French Press Friday

I have decided....

Those are always exciting words, aren't they?  They conjure up thoughts of positive change, ambition, goal-setting and the anticipation of something new on the horizon.  Well, I have decided something.  No, I'm not giving up my French Press!  Am I crazy?!  But brace yourselves, because this decision is by no means ambitious or even very anitcipatory.  No, I have decided that...

my new set of dishes will be white or an off-white!

Not the model of amibition you were looking for, huh?  Hm.  I know.

Right now our dishes are of the melamine variety because we wanted the boys to be able to set and clear the table, and load the dishwasher without breaking the dishes.  Novel idea, huh?  Too many of our old dishes were broken accidentally so I went to Target and picked up some inexpensive melamine ones.  They are attractive and they work for us right now, which is perfect.  But a few years down the road when we graduate to "real" dishes once again, I'm getting white.  They will be so versatile and I can pair so many other things with them.  I went window shopping for some coffee mugs I might use.  Thought I'd share my findings.


Cute for summertime use, huh?  Having coffee or tea with a friend?







I love the print and colors on this set.







                  I like the green color and the pottery look of this one.





Nice for a winter table!








This one if Fiestaware.  I like the shape of it and all the versatility in color Fiestaware offers.






I'm sure they won't let me break up the set (!) but I love the polka dots!  Cute for Valentine's Day, maybe.





The crochet pattern on this one is beautiful!







So many beautiful dishes out there and so little time to window shop them all.  *sigh*  Hope you enjoyed this little browse through my world of dish-love.  What are some of your favorite ways to dress up your table?

(All mugs and dish sets found at Pier1.com and Kohls.com)

Christmas Wish Lists

 

Do your kids write out wish lists to give to Grandparents around this time of year?  Mine do.  I don't know that they've always made it to the G's homes, but at least I know what to tell them when they call asking that all important question, "What do they want for Christmas?"

This year I decided to make a cute Wish List "wallet" that could be tucked into a purse or pocket.  Here is what they look like:

 

 

I started by cutting an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of cardstock widthwise, into 3-inch stips.  Then I folded one end up towards the other end leaving 1/2inch at the top.  Made a sharp crease then folded the 1/2 inch top down, making another sharp crease.  I then pulled out scraps of Christmas paper and, after measuring the size of the front, I cut a piece to adhere to the front of the cardstock.  This fit under the 1/2 inch flap.  I measured and cut another coordinating piece for the back (no picture).  I took a wallet sized school pic of each boyo and glued it to the bottom corner.  Punched 3 scalloped circles and wrote "My Wish List" on each.  Used a little liquid glass to accent the dots over the I's and glued them down.  In the 1/2 inch flaps, I punched a little hole to thread my ribbon through and adhered it on the inside so it would stay put.  The cute little bows I learned to make on Pinterest, with a fork!  No kidding!  It's so cool.  I keep the fork in my craft room now. 

 



 

Anyway, on the inside I glued down a long strip of lined paper and folded it up accordian style so it would fit within the wallet.  The paper clip on the outside was a last minute "what am I gonna do" problem solver.  I wanted the little flap to stay shut so my first attempt was using sticky velcro, cut to size.  I just didn't like the way it looked.  Too bulky.  So I ripped them off. Carefully.  But some of the paper still tore.  Oh well.  Nothing a little adhesive couldn't hold back in place!  I really wished I had some tiny adhesive magnets...alas I did not. (Do they even make those?)  But I did have colored paper clips.  Clip to the rescue!  Now I figure if the G's have coupons, they can clip them right to the list.

  

 



 

 

Honestly, they didn't turn out to match the idea I started with in my head.  But I like them.  And there is always next year, right?  Always room for new ideas, improvement and change.  Love that about crafting.  Have you started any holiday crafts yet?

 

 

 



A Few Crafts

 

Here is our Family Fall Tree that we made since last posting.  We had such a nice time together.  I found some good music on Pandora we all could enjoy and we scratched pretty designs in our leaves all evening.  Great memories were made and possibly a new tradition was started!

Today's project was inspired by this:

The bookshelf in JoJo and Mouse's room was in need of a little, um, straightening.  Seems no matter how we try to organize it, it always looks like this in a matter of days.  I thought about the beauty of baskets and wondered if that would help.  Then I thought about how much moolah I've already spent this month and decided I needed to get creative.  I searched through my own cardboard boxes and decided on a granola bar box.




