Some of our Favorite People

You know those places that you just can't wait to go to.  Those people that just brighten your day, and you look forward to working with every week.  Well the ladies we work with at the Pregnancy Center are those people, and the PRC (Pregnancy Resource Center) is one of those places. We volunteer in the Clothes Closet every Thursday, and it is one of the highlights of our week.  We are blessed to work with some of the most wonderful, Christian, funny, enthusiastic, group of ladies.  In short they are a riot! Last week we decided to have our annual Christmas luncheon early due to schedules.  

We always have the nicest table cloth and settings. 

Laughter abounded as we got the food ready.

Such a precious bond in Christ we have with all these dear women. 

The meal was simply lovely, with everyone contributing their own special delicious dishes.

We had decided to celebrate Louise's 85th birthday at the luncheon.  She is a delightful lady, originally from Maine, and we had so much fun celebrating with her!

We are so very grateful for each and everyone of these ladies, and thank God for the time we are able to spend with them!

~Chs

On the Making of Cider

It is over.  We have finally finished the last batch of cider for this year.  And sadly enough I somehow managed to miss getting pictures of most of the project.  But what I have I will share with you!

So, what does it take to have cider perpetually on tap in the fridge, with a good stock in the freezer for later?  Ahh, such a good question, with such a long and complicated answer.

To begin with, you need bushels and bushels of apples.  Preferably these apples were either your own, a friends, or a relative... in other words - free.  The next step, after cluttering up your garage with the multiple bushels, is to put together mixes of the apples for your cidering.  This means you must know the flavor of apples and therefore what combination would taste best together.

When you have selected your varieties, and made up the baskets to be used for this batch, they then must be brought inside and washed.

Mostly just rinsing will do the job but a few need some elbow grease scrubbing.

Once they are thoroughly washed, you must roll them out onto towels to let them dry. :)

{Apple carpet}

{this, and the next pictures are from Josiah's apple party. Somehow I didn't get pictures of this part of the process otherwise}

Now you must cut all the apples in half, just to make sure that there are no occupants. :) 

Once all your apples are cut, you can begin the grinding process; about three large bowlfuls of apples will fit in the press.  When your press is full, it is time to squish all your apples, and let the golden liquid drain into a pot.  Pour the full pot into a large crock.  Repeat process until your crock is full.  Now, leave the cider in the crock for three days to meld the flavors.

And then, only then, can you have cider on tap in the fridge!

~Chs

Homemade Saturday: Egg Nog

(Somehow this didn't get posted on Saturday.  Pretty much ready just not published.  So here it is now!)

Luscious, creamy, delicious, rich... yup, Egg Nog is pretty much a wonderful beverage.  And while the store stuff is tasty, it can't even begin to compare to fresh homemade Egg Nog.  

Egg Nog

In a blender combine:

4 organic pastured eggs (if you use 2 whole eggs and 2 just yolks it will make it thicker)

1/2 cup of sugar.

Blend until the eggs are fluffy and light yellow.

Add:

4 cups of raw whole milk (this can be made with half cream to make it even better!!)

a dash of salt

1 Tbs of Vanilla

A couple shakes or so of Nutmeg

Blend

So I have been debating with myself the entire time whether or not I should share our secret ingredient we discovered which really puts this over the top and makes it taste like the real stuff.  Part of me wanted to keep it a secret, but thankfully for you all, my better generous half got the upper hand. :P

So, the secret is......

....... for 1 tsp of the Vanilla, substitute rum flavoring (it can be purchased in the spice and flavoring section of any store).  So 1 tsp rum flavoring, 2tsp Vanilla.  That, is our secret.

Chill the beverage in the fridge if you are not going to drink it right away, then pour into glasses, and sprinkle with a touch of Nutmeg.  Eat with some Gingersnap cookies.... and...

ENJOY!!!!!

~Chs

Friends...?

