Back to Normal....

...Whatever that is!
We have enjoyed our Spring Break and now it's back to the daily grind of school, sports and life.

Did everyone else have a good Break? I hope so.

I wanted to share this recipe that I got from my good friend, Tammi.
It is absolutely dangerously yummy!

HOMEMADE VANILLA CARAMEL
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
Bring this to a boil; stirring constantly. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add:
1 bar cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
Stir well.
This is so good drizzled over ice cream, brownies... well, any dessert for that matter.
We have also been eating it up with sliced apples.
I have mine stored in a glass canning jar in the frig.


Another random thing.
We had a big wind and rain storm last night... all night.
At about 4:30 this morning I heard the sound of something tin or metal crashing outside. Oh no.
My first thought was the roof to the chicken house. What a mess that would be!
But when I went out this morning to check on all the critters, all were safe and sound and dry.
Not sure what the metal sound was. I was just thankful that I wasn't going to be up on the chicken house repairing it in the wind and rain today.

Well, I pray that you all have a wonderful day. That you will see God's hand in your life.
That He will make Himself known to you today in a very special way.

Thank God They Are Washable!

A beautiful day...
kids home from school...
the start of Spring Break...
waiting for Dad to get home from work.

It all started innocently enough...

.. a short walk through the pasture...

... to go do a little of this...

... but somehow on the way back to the house, the kids got a tad sidetracked.

A small run-off pond in the field... with salamanders to catch...

"please, Mom! Only our feet, just wading."..............

Until the feet became the knees and the knees became........ well, have a look..................

So after some much needed showers, the kids and the dog jumped in the back of the truck for a lovely ride up the logging road. Just for the fun of it...

I love afternoons like this.

Laughter.

Smiles.

Family.

Blessed.

Oh Man, I Can't Keep Up!!

Friday... yeah! Last day of school until March 29th.

Looking forward to Spring Break. Although that doesn't mean that we will be able to slow down any. Actually when the kids are home, life is even busier.

My blogging has been so sporadic.

So I'll try and catch up with what has been going on....

-our Principal/Administrator search is almost over. 2 more meetings, 3 more interviews with the finalists, and then someone will be hired. I've been really praying that it will be the person that God desires to have in our school. The person who can make some much needed positive changes.

- Bear has a couple of ortho appts. We are starting Phase 2! All that means is that we are in the process of another 1 1/2 yrs of braces and appts every 6 weeks. And of course, money, money, money coming out of the Health Savings Account. Praying that we won't have to do any more oral surgery this time around!

- I'm missing crafting time. Quilting, scrapbooking, knitting, whatever. I miss it.

-Getting geared up for track and field season. This will be Ryan's first year to participate in track. He has always played baseball (since he was 4 years old!). This year he wants to try something new. Should be interesting. I'm not even totally sure what to expect.

-In the meantime, Bear will be playing baseball on the Majors team. He is really looking forward to this season. His coach is great. A neat Christian man who prays with his team before every game.

-In the back of my mind, I realize that Lindsey's birthday is only 1 1/2 months away. Maybe I'm just in denial about the fact that my baby will be 3! But she reminds us often saying, "My birthday coming up soon!!" Yes, Baby, it is.

-Dust bunnies are taking over!! Having hardwood floors does have some pros but also has cons. Such as, if you don't sweep and mop very often, the dust bunnies reproduce and they spring up all over. They hide under the furniture, in the corners, around the woodstove........uuugh, they are EVERWHERE!! Maybe today I'll get them rounded up.

So pretty much, that's my life today.

It may sound like I'm complaining and whining, but actually I am thankful for all these "things" that keep us busy.

God has blessed us with the ability to try new things, to be involved with activities we feel are important, and to be with each other.

He is always good.

He is always faithful.

He is always loving.

He is always near.

And every day I need a good, faithful, loving and nearby God!

Boat Access Only!!!

Away from the crowds....
Away from busy streets....
Away from stress....
That's where we spent the weekend!
A 1/2 hour drive from any town and a 5 minute boat ride to seclusion....

My in-laws just bought this lake house. It's so pretty!
The surroundings are beautiful!

Of course, with it being March, we didn't do any swimming but the kids have already made summer plans to run down the dock and jump right into the lake.

We spent some time just boating around the lake and enjoying the scenic beauty and quiet.

The kids all got a chance to drive the boat!

Fun!!

