Did you notice?…

Did you notice that there were pictures on my pumpkin posts?  These were taken by yours truly with my new camera – you know, the one that I decided was a must have after I started this blogging thing. 

Jeff came home with this one for me, after researching and scouring the sales to find the best camera at the best price (he’s good at that)!  He even managed to find it before the big sales last Friday!  I have been playing with it ever since. 

I would have included pictures in my last novel-length post except for:

1. I forgot to bring the camera to the Dickens Festival.  Actually, I remembered just after we left, but we didn’t think it was worth upsetting the baby again to go in, retrieve it, and leave again – priorities, you know!  I do wish I had remembered earlier, though, as the pictures I could have gotten would have been beautiful!  Well, maybe next year.

2.  I don’t think it would have been too exciting for you seeing pictures of the wait in the Kohl’s line.

3. Can’t really take pictures in the movie theater!

4. There’s no way I would have shown you the pictures of my house in the midst of “The Big Move”!!!!! – just title it “where’s the front door – let me out of here!!!!”

5. That post was already way too long as it was – if I had added pictures, IT would have stretched all the way to Terra Haute!

Anyway, from now on you can look forward to a little more photography mixed into the text!  I’m working on the new Christmas header for the top of the site, so check back soon and see what I come up with!

Here’s a shot to enjoy in the meantime -this falls in the “awwwwwww….” category!

Blessings,

Nancy

Here I am!

My last post was Wednesday, and here it is Monday! Well, it’s been a very busy weekend!

We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving Day at my parents house, full of delicious food, fellowship and the annual perusing of the ads and exchanging of gift ideas for the children at the kitchen table! Our dinner consisted of turkey and cream gravy, sweet potato casserole, creamed corn, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, dressing (mmm, my favorite!), wild rice, raspberry pretzel salad, pink stuff (that’s what we all call it – it’s a Cool Whip based fruit salad with cherries, pineapple and pecans), pickles, and rolls. (Sorry, family, if I left anything out!) Oh, and of course, pumpkin and pecan pies, as well as a Barbie cake for Anna’s birthday. I forgot to mention that we also threw in a birthday celebration for Anna and Jeff! There was some football being played outside as well as on the t.v. All in all it was a wonderful day – even if Mom and Dad did kick us all out early – right after our suppertime turkey biscuits! – so they could get up early to head out on a trip.

The next morning found Jeff and Matthew heading out the door at 4:15 a.m. to get in line at Best Buy! They had a computer monitor in their big sale that Matthew wanted – he is building a new computer for himself. I was awakened from a not so great night’s sleep (baby kept waking up alot) at about 6:00 a.m. by Jeff calling. He was now at Target and didn’t have a clue as to what he was supposed to be looking for – so I walked him through the store as I read the ad through bleary eyes. It sounded like all of the town was at the store – he could hardly get through the aisles, and kept apologizing to people for running into them!

After I got off the phone, I got dressed so that I could join in the insanity – I couldn’t miss out on all this excitement! After all, I had my traditional round of stores to hit, before the early bird specials expired. When they returned home – and Matthew headed back to bed – I woke up Laura to babysit and Jeff and I headed out again, poor guy!

Our first stop was Chick-Fil-A for hot chocolate and chicken biscuits. The hot chocolate was scalding, so I saved it for later. We continued on to Michael’s, where I found lots of beautiful ribbon for wrapping packages, gift boxes, decorations and … Gretchen. Gretchen is a 15″ adorable bear with tan fur and close set black eyes, wearing a country red, white, and green plaid dress and headband. She is holding a gingerbread man in one hand and a gingerbread cookie cutter in the other. She and I immediately bonded and I knew that she would be perfect company for me during my Christmas baking, standing sweetly on my kitchen island. (Not that I don’t usually have more company than I need – but she would be a “silent” partner!)

