Christmas Break

When JD was asked by the sweet mom of one of his little friends if she could have a Christmas hug, he promptly replied "no".  When she asked why he couldn't give her a Christmas hug he stated.... "I am on Christmas break!"  We got a good laugh from that one!

(A photo from last year.....one of my favorite's)

Time Away

A few weekends ago Chad and I had the opportunity to get away for a few days and what a sweet time it was!  I “surprised” him (it started as a surprise plan but he found out about it before we left) with a trip to Boise to watch a BSU football game on the Boise State “smurf turf”.  We flew out early on a Friday and came home on a Monday.   We really love the Boise area and it was fun to revisit some special places from our dating era. What an experience we had at the game!  We loved walking around and taking in all the tailgating parties, these are some very loyal BSU fans!  The children had a blast at their respective homes for the weekend.  Mitchell and JD enjoyed some time at the E’s, the middle three had a blast at the Beld’s for a couple nights, then sweet Maddie girl took care of them all here at home for the last night.  What a treasure trove of dear friends we have! It was a very special and much needed time away together. It was so good just to relax, refresh and regroup alone as a couple as we start this new season of family life without Papa and Gigi.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

On the plane

The sea of tailgaters

WOW...the back of one of the tailgaters vans!

Mitchell's future truck... :-)

Now that is a BBQ!

A new friend.... yikes!

Chad's new friends....big YIKES!

The view from our seats....they were great!

Sitting on our favorite bench....actually where we shared our first kiss....shhhhh!

The view from the bench, a beautiful valley.

Standing just about where we met 19 years ago :-)

Giving Thanks

…for His abundant blessings. The Hope of Heaven, a living God, a loving Savior, the Gospel free and clear, precious memories, a faithful husband, inquisitive children I get to spend my days with, family, dear friends, nummy good food, Bible time around the dinner table, a warm fireplace, toasty feet at night, hymns playing in my kitchen and a delicious Thanksgiving meal!

I am trying a couple new recipes this year and I am excited to see how it all goes!  We are having Cranberry-Orange Roasted Turkey, slow cooker mashed potatoes, Sourdough Stuffing (no mushrooms and lots of sausage & bacon added instead), Sweet Potato Casserole, Swiss Vegetable Medley and rolls.  For dessert the classic pumpkin pie, pecan pie and a new one…. Yummy Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie.  I have been experimenting with pie crust using the lard from our freshly butchered 1/2 pig.  The kids named him "Jimmy Dean"...  and he has been delicious!  I have never made pie crust (or anything else) with true lard for that matter.  I will echo every praise I have heard over the years about using true lard.  It is amazingly flaky, light and delicious…I have never tasted a crust quite like it!

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are a couple of the recipes from this year….

Cranberry-Orange Roasted Turkey

Prep time: 30 minutes

Bake: 3 hours + standing

Yield: 28 servings (3 ½ cups sauce)

3 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 turkey (14 lbs.)

1 medium orange

1 can (14 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce

¾ cup teriyaki sauce

½ cup honey

½ cup orange marmalade

2 T. soy sauce

4 sprigs fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, parsley and sage

2 medium onions, cut into wedges

1.        Combine garlic powder, salt and pepper.  With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; spread half of garlic powder mixture under the skin.  Sprinkle skin with remaining mixture. 

2.       Juice the orange, reserving the rind.  In a large bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, marmalade, soy sauce and the juice from the orange.  Cover and refrigerate 3 ½ cups of the mixture for sauce.

3.       Rub remaining orange juice mixture under the skin.  Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks.  Place herb sprigs and reserved orange rind in turkey cavity. 

4.       Arrange onions in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Place turkey over onions.  Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 3 – 3 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees.  (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving. 

5.       Discard herb sprigs and orange rind before slicing the turkey. 

6.       Place reserved sauce in a large saucepan; heat through. Serve with the turkey. 

  

Yummy Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hr. 10 min.