 At first Sadie Rose and Louie Armstrong didn't think they wanted a thing to do with each other... the old cat and dog thing you know.  Then Sadie was super interested and Louie, well carefully cautious.  

In time, they have learned to sort of respect each other.  Sadie is as always intrigued and eager, and Louie simply tolerates her attentions.

So would you call them friends.... maybe??? 

"Most definitely NOT."  Louie says in a dignified manner. 

"Aww but comee onnnnn... why not?  We look alike see see?  And I think we could be great friends..."  Sadie pleads. 

"No. final" Answers Louie with his kitty glare.

Poor Sades.... so lonely for friends...

(don't feel too bad for her though, I think Louie has a right to be suspicious. She has that funny look in her eyes like she is waiting for us to feed him to her. :P )

~Chs

PS. Louie is healing extraordinarily well; he is even using the leg some. So in two weeks or so he will be leaving us.  

Wednesday's Wisdom: Snow and People

For the past year or so Josiah has become more and more interested in almanacs.  Especially older almanacs.  As he studied more about it, he has come to really appreciate one particular almanac.  John Baer's Sons "Agriculture Almanac".  He has begun to collect them, from the early 1900's and on, and as he reads through them has found many interesting, amusing, and enlightening tidbits, that we thought we would share with you.  The following article is from the 1957 edition.

~Chs

Snow and People

   It’s hard to appreciate the aesthetic values of snow and winter when your car won’t start, or the pipes freeze. But a good snowstorm does have beautiful consequences. The light, dry snow clings to the trees and shrubs to redecorate the landscape In the frigid air. A traveler on a country road, or in a rural town, can see the arches of white formed by the festooned trees bowing along his path.

   There ought to be a time even in this hurried civilization, to relax and marvel at it. Time perhaps to scuff in the snow where as children, we would have hurriedly dragged the “flexible flyers” on our way to the hillside.

   There ought to be a time – but , alas, too often there isn’t. Snow slows us down, it impedes our rapid transit, it makes us impatient to be home by the fireside. And so we stand disconsolate, wet, chilled, waiting only to get back into a warm home. Then if we have an especially aesthetic turn of mind, we glance out the picture window and see the falling snow reflected in the street light’s glow and say: “I hope this clears up before morning.”  Too bad. At least we could say a respectful word for nature (and it’s Creator).

Winter Birds and Winter Crafts

Whether officially or not, winter has arrived.  I know by the ice in the rubber buckets every morning that I have to crack out for my Ducks.  I know by the ice crystals that form on the grass and dirt.  I know by the feel of the rock hard frozen ground underneath my feet.

I know by the Birds which are frequenting our feeder.  The Junco is for our family the harbinger of winter, and we all (most) look forward to his arrival in November.  By now he is a fixture in our yard, often dropping by the feeder for a snack and flitting just out of reach; his white tail feather flashing when we take walks out back.

The Junco's much more flashy winter companion is the Cardinal.  For while Mr. Cardinal is around during the summer, he rarely if ever graces us with his presence during those warmer months.  But when the temperature starts dropping we are rewarded with a few more glimpses of this brightly colored bird.

The blustering bluejay too becomes more sociable as November turns into December, and we are the happy recipients of jolly visits from these birds with one of the biggest personalities.  But though it is debatable I think the little tiny Chickadee, with his sassy laugh and winsome ways takes the cake when it comes to personality.  He certainly is the boldest of the group!

Inside, when not watching our feathered friends from the window, we have inevitably taken up some winter crafts to do while we are more in then out. 

We still find ourselves unaccountably busy, especially trying to finish up the cider we need to make with all the apples in the garage, but since the evenings come sooner, and darkness and freezing temperatures keep us from most of our other activities, the needle comes out and various projects are worked on.

Charity is working on a cross-stitch pattern, I am knitting away at some practical wash clothes (all of ours had holes in them and were absolutely despicable).