After Michael’s (and my now cooled hot chocolate), we proceeded to Kohl’s. Now, we had already heard rumors of what it was like at Kohl’s…(“Have you been to Kohl’s yet? – no? oh, my.” (said with a shake of the head). We had heard this several times, but did it stop us? – of course not – you see, it is tradition for me to go to Kohl’s the day after Thanksgiving to check out their Christmas linens (and a few other things!). It was certainly crowded, but it wasn’t until checkout time that we realized what all of the talk was about. The line to checkout wrapped around a corner and then all the way to the back of the store. This line was duplicated on the opposite side of the store where the other checkout line formed. The words from “A Christmas Story” (affectionately known as “the Ralphie movie” at our house) kept coming to mind – “the line to see Santa stretched all the way to Terra Haute…”(my paraphrase) I wonder if the two lines had met in the middle earlier that morning!? We had no choice but to go ahead and take our spot. We chose the line which would take us past children’s clothes and toys, rather than the one that went past luggage and shoes – sounded more interesting to me – maybe that’s just my stage in life. This turned out to be a good choice(or maybe not so good, depending on your point of view), as we spotted a few gift items on our journey to the front, which I popped out of line to nab, while Jeff held our spot. After about an hour (so Jeff says) in line, we finally reached the checkout registers, where we ooo’d and ahhh’d over our great deals as they rang up. So it was a good trip, regardless of the wait.

Our final two stops before heading home were a second trip to Target (I hadn’t been yet and wanted to shop for a few things myself – Jeff stayed in the car and napped) and Sonic for lunch. When we finished eating, we put in a second order to take home to Laura (as payment for her hours of babysitting) and returned home.

Around 5:00 p.m. we (Jeff and I) left for our annual outing to the Dickens festival in a nearby historic downtown. It was a lovely evening! The air was chilly and seasonal and there were lots of people downtown, many wearing Dickens costumes. The square was blocked off to traffic and was festively decorated with many lit Christmas trees, greenery, ribbons and decorations. All of the shops were open and decorated beautifully. We ate dinner at the soda fountain and then toured many of the shops. I visited my favorite primitive shop and purchased a small red check lampshade for my new candle lamp, a “Laundry” room sign for over the laundry room door (where else?) and a couple of red and white plaid dish towels. Our greatest find of the evening was an old ladder (for which I have been hunting for about a year now) which we plan to hang over the kitchen island. I will decorate it with berry garlands (year round) and hang baskets on it (I love baskets!). It was a wonderful time!

Now this should have been enough excitement for one day, and normally would have been, but Ryan (who was home babysitting) suggested that we go to see the movie “Enchanted”. I was concerned that David would be missing me too much, but he assured me that he was fine, so off we went to the movies! “Enchanted” was really quite a good movie – uplifting and challenging the cynicism of the world today. When we got home, we were tired, but content after such a busy day.

Saturday brought more Christmas shopping as well as grocery shopping. We ordered pizza for dinner and watched a Christmas movie together as a family. The best part of the day, however, came later that evening…

Ryan came over after work to spend the night (he usually does this on Saturdays) and he asked us if it would be alright if he moved back home. He said that he missed being with the family (music to a mother’s ears) and wanted to be back at home with everyone. What do you suppose I said!? – “When can you move in???”. I was ecstatic, because I really have missed him alot! I know that he will go again someday, but for now I’m glad to have him for a little longer! This brings me to Sunday…

Sunday started with church, for those who didn’t oversleep – I was one who did, as I couldn’t sleep most of the night trying to mentally shuffle people around to fit Ryan back in (along with his five bookshelves, bed, tv, computer, and various other items). We spent the rest of the day beginning the above mentioned shuffling, throwing in a little Christmas decorating, as well as the usual laundry, dishes and child rearing.

Today started out with me typing up all of this (while schooling and caring for the littles). My computer decided to play a joke on me and lost half of my post when I tried to save it. I didn’t have time to rewrite it all then, so it had to wait until tonight. In the meantime, Ryan informed us that instead of the previously planned Thursday move, he wanted to move in tonight! Well, things really went into high gear then! We were in the midst of clearing the study of Anna’s belongings – she’s moving in with us until she’s ready to move upstairs with the girls. We finished that up and then moved all of Matthew’s furniture and belongings into the study. (He has been at work and is going to be in for quite a surprise when he gets home!) We have shuffled a couple of beds and now Ryan’s room is ready for his furniture which he and his dad are in the process of retrieving as I speak (or write). My house looks like a bomb exploded, but I don’t care – my baby’s back home for now and my smile couldn’t be bigger!

So if you were wondering where I’d gone to – now you know! And if you made it this far reading, I wish I could give you a prize – go have a cup of cocoa and relax! – you’ve earned it!

I hope your Christmas season is off to a blessed start in your neck of the woods!

Blessings,
Nancy

Pumpkin Recipes

I felt bad leaving you all alone with all that pumpkin (see previous post) and no recipes to use it in! So, here are two – sorry, no pictures this time – I haven’t made them yet myself!

