Her First Formal

My "baby" is not so much a baby any longer. She attended her first formal a few weeks ago, and looked beautiful. Her friend Meredith fixed her hair into a style that was becoming to Abigail and accented her dress nicely. 

 Her shoes? Simple, clear jelly flats. They looked like glass slippers!

Which was quite fitting since the formal was held in a real castle. And after all, she is Cinderella!

Holy Week

We attended the evening service on Maundy Thursday, and participated in the Lord's Supper. As communion was being administered the sun was at the point in the sky when it's absolutely blinding. We closed the service by singing O Sacred Head Now Wounded, and the sun sank below the horizon as we finished the song. The symbolism was not wasted on me, and I left the service in tears.

Good Friday at noon we gathered back at the church for a worshipful time of prayer. My heart was heavy even though I know the outcome. That Christ died for me is an astounding thought. The fact that my sins nailed Him to the cross is almost unbearable.

And then came Sunday. JOY! He is risen!

Mac and Autumn weren't able to join us this year, and that made my mother's heart a bit sad, but we enjoyed a nice brunch and each other's company.

Valentine Gingerbread Homes

Tradition. We've made gingerbread houses for years, and we all look forward to it. When a friend hosted this year, I was happy to be able relax and not have all of the baking, cleaning up, etc. that goes along with such an activity. But there's something to be said for hosting, too. You know, like if you're invited for Thanksgiving dinner, and it's wonderful, but you don't have the leftovers for sandwiches, and the carcass for broth. Yeah, it's kind of like that. But different, too. 

Verne especially missed me hosting since he wasn't able to partake in the house decorating. Sometimes I think that activities I plan are too over the top, and that maybe no one even cares. It's not that I feel under-appreciated; I don't. My family has always been very good about expressing their appreciation for what I do. It's just that maybe I don't need to go to the lengths that I do to show my love for them. Maybe I'm doing these things more for myself than for them, because they're what I would choose. Maybe they'd be satisfied with doing less, or not doing the activity at all. 

In any case, I had those feelings of missing something, and decided to proceed in a different way. Since Abigail did get to build a Christmas house and time was going to be very limited when we were all together over the holidays, I decided to move the activity to Valentine's Day. Abigail invited friends since her siblings would be absent. I baked and assembled eight houses: six for the girls, one for Verne, and one for me. 

The leftover dough was baked into hearts, big and small, and round cookies bearing a homemade stamp. Marshmallows were dipped in Dolci Frutta and topped with snowflake sprinkles and nonpareils. Pink lemonade was also served. 

The table was set with a house at each spot, and goodies for decorating were placed in bowls just before the girls arrived. 

Each girl was also asked to bring some candies of their choosing to share for decorations. 

Look! A real, live gingerbread person!

The girls had a great time, and it was fun to see their unique decorating styles. However, the highlight of the day was watching Verne decorate his house. I made his house a bit different, and added a chimney. He is special, you know.

The girls were allotted 3 hours for decorating. No one needed that much time, and they used the last hour to play games. But Verne? He worked, and worked, and worked. He took four hours on his house, and with that I got my answer. These traditions? They are not just for me.


Cookie stamp found here.

Sweet Days

For so many years the hustle and bustle has happened in our own home, but the days are much quieter now. Abigail and I were thrilled to be thought of and invited to participate in a Gingerbread House Party. The afternoon was a wonderful mix of older and younger children, and a sweet time with other moms. Having baked and assembled these houses so many years in the past I truly appreciated the hostess and all of her hard work.

Mac is home, and now we wait for Autumn and Collin to arrive. The turn around time will be quick, just as it was for Thanksgiving, but I'm so grateful that we'll all be together.

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Apple Cranberry Pie

Verne had to be out of town on his birthday, so I wanted to have a little something special to welcome him back home. Pie. Pie is special, right?

The tartness of the cranberries played well with the sweeter apples, and the vanilla ice cream complimented it all. Mmm.