                                     


I taped the ends back together, cut off the top and the cut out a piece from the front.  Then I searched through my papers so I could cover it.  I pulled out my pack of superhero paper, knowing it would be loved by the boyos!

 

Here's the finished product.  Now to get it into their room.

 



                                                                      
 I think it's cute!  And the boys will think it's cool.  Here are the shelves after I resorted everything.  More boxes/baskets are needed and more sorting needs to be done (do we still need "Goodnight Little Rabbit?")  but this is a start.  They can pull out a box/basket and when they are done the whole thing goes back on the shelf.  I just hope they remember to put the books in it...




What have you been crafting?

First day of Autumn

I love fall.  The cooling off from a hot summer, the smells of harvest and of the earth being tilled, the tastes of delicious soups, breads and other oven baked goodness...it's all so wonderful!

We spent our first day of Autumn out of doors, doing yard work.  The boys didn't even seem to mind helping out.  I think we were all ready for some manual labor in the cool autumn air.

A little trimming followed by a lot of clean up.

 

 

Even our good ol' girl enjoyed the nice day.  At 13 years old, she was almost puppy-like!


I picked up this craft at Hobby Lobby the other day.  You scratch the black off to reveal pretty fall colors...

AND I've got gingersnap cookie dough in the fridge!  So later this evening we'll have an autumn party with leaf shaped cookies and apple cider.  We'll work on our craft and hang the finished products from a small trimmed branch I rescued from the yard.  I'll stick it in a pitcher or vase and we can enjoy it as fall decoration in our home.

I'll say it again.  I love fall!  Don't you?

Forever Fragile

The problem with having a chronic illness is that it somehow, strangely, begins to define who you are.   At least, that’s what I’ve found to be true with depression.  When I was in the throes of it, I truly felt fragile; like I could break apart at any moment, for no reason at all.  I was made of glass and might shatter at a touch, a word, a look.  Nothing could predict when it might happen.  I remember sitting at the ironing board one afternoon, no energy to stand, trying to do something productive, when a wave of sadness crushed me instantly.  I broke.  My head fell into my hands and I wept.  Why, I do not know.  I was fragile.  And I was angry because of it.  Where did this fragility come from?  Why did I have to suffer with it?  How would I regain control?  Could I regain control?

It's several years later and I have regained control, but I still have the label.  And I will always be managing the depression.  But I also have to manage the image that comes with it.  With a chronic illness there is always an image.  And we are all guilty of staring at that image at one time or another. 

Think about those with cancer.  We stare, quietly, wondering what it’s like to be them.  “How do they manage?  What are they feeling?  Does the chemo hurt?  How sick do they get?” 

What about those with diabetes?  “How can they stand to give themselves shots every day?  Should they be eating that dessert?  What if they go into shock?” 

And what about those with heart disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis,  epilepsy, bi-polar, or depression?  We quietly worry about that person having…an “episode” – whatever that might be.  We worry and want him or her to remain safe and healthy. We want to offer as much protection as we can. Funny thing is, we have no control over that person’s illness.  The only thing we have control over is our self; what we think, what we say, how we love.

I don’t want to be viewed as fragile.  I want to make it known to everyone around me, “Please!  No wearing of the kid gloves, no treading on eggshells.  Just be yourself!”  Sometimes I think what I see is a restricted version of selves.  I guess there is a certain pressure that comes with “being yourself.”  The intermittent worry one might have of, “How am I doing?”  If you find yourself choosing words carefully, avoiding certain topics, deciding for your friend what he/she can or cannot handle…you are probably not being yourself. 

Truth is, I'm not fragile.  I think I'm pretty solid if I do say so myself.  I have been through hell and back due to this depression.  I admit, I have my down days but nothing that leaves me feeling so fragile as I did before.  And if people want to know what it was like or how I’m handling it now, it's ok to ask.  I would be so happy to share. 

But I’m not strong; not in the eyes of society.  I have a chronic illness and I will be viewed as forever fragile.

 

*Let it be known that these views are my own.  These statements are not meant to blanket any chronic illness.  My feelings do not dictate the feelings of others who might also be suffering with some type of illness.  These views and these feelings are my own and no one else’s.  I did not write this with intent to hurt, harm, or offend.