Serves: 8

 -Pastry for a single crust pie

Filling:

-1/2 cup sugar

3 T flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Dash of salt

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (I am using Granny Smith)

Crumb topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup quick-cooking oats

½ cup butter

Final topping:

¼ cup caramel ice cream topping

½ cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1.        Prepare pastry for a single-crust pie, being careful not to stretch the dough too much

2.       Place in a pie plate and trim and crimp the edge.

3.       In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.

4.       Add apple slices and gently toss until they are coated well

5.       Transfer mixture to pie plate

6.       FOR CRUMB TOPPING: Stir together brown sugar, flour and oats.

7.       Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until topping resembles course crumbs.

8.       Sprinkle over apple mixture in pie.

9.       To prevent over-browning while baking, cover edge of pie with foil.

10.   Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

11.   Remove foil and bake 25-30 minutes more until the top is golden.

12.   Remove from oven.

13.   Drizzle top with caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans.

14.   Cool on wire rack and serve!

Much Love and Many Thanks …. Again

I know it has been a while since I last posted.  Things are so very different here; I am not sure how to put it all into words.  Some days are so much better and some days are very, very hard.  We decided to go ahead and make changes to “Papa and Gigi’s” part of our home.  I wrestled with moving too quickly but at the same time I could not handle going in there multiple times a day and have it all look the same…smells, stuff….everything. We packed things up, painted and made it into a family/school room and it is functioning quite well.  Still, so many visions pop into my mind every single time I go in and out of that room.  It is especially hard at night to have it so dark and hear nothing.  No quiet breathing or music playing, just silence. To leave and not kiss Papa goodbye, to back out of the driveway with his windows dark, to come home to an empty house…  so incredibly hard.   We all miss having Carren , our Hospice nurse, and her sweet self here every Wednesday. We miss our dear Ramona terribly. She loved Papa and Gigi and it showed in her tender care of them  over the years.  We did have her here for her birthday dinner last month and we love the fact that she has stopped by unexpectedly a couple times for a visit.  We miss her, she is part of our family and from her lips, we are part of hers.  

Once again we were overwhelmed with the love and care of those near and far as my Papa went home to be with the Lord. These words of gratitude are almost verbatim of what I wrote when Gigi passed away.  We have been abundantly fed in all areas….. physically, emotionally and spiritually. We have been so blessed by the words of love, sympathy and encouragement that came in the form of cards and letters from near and far… almost daily.   It has been a blessing to hear from people deeply impacted by my grandfather’s life.    

We were astounded again at the outpouring of love and service from our precious church family. The meals again came like crazy, children cared for, our family and extended family blessed by meals brought while they were here and an amazing meal served at the church after the memorial….genuine love in word and deed. Many details of the actual memorial service… programs, the fellowship and food afterwards, clean up….all of it diligently taken care of by our dear, sweet church family. Words cannot express how thankful we are to have Spring Creek Bible Church be where God has planted us for these last 11 years. We are especially thankful for our Pastor(s) and Elders and their example of loving and serving others in many practical ways. We thought we had known and experienced love at the hands of the body before, but again these last few weeks have far surpassed anything we could have imagined. What an encouragement it has been to our family as we are reminded how important it is to minister to others in their time of need or sorrow. Our church family is a beautiful gift from the hand of the Lord.

We are tremendously blessed. We know it, are grateful for it, and don’t take it for granted...thank you. We look forward to the opportunities to love others as we have been loved.

Romans 12:9-21

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Precious Memories

I know memorials can be a time to idolize a person, to forget all their faults and make them sound like saints, but that is not the case with my grandfather.  Everything I desire to share with you is not exaggerated or changed to make him sound better or to protect my rose colored thoughts of who he was.  This is who he was, at the core of his being.  There is no way to sufficiently describe the depth of who my grandfather was.  I could spend countless hours telling you about him but I could not do justice to his kindnesses, gentleness, patience and humility. 