Now we are ready for summer to come and weekends at the lake house.

The perfect get-away.

"Bless the Lord, all His works,

In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

--- Psalm 103: 22

Where Did The Week Go!?

It's been busy around here........
-a birthday
-parent/teacher conferences
-basketball tournament
-meetings
-baseball and track sign-ups
-Literacy night at school

Whew!! It doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon.

Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Blessings

Today I'm thankful for so many blessings in my life....

• discovering a new snack, hummus with spinach and pita chips.... yum!


• heart to heart talk with my teen son


• laughing with my children as I chase them around the house


• a vehicle that gets me where I need to be


• a husband who loves me


• teaching and talking with my son, applying scripture to his life


• sunshine that peeks out from behind the clouds


• pushing my daughter on the swings and hearing her laughter


• learning some new skills with a camera
  
• finding a hide-out for the kids to play in (where the blackberry bushes create little "rooms" underneath them)


• gazing at the stars while I pet the cat


• wondering if our dog is going to have puppies


• knowing that I can take my concerns to God and He hears and answers


• little broccoli and lettuce sprouts basking in the sunlight


• having money to get groceries to feed my family (even though I can't stand grocery shopping!)


• having tax return money to be able to pay off a couple of bills


• a warm bed


• a homemade dinner of vegetable beef soup and wheat bread
  

God is so good!

A Front Yard View....

God doesn't force us into anything.

Instead, He leads us to green pastures and causes us to lie down beside still waters.

But, when the forces of life do come against us,

He has promised to be our strong shield and ever-present help in time of trouble.

(taken from What I Learned From God While Gardening ... Niki Anderson & Cristine Bolley)

4-H Winners!

The boys had their 4-H Photography Contest this weekend and they both won blue ribbons!!

They were so excited when we arrived at the exhibit hall and they saw how well their photographs had done.

This is Bear's 1st place photograph in the Junior Landscape Division....

And Ryan got his blue ribbon with this picture of my niece at her 1st birthday party . First place in the Intermediate People Division...

Actually all the kids in our group who entered the contest ended up with at least one ribbon. They all did so well!

We are loving our new 4-H group. After having a bad experience with our previous club, I wasn't sure the kids would be up for trying another club out.

We are called the Fantastic 4-H'rs. It's a small group of only 6 kids. But we are all Christian families with very similar parenting standards and home life.

It's so wonderful to see the kids interact and enjoy each other's company. I believe we'll be with this club for a long time.

The 4-H Pledge:

I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking;

my HEART to greater loyalty;

my HANDS to larger service;

and my HEALTH to better living for my club, my community, my country, my world.

Cranberry-Chocolate Scones

I dug up some old Sunset magazines and thumbed through them for some good recipes to try.

This is one that is a definite keeper!

3 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter

3/4 cup half & half (I just used regular milk)

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries

can also add 1/2 cup chopped pecans

-- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into chunks and blend into dry indredients with a pastry blender.

In a small bowl, whisk together the half & half (or milk) and the egg, reserve 2 tbsp for later.

Add remaining egg and milk mixture to the dry ingred. along with chocolate, cranberries and nuts.

Blend with a fork until moistened. Scrape out onto a lightly floured counter and pat into a 7 inch round circle.

Cut into 8 equal wedges.

Place 2 inches apart on greased baking pan.

Brush the tops with the reserved egg and milk.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.(If you can wait that long!)

---Sunset magazine January 2004 issue.

Growing

I've been thinking about "growth" today.

All around me things are growing.

These are growing...

And these are growing...

I'm growing...

I potted all my herbs. Right now they look small in their large pots, but soon they will grow and fill up the pots with their fragrant, green leaves.

And underneath the soil, their roots reach and lengthen until they have nowhere else to go.

So what happens when the roots reach the edge and the bottom of the pot?.... they stop growing, they begin to hunger for more nutrition and more space. They want to spread out.

I feel like that plant sometimes. My roots are reaching and seeking for more nutrition, more of God's word, more of His wisdom.

But my roots bump into walls at times. They come up against the sides and can't reach anymore.

God tells me to wait on Him.

To trust Him.

To bring everything to Him.

To know that my trials allow me to grow.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit." --- Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8

I'm trying.

I'm trying to be that tree.

The one who spreads its roots by the river.

Who bears fruit and turns green.

The tree who doesn't fear heat.

I'm trying.......