Oatmeal Pancakes with Apple Cinnamon Syrup

The Boyos love pancakes.  And, really, what's not to love?  Especially when there is such a variety of things to put on top.  Pear butter, apple butter, jellies and jams, sliced fruit, maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream...oh my!  So when I saw Apple Cinnamon Syrup, I knew I had to try it.

I got the following recipes from a book I picked up at our school's book fair last spring called Potluck Heaven.  I've found lots of good recipes in this book.  Here are two of them.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 cup dry oats (rolled or quick-cook)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp oil
2 eggs, beaten

Stir together first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, blend buttermilk, oil and eggs until smooth.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, just until moistened.  Drop onto hot griddle.

I used a 1/4 cup measure and got 18-20 pancakes.  So, you can cut this recipe in half OR freeze what your family doesn't eat.  Pancakes freeze so well.

After I stirred the wet and dry ingredients together, I wanted them to sit for a bit.  Let the oats soak and the batter rest a little.  So I plugged in the skillet so it would get nice and hot, and then I started the syrup.

Cinnamon Apple Syrup

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine cornstarch and cinnamon in a saucepan.  Gradually stir in water and apple juice concentrate and whisk until smooth.  Over medium heat, bring to a gentle boil and continue to stir until thickened.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Serve warm over pancakes.

Easy After School Snack

I find I always have apples and peanut butter on hand.  And almost always I have flour tortillas (either homemade or store bought) and bananas.  Combine these and you have an easy treat that can't be beat!



"Mmm!  These are my favorite!"

Apple Banana Roll Ups

1. Chop up some apple.  I used my peeler/corer/slicer to make it easier.
2. Mash up a banana.
3. Mix banana with some peanut butter.
4. Spread mixture on a tortilla
5. Sprinkle with chopped apples.
6. Roll up and devour.

That's it!  Sorry if you are one who needs amounts.  I just eyeball it depending on how many I'm making and what ratios the kids like (more or less PB for example).  If it helps, I used 1 small apple to make 3 roll ups today.  It won't be enough for the Boyos I promise you that!  These are just as good without banana and a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the apple before rolling up.

Hope your kiddos enjoy them as much as mine do!

 

 

 

Marching Band

It's football season!  Or more accurately spoken in our house...it's marching band season!

Our highschool had its first home game on the new football field last weekend.  All last season, the team had to borrow the field of another school for home games because our field was being redone.  And a lot of the school was getting remodeled.  So, first game on the new field!  It was a big deal, needless to say.  Very fun to watch.  Louisville Lions are in purple and gold.

 

 

 

But the highlight of the evening for this Mama was halftime!  Bring on the marching band!

 

Jr. High band (which is the one Bud plays in) got to join the Highschool band for this big event.  They played America the Beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Can you spot Bud?  Here, let me point him out for you...

 

 

Best darn trumpeter I ever did hear!

 

 

A very favorite scrapbook sticker I have says this:

 

                     "Hey!  What's the football team doing on the band field?"             LOVE IT!

 

By the way, the team did great.  We won the game although I don't remember the score.  I know.  How sad.  I took the two little ones home just into the third quarter.  Does that get me a pardon for not knowing the final score?  I really do enjoy watching football and am looking forward to the Homecoming game.  The Jr High band plays again! 

 

 



Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

I cannot believe what I just did!  In an attempt to add some badly taken pics to this post - which was already written and published earlier this morning, mind you - I deleted the entire thing!!

So here I go ... rewriting it ... and hoping I don't leave anything out.

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp dried onion
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
about 5 flour tortillas

Brown the ground beef and drain.  Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dried onion and salt and pepper.  Stir well and let it heat through.  Lay some shredded cheddar down the middle of a tortilla.  Put a few tablespoons of the meat mixture on top of it.  Now, add whatever other toppings you like.  More ketchup, mustard, pickles, sliced onion.  Fold it up burrito style and place it on a hot skillet or panini press.  Grill it for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melty. 

If you are using a skillet or griddle, flip it about half way through.  Take it off the heat, slice it diagonally, plate it and enjoy.  Yummy!

The ingredients travel well, so I've included them on our camping menu before.  Just pack the precooked beef in a ziploc bag and store it, flat, it in your cooler.

I was thinking, as I made them for supper tonight, that they would also be good filled with pizza fixings.  Think so?

Cornbread (and sausage muffins)

We went camping a few weekends ago and I tried out some new recipe ideas.  I got a delicious cornbread recipe from a friend who lives down south and turned it into some easy muffins.