*Apple Cranberry Pie*


one recipe of Never Fail Pie Crust

6 c. peeled and sliced granny smith or golden delicious apples

2 c. washed cranberries dusted with 1 Tbls. flour

3/4 to 1 c. sugar, to preference

1 tsp. cinnamon

3. Tbls. cornstarch

1 Tbls. lemon juice


Preheat oven to 375°.   Prepare pie crust, rolling thin, and placing bottom crust into a deep 9" pie plate.

Combine apples and cranberries, and drizzle with lemon juice, tossing well to coat. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch, and toss with apple/cranberry mixture. Pour filling into pie crust.

Roll top crust, and place on top of filling. Crimp the edges, and add fluted edge, if desired. If using a solid top rather than lattice, cut slits to allow steam to escape. Brush top crust very lightly with water, and sprinkle with a thin dusting of cane sugar. Bake for 50 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.

Lemon Cake with Cranberries and Lemon Icing

Abigail baked a cake last night after seeing a photo on Pinterest. Unfortunately, the pin led nowhere, so we googled the recipe name until we found a matching photo. This cake was very lemon-y, and the cranberries were perfect. We'll definitely make this again.

Abigail changed the recipe just a little to accommodate Verne's butter intolerance, and she also left the red food color out of the glaze. Why ruin a great recipe with chemicals?

The link to the original recipe can be found above, and if we could have we would have definitely preferred to use real butter, and her adapted recipe is below.

Lemon Cake with Cranberries and Lemon Icing

For the cake:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c. non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening 
1 c. raw sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries (for the cake and decoration)

For the glaze:

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 1 lb. loaf pan.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine butter and sugar on medium speed, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated.

Reduce mixer speed and alternatively beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture, and repeat, ending with the last of the flour. Stop mixer occasionally and scrape the sides of the bowl. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in one cup of cranberries, saving some for decoration.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake 55-60 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool 15 minutes before removing bread from the pan. Cool completely before icing.

For the glaze, simply whisk together the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar until there are no lumps. Drizzle over cooled cake.



It makes a delightful breakfast, too!

Thanksgiving-in Retrospect

The baking started Tuesday. Homemade bread for stuffing. And then four batches of hummus- two of roasted garlic, and two of roasted red pepper. Everyone would be rolling in Wednesday evening, so I planned snack foods that would be satisfying. Easy to eat, and play games. Homemade pita and hummus, vegetables, almonds, and pineapple. 

Wednesday morning I enjoyed a six mile run before heading back to the kitchen for another long day. I was glad I made time for it. It would be my last alone time for several days. 

Autumn arrived shortly after 8 PM, but Mac didn't roll in until close to 11. The second round of snacking commenced amidst a serenade. For the first time in 18 months, all four of my children were gathered in my kitchen. 

We gathered around the dining table- eight of us. Autumn brought her friend, Abdul, and our friend Glenn came from down the road to visit, too. Apples to Apples, and The Game of Things went on until nearly 4 AM. So much laughter in this usually quiet house. 

Collin hides from photos unless he's taking them himself. 

Abdul hails from Saudi Arabia and though he's been in the United States studying for several years this was his first time celebrating Thanksgiving. Mac gave him a brief history lesson while I finished up the meal. He enjoyed the food- particularly the stuffing. 

Mac brought his dog Peaches home, too. She and Lucy were great playmates. 

Autumn demonstrating her JOY that she wasn't the one doing dishes. 

The turkey carcass was simmered into the evening, and I canned 15.5 quarts of organic broth, making it another late night. 

I know my children look alike- they always have. With only Abigail at home these days I don't give it much thought. But, um, yeah- I was confusing these two like crazy.

Sadly, Autumn could only stay until Thursday evening because she had to work on Friday, but Mac stayed the entire weekend, and we were able to enjoy a lengthier visit. It was a wonderful holiday. I'm so thankful for the family that God has blessed us with.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

    Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;[a]
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100