PUMPKIN PIE -

1 1/2 cups of mashed pumpkin (remember to strain it first to remove excess moisture!)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 9″ pie shell (scratch, refrigerated, or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs in small bowl.
Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, evaporated milk, and beaten eggs to the mashed pumpkin.
Mix until blended.
Carefully pour this mixture into the pie shell. Fill to within 1/4″ of the edge of the crust.
Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife insertedinto the center
comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool for at least 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

(Recipe from “THE PUMPKIN BOOK” by Jim Becker & Andy Mayer)

PUMPKIN BREAD –

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup oil
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/3 cup water

Mix sugar, eggs, and pumpkin in bowl.
Add dry ingredients and water in order given.
Mix well.
Bake in greased and floured loaf pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the
middle comes out clean.
Serve with honey butter.
Makes 1 loaf.

(Recipe from the Heart 4 Home website.)

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Nancy

Cooked Pumpkin for Pies, Breads, etc.

I cooked all of my pumpkins last night. It was quite rewarding as I’ve wanted to do this for awhile now, but never have. I now have pumpkin ready to make pies, bread, muffins, etc.

I tried two different methods for cooking the pumpkins – boiling on the stove in water and roasting in the oven. I will show you both, but I have to say that I really prefer the roasting method. Roasting the pumpkins required very little up front preparation, and the whole house smelled so wonderful while they cooked. Boiling in water required much more up front preparation and didn’t really give off much aroma. They both produced a good product. You choose which method you prefer!

BOILING IN WATER –

Both methods require you to start with FRESHLY carved pumpkins – not any that have been sitting around overnight after carving. The children had already removed the seeds as shown in the previous post.

Cut the pumpkins in half, and scrape as much of the stringy pulp off the sides as you can.

Cut the entire pumpkin into 1″ square pieces and then cut the skin off of the pieces. (This took quite some time!) You will need about 6 cups of these pieces.

Put pumpkin pieces with about 4 qts. of water into a large pot. Bring to a boil, and boil gently until soft. (My recipe said it would be about 15 minutes, but I think it was more like 30-45 – maybe I turned it down too low and made it take longer!))
Stir occasionally while cooking.

Drain the cooked pumpkin in a colander and let cool.

Place pieces in a mixing bowl and mash until all lumps are removed.

I filled bags with about 2 cups each. I will use some and freeze some.

Before using in a recipe, you need to strain it again in a strainer lined with cheesecloth to get out the excess moisture.

ROASTED PUMPKIN –

Remember to use FRESHLY carved pumpkin only! After removing the seeds, cut the pumpkins in half and scrape out the pulp. (See pictures above.)

Place halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil and add a little water.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours or until fork tender.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. This picture shows what they looked like after I cooled them and then flipped them over in the pan.

Scrape pulp from shells and mash in a bowl as above.

Follow the same instructions as above to freeze or use in a recipe!

I got the Boiled Pumpkin recipe from “THE PUMPKIN BOOK” by Jim Becker & Andy Mayer.
I got the Roasted Pumpkin recipe from the Heart 4 Home website.

Hope you enjoy some delicious pies and breads this season!

Blessings,
Nancy

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Well, we finally got around to cutting open our pumpkins (delayed slightly by sick children!)!!
Everyone is on the mend now, so we planned a special movie night last night. We made homemade pizza, ranch oyster crackers, roasted pumpkin seeds and Chex buddies, all of which were supposed to be eaten while watching the movie, but most of which were snacked on in the kitchen as they were completed, so that by the end of the evening, everyone was quite snacked out!

Here is my recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds – I have been using this recipe for years, and don’t really remember where I got it.

First – you remove the seeds from the pumpkins – this is the kids’ job at our house!
They place them in the strainer at the table, so that they’re all ready for the next step.

Now, you rinse the seeds, removing by hand the remaining pulp and anything else that isn’t a seed.

Drain the seeds on paper towels.

In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of margarine. Add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Then add the pumpkin seeds (about 4 cups) and saute for about 3 minutes, stirring so that all seeds are coated with margarine.

Place seeds on a cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 300 degrees.

Let them cool slightly when they come out, and then enjoy!

Check my next post for my experience with cooking the rest of the pumpkin – it should be up a little later today!

Blessings,
Nancy

Thankful Thought #7 – God’s provision

The Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving feast as a way to celebrate God’s provision and sustenance of their lives in the new world. They had experienced many trials and griefs in their new adventure – food & shelter had been scarce, loved ones had been lost, and everyday life had been very difficult as they simply tried to survive and build a new life in a strange, new land. God was with them through it all – leading them, guiding them, and providing for them.