 

Josiah has finished up his tatted flag and now is experimenting with creating other hand tatted objects, while Faith just finished a granny square afghan from a kit she received from Aunt Myrt.

It's nice to be able to get to some of the things that have been pushed aside during the summer months. 

So if you're looking for us you will find us serenely working on sundry projects while happily watching the birds out the window.................

........

...We wish!! :D

~Chs

Homemade Saturday: Pizza

Pizza, it's one of the comfort foods of America.  In our house it is one of those solutions to "it's an hour before supper and we don't know what to do".  Versatile, easy to personalize, and pretty much universally liked by all.  Pizza is a wonderful quick supper.

I was going to share the recipe as I have on all the other Homemade Saturday posts, but realized how difficult it would be.  Other than the crust recipe, (which I am sure everyone has their own) pizza can be so unique to the person and spontaneous that no recipe is needed.

So I decided instead to simply share some photos from one of the times (I think this summer actually) this dish came to our rescue one Saturday night.

{Bacon: a crucial ingredient to many meals and a wonderful addition to most.}

{Bacon + olives = one of my favorite pizzas}

{Mom's homemade from scratch crust}

{Recently we have taken the "from scratch" level one more step, by making our own mozzarella cheese for the pizza}

{Our own tomato/pizza sauce}

{This is one of our favorite summer pizzas - tomatoes and zucchini with some garlic on top!}

{Then of course there is Ham and Pineapple.. pretty much most popular in this house!}


And what do you know, we are planning on having pizza tonight! :)  Except this time Chicken Alfredo pizza...

~Chs

Behold the Man

It was a few weeks ago, when I sat in church endeavoring to follow the sermon Dad was preaching, when one phrase (actually the title of the sermon) caught and held my attention.  He was speaking on the passion of Christ, in particular the time when Jesus is before Pilate.  And Pilate part in derision, took Him out before the Jews and declared "Behold the Man!" The phrase caught my eye and I decided to attempt to write a poem featuring the statement.  Well I tried, and tried, and failed... miserably.

So, I called in reinforcements.  Daddy is the most amazing poet ever.  So I went to Dad and gave him the phrase and asked him if he could make anything with it.

This is the result.

Behold the Man

Behold the Man, the Second Adam
who lived a life so perfectly,
That the measure of His righteousness
might come to you and me!

Behold the Man, the true Messiah
who came to be our sacrifice,
bearing all our sins and sorrows
to pay redemption's awful price!

Behold the Man, the King of Glory,
enduring wrath for you and me,
So we'd escape the Father's judgment
and reign with Him eternally!

Pepé
12/3/13

The Coming of Louis Armstrong

It all began early Thanksgiving morning.  The alarm which had awakened me at 4:30am to put the Turkey in the oven, was once again interrupting my repose. This time the numbers made out 6:20am.  With a sigh I jumped out of my bed sliding down the ladder and tiptoed across the hallway to wake Mumsie.  There was so much to do before leaving to head over to Aunt Carmen's for our Thanksgiving feast, and one of those items was me heading out into the cold to go milk Eleanor the Cow.  

Eleanor is not our cow, but the people she belongs to don't want her milk so we had taken on the responsibility with some friends of milking her.  She lives about 20 minutes away, so I spent my drive coming up with at least 50 things I was thankful for.  Once arrived I numbly went through the motions of beginning the chores, and soon the "swish swish" of milk hitting my pot serenaded my ears.  The many barn cats were gathered around me waiting for some milk, and I barely noticed that one of the younger friendlier cats was missing.  All was going well, until without any warning, Eleanor released a dump of manure, barely giving me time to yank the pot to safety. Disgusted, but trying not to lose my thankful spirit, I cleaned up, then once again sat down to resume my milking.  Sploosh! Eleanor's muddy foot landed in my milk bucket.  I stared blankly at the scene as she pulled back her foot tipping the pot and sending a river of milk past me and onto the dirt floor.  In a split second the cats had descended on the river, purring their thankfulness and rejoicing in this unexpected feast.  Silently fuming I stood up, endeavoring to contain my boiling temper, "What more could go wrong?" I asked hopelessly!  At that moment Eleanor raised her tail and flooded the area with pee.  Stunned, I watched the cats jerk back, shocked that their Thanksgiving had just turned into April Fools.  I alternated between wanting to smack the cow (hard), scream, cry, or laugh.  

