9 years and a Cheeseburger Cake

Our little "Will-Bug" and "Shell-Belle" celebrated 9 years of life this month!  We have had such a sweet time of celebrating them and enjoyed 2 separate gatherings to commemorate this milestone! It is such a joy to see them grow and watch their individual personalities develop and at the same time they definitely are twins and similar in so many ways! 

William continues to be so faithful in his tenderness in response to instruction from us, he is always willing to work with rarely a complaint, he LOvEs building all he can with KNEX and LEGOS, he constantly asks Daddy how he can help him or if he can work or build with him around the house, he has great tenacity in his schoolwork and some of the best handwriting I have ever seen for such a young man!  His handwriting speaks of a future as an “architect” or “engineer” to me!  He is always willing to play many hours of “Little House on the Prairie” with his sister’s out in our red building they have converted to their frontier home! Hands down, he has to be the most longsuffering big brother anyone has ever met….someday JD will have the privilege of understanding what a gem he has in his older brother William. 

Shelley is all girl, all the time and we love it!  She has a penchant for all things pink or purple, she loves spending hours listening to stories/books on CD while her imagination is living the story in her mind.  She so enjoys “playing out” those stories for hours on end with her siblings in their makeshift frontier home.  Shelley is also so faithful in her schoolwork and also has beautiful penmanship herself! She is quite dependable in her chores and work around the house, always willing to do the next thing I might ask of her.  She loves to read stories to little ones and is so helpful to me when JD needs a little quieting down.  One of the best ways to pass the time for JD is to snuggle next to his big sis for a story time.  She loves being “little momma” when big sister Isabelle and I happen to be gone at the same time and she does a marvelous job filling in my shoes. 

They chose a delicious birthday dinner again this year…. Chicken Carbonara, garlic ceaser salad and golden garlic bread…. it is all “to die for” food!  They both wanted Kelsey and Aaron Tolsma over for their birthday dinner celebration and so we had a sweet time of fellowship with the two of them a couple nights ago.  This year for dessert they chose a Cheeseburger Cake!  WOW…. what an endeavor!  I baked everything, got all we needed from the store and planned on putting it all together and then my gem of a hubby actually ended up doing the assembly for me and he did an amazing job!  He had some interesting cake to work with as the top part that was supposed to be the bun had a hard time coming out of the bowl it was baked in and then broke into 3 pieces, but his talents prevailed and created an awesome and memorable cheeseburger cake! Children are a sweet blessing from the gracious hand of the Lord and it was another precious year of celebrating these two “not so little” ones that we love so dearly.

Snow... Snow... Snow...

Even though I don’t love SNOW... I do love the song “Snow” from the movie White Christmas and the sweet mixture of the beautiful voices of Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Danny Kay and Trudy Stevens.  Trudy Stevens wasn’t actually in the movie but instead she sang while Vera Ellen, the fourth star of the movie, lip synced the words.  Vera Ellen might not have been able to sing, but she sure could dance! We love the tradition of watching White Christmas every year!

This month we have had our fair share of snow around here.  First we drove North to the snow for a weekend of sledding, snowmobiles, games, good food and sweet fellowship and then the snow came to us….way too much for my taste!  Afer growing up in Alaska, I have experienced enough snow to last me a lifetime! Nonetheless, in the eyes of the children the snow has been outstanding fun and they have definitely enjoyed it.  Alas, I will write no more on the subject but instead, thanks to a recent English assignment, I will leave you with a few paragraphs on snow and the adventure it brings from Mitchell’s perspective.  

Snow: the smell of it, the wintriness in the air, the mesmerizing scene of intricate flakes falling from the sky, its silent beauty, and the frosty taste of snow flakes on your tongue. From a teenager’s perspective, snow is a blessing and a curse. It can provide countless hours of fun, but also countless hours of teeth grinding frustration while sitting behind the wheel. Most parents have an obvious distaste for snow, though the rare few who enjoy it make up for what the snow-haters are missing. Love it or hate it, snow is a beautiful manifestation of God’s creation.

Being towed behind a snowmobile or quad while riding an inner tube and flying over the snow at a high rate of speed is not the hardest thing to accomplish in the world, but it could be one of the more dangerous. Given this fact, it is beyond important to wear headgear while being towed. A helmet will protect you from flying ice or rock, a concussion, or possibly death. For example, if you get thrown off a tube while being towed on a frozen lake, the outcome will be much better if your helmet cracks instead of your skull. Please, for the better good of your health, wear a helmet.

This past week, I obtained permission from my household vice-commander-in-chief (mom) to venture outside of the protective, warm, and comfortable atmosphere of home; and into the arctic environment to be retrieved by a friend named Terry riding a mighty steel steed. Subsequent to manipulating my insulated carcass onto the back of his quad, the fun began. We went back to his playhouse, i.e. the farm shop, to retrieve a second quad for myself to ride. After doing so, we played like two good ol’ boys will do in the snow and on the ice. Of course, as we were leaving the shop, Terry tells me “don’t get stuck,” but how can you not! After getting stuck more times than I could count, doing brodies on our road that could’ve doubled for an ice rink, and losing feeling in my face due to the cold, I returned to my clement domicile. That night will be added to my mental file of accomplishments past, and things that were fun, but slightly stupid.

"God Bless Our Home"

We have looked at those four words on this little clock for 18 years now.  Our dear friends Carl & Laurie Smith from Alaska gave us that little clock on our wedding day 18 years ago, January 15, 1994.  This past Sunday Chad and I celebrated 18 sweet and salty years! I love thinking of the years in these terms because you often need the salty to enhance the sweetness!  God has truly blessed our home.  He has given us new life both physically and spiritually, multiple joys and sorrows, countless tender and severe mercies and He has lathered us with His grace over the years.  He gave us the privilege of walking many years alongside Papa and Gigi as their earthly lives ended and their eternal lives began, all under His tender loving care.  God has truly blessed our home.  This little clock died a few weeks ago, a new battery isn’t doing the trick anymore.  It is one of the few remaining gifts from our wedding day and still hangs indefinitely in our bathroom as I don’t have the heart to take it down yet … maybe someday! Until then, may it be a sweet reminder of the precious time God has already granted us and to anticipate what He will do through our family in the many years ahead.

Hunka, Hunka, burnin' love…..

My New Year’s Eve “date”…. How did I get so lucky!

(no, that is NOT his real chest hair)

The “Top 4” ugly sweaters of the night…..

It was quite an evening.... :-)

One Year

It is so hard to believe, but one year ago today my Gigi stepped into eternity with her Savior. This quote is ever so true for me....

"There is something keeping for you, which is worth the having.

Less of you resides out of Heaven now." Samuel Rutherford

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4




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."