He never needed to be the center of attention, never wanted to be first, did not have to have his way.  He was  always content to simply be with you, to talk with you, to sit and listen.  He was not one to often offer an opinion, but instead gave words of wisdom at just the appropriate time.  He had no expectations.  He gave everything and expected nothing in return. Who does that and how does someone live like that??  I believe if papa were here today he would tell you in death what he told us in life, it is because of his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

There are two passages of scripture that most often the Lord brought to my mind as I have considered what I would say at his memorial. Two passages that I feel speak the most truth about Papa and share something that my own words cannot adequately express. 

 The first passage shares the first and second greatest commandment…

Matthew 22:37-39... He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The second passage shares the fruit of the life of a believer....

Galatians 5:22-23 ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Because Papa loved the Lord his God with all of his heart, mind and soul he was able to love others as himself and exhibit great spiritual fruit in his life.  I feel I can say honestly that he did exhibit each fruit the scriptures talk about. He gave intense love; he was perpetually joyful, showed great peace in trusting his Savior with every circumstance in life.  He practiced kindness, shared goodness, was continually faithful, he was overtly gentle and humbly self-controlled. Of course he was not perfect, no one is. What he was though, was a man who had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and lived the truth and fullness of that relationship each and every day. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity to have traveled and lived with Papa and Gigi throughout my life.  I love the memory of going to Chuck E Cheese, Chubby Chicken and Godfathers Pizza all in one day, just because I asked my Papa.  Being “spanked” with a fly swatter…it doesn’t hurt in the least.  Learning to play poker with popcorn kernels, watching Murder She Wrote, eating cheese, crackers and pepperoni together.  Having running races with him on the sidewalks and holding his hand as we walked down the street, even as a grown woman. Hearing his voice sing the hymns he loved, sitting between Papa and Gigi and being “kitzeled” in church as a little and not so little girl. Sunday afternoon hospitality with other families, going out for pie after Sunday evening service… the memories could be recounted for hours.

There are so many everyday things I miss about Papa. I miss terribly the gentleness in his face, the kindness in his eyes and the softness of his hands.  I miss his wit, humor and fantastic stories. I miss his gracious and plentiful compliments at mealtimes, his multitudes of “thank you’s” in every situation, each and every day.   I miss caring for him, kissing his forehead and cheek, the smell of his skin, receiving kisses, holding his hand, and simply sitting with him.  I will miss most hearing “I love you precious girl, more than you will ever know" from his lips.

I am eternally grateful that God sovereignly chose for me to be the granddaughter of Edmond Richard Panici.  That He allowed me to be so greatly and intimately impacted by the life of Papa and his heart. I am infinitely thankful that he allowed Papa to be in essence an earthly father and grandfather to me. I am indebted to him for his love for my husband Chad and the influence he had on him as a husband, father and friend.   To have been the recipient of such a personal and great love from a human man gives me a tiny glimpse of the great love our Heavenly Father must have for us.  Papa’s love for us is just a snippet of the Greatest Love of all, the love of a Heavenly Father willing to sacrifice His Son for the lives of sinful man.  It gives me great comfort and joy to know that in death Papa is receiving, to the Greatest Degree, the fullness of the love he freely gave in life.    

Edmond Richard Panici

Edmond Richard Panici, beloved husband, loving father, devoted grandfather and great-grandfather, our “Papa” had his faith become sight as he stepped into eternity with his Savior on Sunday, October 2, 2011.  He entered this world on May 26, 1918 as the oldest son of Joseph and Frances Lehmann Panici in Chicago Heights, Ill.

Edmond spent his formative years in Chicago Heights and had many adventures in his childhood and young adult life.  He joined the Navy during WWII and it was at Norfolk Naval Air Station that he met the love of his life, Ilene.  After meeting in January 1946 and having only 2 dates, they were married on April 14, 1946.  Their life together included living in a few different places but the bulk of the years were spend in La Verne, CA, Anchorage, AK, Yerington, NV and finally Bellingham and Lynden, WA.  A highlight for Edmond were the years he spent driving truck and working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, hauling pipe from Fairbanks up to Prudhoe Bay and down to Valdez. Some of our best family memories include listening to the many stories of his vast life experiences.  After retirement, they traveled many years in their 5^th wheel and together experienced all 50 states in the Union. They lived a devoted 64 years together until Ilene went home to the Lord in Dec. 2010.  Their marriage was a shining example to many.  Edmond was a gentle, kind and precious man.  He loved unconditionally, generously, and deeply and knew not a stranger.    