Cornbread

2 cups yellow or white cornmeal, preferably stoneground
3/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar (or honey, syrup, molasses - adjust milk amount if using alternate sweetener)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
6-8 precooked breakfast sausage links, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Whisk the cornmeal, flour sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl to combine.  Make a well in the center.  Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, oil and baking soda in another bowl until the eggs are well combined.  Pour into the well and stir just until batter is moistened - do not over beat.

Fill 12 muffin cups about 1/3 full with the cornbread batter.  Drop several pieces of the sausage on top.  Then cover the sausages with more cornbread batter.  You will have some of the batter left over.  Pour it into a small baking dish and bake at the same time as the muffins.  Yummy treat for all of your hard work!  Bake for 18-20 minutes or til done.  Serve warm with maple syrup. 

Here are some southern tips for making the original cornbread:  Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Generously oil a 9- to  10-inch cast iron skillet and place it on the rack.  When batter is mixed, remove the hot skillet and pour the batter in.  Bake until the bread springs back when pressed in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, then turn out onto a  plate or serve directly from the skillet.

So delicious!  The boyos gobble it up.  For our camping trip, I baked the muffins ahead of time and then just warmed them in my cast iron skillet.

You might have noticed the direction to whisk the baking soda with the wet ingredients instead of mixing it with the dry.  Another southern tip is that this improves the texture of the cornbread.  Give it a try.  Although it does turn out just fine when the soda is mixed with the dry. I speak from experience.

Enjoy!

A Visitor

We had the priviledge of having Pastor Yohana Nzelu, the Headmaster of Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School in Tanzania, Africa visit with us over the weekend.  He is the same pastor my husband met and spent time working with when he was in Africa this past May. 

What an incredible visit it was!  Pastor was our special guest for our mission Sunday and he preached which was a real treat for us.  He needed some coaxing from Hubs, though, because he was afraid his native accent would be too hard for us to understand.  I'm so glad Pastor Nzelu agreed to it.  Later that afternoon, he presented some information about the Lutheran school in Mwadui and its current needs.  There are many!  They live so simply over there, it makes my attempts at living simply look much too complicated and cluttered yet.  But even with their simple lifestyle, they lack some of the basics.  The school is a boarding school because many of the students come from up to 100 miles away.  The public school system is lacking, to say the least, so when there is an opportunity for families to send their children to a private school they will do it.

So, the boys need a new dormitory.  Right now, all of the boys (over 100) are divided into two classrooms.  Their beds are lined up head to toe, and wall to wall.  The school is in need of a new kitchen and a multipurpose room.  The multi purpose room will be used as a dining hall, a chapel, and as a meeting place for various groups.  Right now the children eat outside under the trees which is fine for half the year.  But during the rainy season, it is not so comfortable.  Chapel services, prayer services and the like are held in classrooms and hallways - where ever they might be able to fit the children.  So a multipurpose room would be so beneficial!  They are in need of fencing around the entire school.  Some of the children are orphans and are in need of sponsorship.  This is a need that really hit home with me.  Hubs and I will be looking into this further, praying about it, and hopefully will be able to sponsor one of the orphaned children so that he/she can continue to receive an education, along with special love and letters from the United States. 

By the grace of God, we were able to send Pastor home with a generous check from our congregation.  He also received gifts from my in-laws' church in Tennessee.  It was just so amazing to see God at work in these three congregations which, geographically, are so far apart from one another.  It is such a blessing to know such generous people who are willing to help see the Lord's work is done.  What a weekend!

French Press Fridays

My, it's been a long time.  I've been extrememly introverted lately, when it comes to the relationship I have with this blog.  Weird?  Probably, but true.  Such is life as me. 

Much to share and it will come in bits and pieces, but for now here's something new I've been trying in my coffee.  Nothing earth shattering or ground breaking, but yummy.

I pour myself a cup of coffee, add my half and half and then stir in a bit of cocoa powder.  Yep, baking cocoa powder.  Just a bit since it is on the bitter side.  Maybe 1/2 to 1 teaspoon worth.  You can of course add sugar to sweeten it, but I prefer not.  Just the creaminess of the  half and half with a bit of chocolate.  And as a friend pointed out, getting that bit of cocoa is good for you!  The benefits of antioxidants....in chocolate...mmmm.