He does the same for us today. We still have trials and difficulties – sometimes to the degree that the Pilgrims had – sometimes just the everyday struggles that are just a part of life. He is there for us as He was there for them – leading, guiding and providing.

Truly we are thankful for our homes and families, food to eat and clothes to wear. It is good to be reminded at Thanksgiving time to thank the Lord for these things, because, truth be known, we tend to take them all for granted, am I right? I know I do.

God has provided us with so many blessings! He has given us life, food, and a beautiful world to live in. He has allowed us to enjoy this world by giving us eyes to see and ears to hear, as well as all of our other senses. He has provided us with homes to shelter us and clothing to warm us.

God has also provided us with people to love and to love us – our families and friends. They enrich our lives and encourage and challenge us. It is good to have others walking with us on this incredible journey of life.

These are the obvious provisions that God has given us, that we tend to think of at this time of year. However, have you considered some of the other things that God provides, but that we don’t tend to think about? Do we realize that every breath we take is a gift of God? How about our ability to think and feel emotions? He provides us with creativity – so that we can bless others around us and so be an instrument for His love. One thing that I many times forget to thank God for is for all of the bad things that could have happened, but didn’t – we don’t thank Him for this, because we aren’t aware of them. But He is in control of everything, and works our lives out to His glory – I am so thankful for this!

By far, God’s greatest provision in our lives is in the gift of His Son, Who was sent to this earth to die for our sins, and thus remove the wall of separation between us and God -

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.” – Romans 3: 21-25

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5: 8

I am thankful for this provision from God more than for anything else!

At this special time of Thanksgiving, let us remember all that God has provided for us, but especially this greatest of all provisions!

Blessings,
Nancy

A crisis averted and a job well done!

Our back doorknob has needed fixing for a little while now.  At first it was just a bit sticky, but recently it decided to stop working altogether.  Jeff was able to get it open by prying it with a screwdriver, but the rest of us were not so skilled.  To his credit, he has been trying various fixes all along, but finally decided it was time to replace the cranky old thing!

Fast forward to tonight.  Dh was working diligently on replacing the errant knob, while the rest of us were digging into the 15 or so Christmas boxes we had just brought down from the attic.  Sarah had asked a few times if anyone had seen her kitten, Macey. 
The next thing I knew, she was all out sobbing and panic stricken!  She had searched the whole house and could not find Macey anywhere.

One thing you need to understand about Macey is that lately she has become an escape artist extraordinaire.  Macey is an indoor kitty, and every time the door opens, she is right there trying to run out.  (She’s made it a few times, too!)  Knowing that her dad was working on the door, Sarah just knew that Macey had run out and away!

Sarah is a true girl in the emotional sense, and has always felt things very deeply – so for her, this was truly heartbreaking!  We called for an all out search, and everyone started scouring the house, inside and out (everyone that is except Sarah, who had already searched the house, and was still emotionally incapacitated).

 After not too many minutes, the elusive kitty was found, sound asleep under a bed! (no doubt, she was hiding there to escape the insanity of the living room with all of those boxes!)  Sarah was relieved, and now crying tears of joy.

Meanwhile, Jeff was finishing up the doorknob project.  He announced that he was done, wearing a smile of victory, having finally beaten his foe.  Everyone  came running and we all took turns excitedly opening and closing the door!  Lest you think we’re all looney, you must realize that it’s hard not having a back door in a house with 9 people, 3 dogs, and an always full trashcan!

Well, all’s well that ends well – in this situation anyway!  Another crisis averted and a job quite well done!  I wonder how many times I’ll head to the front door, forgetting that it’s been fixed.

Blessings,

Nancy

Thankful Thought #6 – Children

I am so thankful for children!

Many times when I’m snuggling my little 1 yr old in my lap, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to God that He thought up the whole idea of children. I mean, really, He could have just decided to create everyone already grown up, like Adam & Eve. He thought it would be best this way, and I am so glad He did!

Children are such a gift to us! It is good to be a family and to care for and nurture our little ones and raise them up for the Lord. It is good to enjoy laughing with them, to watch them grow and comfort them in their sorrows. They bless our lives, challenge us and make US grow.

I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 18: 3-6 -

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name
welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones
who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have
a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned
in the depths of the sea.”

God certainly values children greatly! If only our world today would value them the same way! Instead, children are many times thought of almost as another of our many possessions – something that WE want…to satisfy US, rather than realizing that they are unique creations of God, (just as we are) and not just an object that WE decide to have to make us happy. Certainly they DO make us happy, and that is good, but that is not their reason for existence – they are worth so much more.