I went to let out Eleanor, and tried to lead her out of the barn (not too gently I'm afraid) and as I reached the barn entrance, around the corner came a cat.  Louis, the young, sweet, friendly cat I had missed.  And he was hopping on three legs.  Quickly I scooped him up, and felt his leg, which resulted in him letting out a pitiful cry.  Not sure what was wrong I rushed him to the house to show his owners.  Unfortunately, they were leaving on vacation that day, and one of their indoor dogs was a known cat-killer, so all I could do was take Louis back to the barn and make him as comfortable as possible under some stairs with a bowl of milk.

   Later that day, I told Faith about my escapade, and about Louis.  She was going to milk the next morning, and promised to check on him.  Lo and behold, I received a call from Faith that morning when I was at the horse barn where I work.  Louis was coming home, at least for a few days, while his family was gone, and or until his broken back leg healed.

And so it was, that the family who had never owned a cat in their entire lives, let alone an indoor cat, came to have this handsome black and white barn cat ensconced in their living room.  

Louis, who we call Louis Armstrong for short (makes no sense, I know:P) made himself quite at home, and is truly one of the best behaved, gentle natured cats I know!  We can't keep Louis indefinitely (he really needs to be outdoors, and is already getting cabin fever) but we will be keeping him until he heals, at which time we hope to find this big loveable, purry, sweet cat a good home!

Any takers? :)

~Chs

Thanksgiving Day

Even though Thanksgiving was a little later than normal this year, it seemed to come upon us rather suddenly.  We knew that we were going to hold our Thanksgiving at Aunt Carmen's house, and that we were going to be providing the Turkey, (one that we had raised and butchered ourselves) but some of the details didn't come together till the week of!  As it turned out Faith headed off to stay with, and help Aunt Myrt and Uncle Warren on Tuesday.  Thankfully she took all the stuff for the pies with her, since she is "the pie maker".

Back at home Mom and I managed to stay rather busy. :) We had a time slot schedule up on our wipe-off board for both Wednesday and Thursday to make sure we didn't forget anything.

Wednesday included brining the Turkey, making the brine for the duck, cooking squash, making cranberry sauce, crisping 2 batches of apples, beginning the rolls and finally, before we slipped off to bed, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving - making the stuffing.  There are few things that smell as good as onions and celery fried in PLENTY of butter, and few things taste as good as bread soaked in said butter and flavored with herbs!! (in my humble opinion)

We didn't get to stay in our warm toasty beds very long, as my alarm went off at the unheard of time of 4:30, and with the exception of an hour nap in-between putting in the Turkey and kneading the rolls, it was non-stop from there!

We managed to take off in reasonable time, and arrived at Aunt Carmen and Uncle Tim's ready to help.

Josiah, Mom and I, with the help of the kids, made fun Turkey shaped nut cups.

And Charity with more little helpers made some cute little candy Turkeys and Pilgrim Hats (Aunt Carmen's idea!)

Unfortunately our Aunt Myrt and Uncle Warren were unable to join us, but we ran a couple plates of food over to them right before we ate so they could at least join us in the eating of the feast!

As usual we had too much food, reflecting much to be thankful for.

To aid digestion before we moved on to pies, we had a quick time of singing, then an impromptu giving of thanks around the table.

Some of the many items of gratefulness were: Family, Music, Salvation, Jobs, a Godly Legacy, and the list went on and on...

We truly are so grateful for the blessing of being able to gather with family and give thanks to our Father, for our cup which runs over.

~Chs