Edmond was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ilene; brother Ray Panici and sister Ethel Shane; he will be greatly missed by brother Ken (Patti) Panici of California; sons Rick (Lura) Panici of Yerington, NV;  Ken Panici of Kalama, WA; and daughter Jo Anne (Mitch) Alden of Kalama, WA.  He will also be greatly missed by his granddaughter Chessa (Chad) Honey of Lynden and their children Mitchell, Isabelle, William, Shelley and JD, who have taken loving care of their Papa (and Gigi) for the last 12 years; and grandsons, Sam Panici of Okinawa, Japan; Nick Panici of Houston, TX and Michael (Mackenzie) Panici and their children Eddie, Eric, Elethyia, Kelly, Brayden, Rebekah and Toby of Victorville, CA. 

A memorial service will be held at Spring Creek Bible Church, 567 E Kellogg Road, Bellingham on Sunday, October 23 at 2pm.  In honor of Edmond, memorials may be given to Wycliffe Bible Translators (www.wycliffe.org) or the Lighthouse Mission.  You may share your thoughts and memories of Edmond here or at www.GoodStewardFunerals.org

Absent

... from the body, my precious Papa is present with his Lord and Savior. I can hardly write what I know to be true. On Sunday, October 2 at 5:15 am my dearest Papa stepped into eternity. His faith has become sight, he sorrows no more.

Crazy Amazing

I really don’t know what else to say…. the results of my LASIK are crazy amazing! I am praising and thanking my Heavenly Father for this precious gift of “sight”. 
PCLI and their staff are phenomenal. The pre-op process and actual surgery went extremely smooth and the post–op recovery has been much better than I expected. I do believe I have had an excellent experience. I know that others have may have had valid complications but I have had none, truly not one. At my one week appointment yesterday my right eye was 20/20 and my left eye …which was formerly legally blind… 20/25! This is just short of a week out and according to PCLI and my optometrist I can expect possible improvement in my vision over the next 6 months! The best part of the surgery... outside of my vision of course… was when the surgeon stated that he likes to pray before his surgeries and asked if I would mind if he prayed with me! In my research of the different LASIK facilities I was drawn to PCLI because of their depth of experience with LASIK and Cataract surgeries and what seemed to be an “underpromise/overdeliver” feel from their website. I was also drawn when I read the comments from patients and what seemed to be a thread of thankfulness for the humble, kind attitudes of the surgeons.In quite a few notes it was also mentioned that many were prayed with prior to surgery. What a blessing it was to have the nurse holding my hand telling me about the missions trip they were going to be doing soon to take this surgery to a third world country and perform it where it is greatly needed and then to have the surgeon pray with me… crazy amazing! As for the actual surgery…well, hard to describe in a blog post but I can say it was quick and truly not as scary or uncomfortable as I thought it would be... not at all. The actual laser time was 3-4 seconds on my right eye and 7-8 seconds on my left. The entire actual surgery time... from start to finish... less than 10 minutes!!!!
 It is still hard for my brain to comprehend that I don’t need to put in my contacts in the morning or slip on my glasses at night! Waking up in the middle of the night and being able to see everything including the alarm clock...crazy amazing! I cannot wait to go swimming with the children and be actually able to go underwater and see when I pop back up...crazy amazing! There are so many “oh wow…I can see that” moments throughout the day …it truly is a whole new world and I am lovin’ it!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

A Whole New World

I am so very excited to go from this ... 

to this ...

without the need for these ...

or these ...

Thanks to this ...

at this excellent facility.... this Thursday!

http://www.pcli.com/lasik/

(all photos courtesy of Google images and pcli.com)