asparagus
* Buttered Noodles
* Cold & Warm Applesauce
* Chocolate Chip Cookies and Rice Krispy Roll with Hot Tea



After our company left, the boys went off in two directions - Caleb and Eli went to a fall festival with their cousins, and Ben took off to practice volleyball with the team members he's going to play with in a winter league. So Marty and I enjoyed several hours alone - we decided on a long walk down the road then a light supper of tomato soup, toast with apple butter and left-over dessert from lunch. We also read for awhile and watched an old Perry Mason episode together. It was a beautiful autumn Sabbath day.