Alright, I’m off of my soapbox! (for now!)

I love watching my children as they are examining a flower or an ant, thinking through a math problem, or creating something artistic! I love seeing my children grow up from totally dependent infants into confident toddlers, who want to “do it myself, mama!” I love seeing them master reading and writing and riding their bike without the training wheels! I love hearing them tell me of the things that are most important to them, or the funny joke that they read in a book. I love rejoicing with them as they get their first job, and observing their spiritual growth in the Lord. I love seeing them become responsible God-honoring adults with their own personality and gifts for impacting their world.

Children are precious. They show us what’s important in life – slowing down to study that ant, and trusting someone (or Someone) to care for them without doubting – and just being joyous over the little gifts life brings on a daily basis!

I know this is long, but it is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I will leave you with a verse from Psalms 127: 3-5 (one of our favorites around here!)

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

Thank you, Lord, for your wonderful gift of children!

Blessings,
Nancy

The next new hair fashion?…

Anna (4) has a new hair fashion that she has been sporting on and off for about a month now.

Ah, if only I had that digital camera in my paws right now, you could see exactly what I’m talking about. But, alas, dh is still researching around for the best deal on one for me, which may not come until next Friday (you know WHICH Friday I mean – THAT Friday!)

Therefore, you will just have to settle for my feeble attempt at describing it – which somehow just doesn’t have the same effect.

Her new hair fashion is. . . clothespins! Yes, I did say clothespins – those pinchy things that some people still use to hang their wet clothes out to dry with, but that around here are used mainly for keeping our chips from escaping from their bags (not to mention the occasional tent fort that requires clipping together – which explains why there are never any of them around when I need them for the chip bags!)

So anyway, every time Anna finds a clothespin lying around, she has been using it to clip up her hair in many fetching styles. My favorite was when I turned around and there she was – with a clohespin on either side of her head – Pippi Longstocking style. She has also worn them on the back of her head in a sort of a ponytail. This morning she had it all pulled up on top of her head and it actually looked quite lovely! Then there is the style she’s wearing right now – one clothespin just stuck in the hair on one side of her head…not holding any hair up, mind you, just stuck there.

One of the best parts of the whole thing is watching her after she has clipped her hair just the way she wants it – she kind of tilts her head sideways, with a small smile, and you know she is totally enjoying how lovely she feels!

Now how could I have written a post this long about this??!! Well, they say a picture speaks a thousand words – so I guess describing this picture takes a lot of words! (So far, 385 to be exact!)

I’ll give it a rest now – but don’t be surprised when you see this new style displayed on the checkout aisle magazine covers! – it really WOULDN’T be surprising, now would it?!

Blessings,
Nancy

Thankful Thought #5 – Jeff

I am thankful for my sweet dh – Jeff! Today I am especially thankful for him because it’s his birthday, and my thoughts naturally turn to thanking the Lord for His wonderful gift to ME of my husband.

Jeff is the love of my life! We were high school sweethearts and soulmates. He has always been calm and laid back about life – a definite Type B – as opposed to my Type A personality. He soothes my ruffled feathers and can often be heard replying to my “what ifs” with a resounding “so what?” This is one of the things that I have always admired most about him.

Jeff is a hard worker and a good provider for his family. He daily sacrifices his own wants and needs for the wants and needs of all of us. And he does so without complaining, which is definitely something I wish would rub off on me!

Jeff became a Christian in the early years of our marriage and has continued to grow in the Lord from that time. He has much God-given wisdom and a bold heart for evangelism, which is another thing that I greatly admire in him.

My sweet dh has always loved surprising me with flowers or some small gift when I least expect it! On our 8 month dating anniversary (back in high school), I came home to find that he had delivered a red rose to my house. One year (back in the 80′s), he worked all summer refinishing an antique hope chest he had bought for me as a surprise and then squeezed it into his old gold Gran Torino and drove it to me from Colorado (where he spent summer college breaks with his parents). He has been known to whisk me away on surprise dates and bring home flowers just out of the blue (like the other night)!

I am thankful for a husband who is a good father to his children. He loves each of them dearly with all of his heart, and wants more than anything for them to grow up and follow the Lord!

Does he sound too good to be true? Well, of course, he’s not perfect – are any of us? But, he’s perfect for me and for our family! He is my best friend and the keeper of my heart. He is a good man and a loving husband and father and so, I am thankful for him!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Blessings,
Nancy