About

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Some September stuff

I am so thankful when I get to have some one-on-one time with a child.
Hannah and I had a fun, girly date.  
Haircuts at a salon.  


I'd say so. (All hers!)


It's an inverted bob.  So cute on her.


Fall is making its arrival known in beautiful ways.  


The mornings are so crisp now.  The wood stove is fired up, and it's time for wearing soft flannel plaids.  So cozy.



One morning I was earnestly praying about some things weighing heavy on my heart.  When I finished I glanced out my bedroom window and saw the sky so pink.  It brought such comfort - almost like God saying I am here, I am in control of all things, and I hear your heart's cry. 


Look what I saw at Costco.  Isn't it perfect? Of course it is, it's teal blue!  
I was actually tempted to buy it,  (I didn't.)
not that I am the jet-setting mama, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? 


Was Pinteresting lately and found this recipe for Gluten-free, Vegan, Paleo 
pumpkin cheesecake.
It's pretty amazing!  If you need to be a "free" person, this is a very good substitute for real pumpkin cheesecake.  
(A note on that... instead of the 6" spring form pan it calls for, we used our 9" because it's what we have - so our white layer is much thinner, but still yummy.)


 Ellie has recently taken a liking to embroidery.  I had some kitchen towels with chicken scenes already transferred onto them.  


It's the perfect afternoon quiet activity for her to do.


And there was a sweet gathering/send off.  Both Caleb and his close friend, Buddy are heading off for college to Portland...
except Buddy is heading to Portland, Maine, and Caleb to Portland, Oregon.   
You can see their adventures on Instagram.
(@edwardgreentheiii and @thedaftscotsman)


That cake though!

And here we are at the end of September already.  Caleb has a couple of loose ends to tie up, then he'll be heading off.   
The winds of change are upon us.

All for now.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

A Consumer Report

Since our ten years of living in this home - we have replaced the dishwasher, the range, the refrigerator, the vacuum (twice) the washer and dryer, and now yet another dishwasher!

Our third (yes, THIRD) dishwasher will arrive in the next week.  

What is it with us and appliances?  We try to do careful research and make wise choices to get the most for our money. 

Could it be that we are careless?  Are we just too rough?  Are we not good stewards?  Do we not use them according to their specifications and design?

Ahh, maybe that is it!  
We do use them according to their specification, but NOT according to their design because I've concluded that they are not designed for a large family.  They are not designed for the family who is home, not just at night, but all day as well.  They are not designed for constant use.   

Boy do they get constant use!  I shudder to think what our home would look like if we didn't vacuum under the table after every meal or tackle a couple of loads of laundry each day.  And then there is the occasional (ha) teen who peers into the fridge seeking for something amazing to snack on.  


I've concluded that my appliances need to be work horses.  I've always thought of my appliances as my "hand-maidens".  They are my much-needed assistants.  But I think "hand-maiden" is far too fair a description for what I need.  I need a War Horse!   Seriously!

Photo credit:  War Horse - Dreamworks/Touchstone

If you read any reviews on dishwashers (and I just read a ton of them!) the common thread is that people needed to replace their much-loved, but tired old appliance of twenty years faithful service, but in so doing they unwittingly and regretfully gave up quality and workmanship that just can't be found today.  

Appliances shouldn't be a disposable commodity.   It should not make better financial sense to replace the whole unit instead of repair the malfunctioning part.

Is it really too much to ask of manufacturers to make a quality appliance?  You know commercial grade with a consumer price point!  And from the reviews, I know that I am not the only one who wishes this could be true.  

And that, my friend, is this consumer's report.


 

Friday, September 18, 2015

These days

Autumn is here and with it change.  I love that.  Change from t-shirts to sweaters, from salads to soups, from green to brown, red, and brilliant orange. Change in our routine too to a new regular rhythm - steady and predictable (mostly).

To me autumn is...
creamy smooth pumpkin pie and pumpkins on the porch.

the smell of chimney smoke wafting in the air.

soft, cozy flannel sheets.

the cool, crisp night-time air that makes for the most peaceful sleep.

sweet and spicy, soft molasses cookies - my absolute favorite.

and apples.

lots and lots of apples.

We have eased into our school routine and it is flowing nicely.  I am thankful for that.  I've been able to squeeze in a little bit of canning in the midst of school books.  A neighbor friend of mine called me recently and offered a chance to glean some green beans.  In just about an hour's time I picked two large buckets worth. That gave us 16 quarts.  Our little garden gave me 7.  If I am able, I like to can 52 jars, 1 for each week of the year.  We don't really eat a jar a week, but it seems that we are opening up the last of the jars just before gardening season arrives again.  :-)   So it works.  I was going to pick in her garden one more time, but the rain beat me.  We may just have to count our blessings with what we were able to get, and that's okay.


A local fruit stand has boxes of organic apples at great prices.  My kitchen smells of sweet applesauce and it is so amazing.  I used a mix of Jonagold and Fuji apples, and it is so flavorful and just as sweet as can be! No need for any sugar.   

There is more big change on the horizon.  It's happy-sad-mixed-up-feelings kind of change. It's all good, really.  I'll blog about it soon.

Also - even though eggnog lattes are available at the local coffee stand, I refuse to indulge until Black Friday weekend.  Pumpkin spice latte, however....yeah buddy!  ;-)

Happy fall, everyone!  




Sunday, September 13, 2015

Happy Grandparent's Day

A little note from the Bunch... 


We miss you and love you...and thank you for the important part you play in our lives. 
xoxo

Friday, September 11, 2015

Remembering with hope

I looked at my calendar this morning.  
September 11.

I can clearly remember what I was doing, and the shock I felt 
as I watched the attack in New York City.

So much could be said about this unprecedented horrific attack,
on this fourteenth anniversary of 09.11.01
But this is what I've been thinking about...


So much has changed because of that event, and yet... not.

evil. fear. oppression. 
 ~ 
humility. sacrifice. love. victory. 


History pages read the same. 
It appears that evil just repeats itself only looking slightly different with each event.
But, really, at the core of it all is sin.  Desperately wicked hearts. (Jer 17:9)
 The terrorists on 09.11 were bent on evil, fear, and oppression.
~
But bravery and sacrifice also repeat themselves.
Men fought against the evil ones. While trying to save lives, they lost their own.
Are we winning or losing this battle on terrorism? 

We have one hope.
Christ willingly laid down His life being the necessary sacrifice.
In so doing, He defeated sin and death. 
In the end His great love for the world stands victorious.
humility. sacrifice. love. victory!



Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Keepin' it real

 
or - what really goes on at our photo shoots
 

 


















This is why they are my favorite peeps!  Just.plain.fun.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Hey, that's me!


Do you think it looks like me?  A fellow blogger made this illustration for me. 
Isn't it fun to see how others see you?  I'm flattered!  I especially like my turquoise sneakers!  ;-)
 
You should go right now and check out her blog, Abby and the Pens, to see her other work.  I think she really captures so much personality in these whimsical watercolors.

Happy Monday.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

End of summer scenes from the potiger

Cosmos




Zinnias



For Mary's birthday last March Caleb gave her a little Disney princess pot of flower seeds.
We kept them inside and she faithfully watered and watched.  After they sprouted and the weather warmed a bit, we put them in the garden.
Those are her zinnias.  She was so thrilled that they bloomed.

 One pumpkin.  Only one!  Sadly the plant is suffering from blossom rot.

Red jewels.


This was my surprise of the summer.  A friend gave me four tomato plants.  I really didn't think they would grow well, but oh my goodness.  I have so many tomatoes.  (Probably 30 or more on my kitchen counter!) I'm pretty much the only one who eats them.  My lunches lately are cut up tomatoes with avocado and goat cheese drizzled with a little olive oil/vinegar OR tomato and cucumber salad OR tomato with tuna...  :-)

We still have lots of cucumbers.  I haven't had enough green beans to can, but we (actually, my nephew) steamed up a generous amount and then coated them with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  They were delish. 


  My sea of cucumbers.

 The view from the house.  
A very sloppy end of the season garden.

My garden journal 2015: 

  • The soil on the new side definitely needs to be enriched.  
  • The salad cucumbers didn't put out near as many as the pickling ones (but I think I planted more pickling plants.) Only plant 1 row of pickling cukes.
  • The one squash plant has blossom rot as well as the one pumpkin plant. :-(
  • Do not let the tomato plants just grow.  Use cages or stake them sturdily.  Only plant 2!
  • Under the tomato plant grew that nasty horsetail weed, but nowhere else in the garden.  I wonder why?
  • Basil grew really well.  (a very hot summer - lots of days in the 90s) Plant a lot more!
  • Cilantro always grows well.
  • Romaine lettuce did much better than mesclun. (probably because of the heat.)
  • Beets did well this year.  I did better with thinning.  (next year plant 3x as many!)
  • Green beans need taller stakes and string that runs between the stakes or something.  The T-posts alone do not work well.
  • Don't plant rows on the diagonals.  Make better use of the space.
  • I need a kitchen window herb garden of parsley and chives.

. . . . . 

always friendly and curious 


Did you grow a garden this year?  How did it go for you?  I'd love to hear.