Had the best dinner last night!
In an attempt to go lo-carb I've been subjecting my poor daughter to much experimentation. Every once in awhile I hit on one that says do- it-again! Or, at the very least, this-is-worth-playing-with-some-more....
I had some chicken thighs I had meant to marinate, but, of course, forgot...had to use them though so, fried 'em up in some coconut oil (I'm lovin' this new discovery!) along with a little garlic, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of basil. Cooked til almost done,then poured some cream in there, lowered the heat a bit, covered and let it all heat up and get to know each other better. I checked it every now and then, giving it a stir around, flipping the meat, til it thickened to my liking, then served it up, pouring a bit of the yummy sauce over the top, and added some mixed greens on the side along with ( my personal favorite) blue cheese dressing.
Oh my goodness! I can't wait to have it again!
And it wasn't too filling, so we enjoyed some leftover chocolate avocado pudding with strawberries and whipped cream ( real cream, a lighter version of sugar)for dessert!
Next time I think I'll add a few thin slices of red bell pepper, maybe some fresh mushrooms....And...I'll try to remember to get pictures. Lindsay hates it when I do that! :-)
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Thursday, April 18, 2013
A New Blog
I have recently begun a new blog, where I post about the more Spiritual side of my life, those things I am hearing from The Lord, as well as some book reviews, or whatever The Spirit leads me to share with my spiritual family.
For those who would like to keep up with those things our Lord is putting on my heart, please stop by! http://awaitingtrumpetcall.blogspot.com/
I just updated this morning!
God Bless!
For those who would like to keep up with those things our Lord is putting on my heart, please stop by! http://awaitingtrumpetcall.blogspot.com/
I just updated this morning!
God Bless!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Homeschoolers Unite for Public Schooled Kids
I understand kids in Public Schools around the country are being told they cannot pray, at any time, for any reason. Not allowed to pray over their lunch. What if a Christian friend is injured and needs or wants (same thing really) prayer? What if someone is being bullied? How 'bout before a big test?
I thank God I am able to homeschool my children, and we are able to start our day with a prayer, pray over our lunch, and pray any time we feel led to do so!
I am proposing that we as Christian homeschoolers pledge to start each day of our school year by sitting down with our children and praying for those public schooled children who are not allowed the same God given (even God commanded!) right!........What say you? Amen?
Friday, July 20, 2012
The Gang's All Here!
Our Boondock Clan has expanded!
I've always wanted to have chickens! Now the kids and I are embarking on a new adventure, which comes with benfits! Eggs!! Yes! It may be the funniest looking coop you ever saw, but it was all done for free! The coop itself was a freebie from a yard sale, and we built the rest with things we had around the property.
Wish us luck! And check out the photos telling "the rest of the story" at flickr :)
I've always wanted to have chickens! Now the kids and I are embarking on a new adventure, which comes with benfits! Eggs!! Yes! It may be the funniest looking coop you ever saw, but it was all done for free! The coop itself was a freebie from a yard sale, and we built the rest with things we had around the property.
Wish us luck! And check out the photos telling "the rest of the story" at flickr :)
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The Cross Emerges
This was one of my favorite photos from the burn-to-learn. It seemed like a sign that He was there, in charge the whole time.
Burn-To-Learn
For those who prefer still photos to videos :) I posted several on flickr, including a couple of the kids when one of the Firefighters was letting them handle the hose!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Saturday, September 3, 2011
A Preview of Times To Come?
Our neighbors dropped by yesterday evening, and asked if Nathan was available to help out with some chores around their property. This is the second time they have hired him to help out. He works hard, and they pay him well, although I'm not sure what is worth more to him, the money, or the feeling of accomplishment, and, perhaps, just a wee bit of pride ;-)
He spent most of this morning working and came home briefly with a message. They also wanted to hire Lindsay to help pick blackberries. Naturally, I had a hard time holding her back from simply rushing out the door to comply with their wishes. I insisted she have a quick bite to eat and brush her hair before I couldn't hold her back any longer.
And so, here I sit, all alone.
Interestingly enough, there have been a few folks who have brought it to my attention lately that my children probably won't be home with me forever, and then have inquired as to how I might manage once they are gone. I have chosen to smile, declaring that I'm sure I'll manage just fine, then proceeded to shut the whole idea completely out of my mind. I refuse to acknowledge that day may ever come!
Last night I asked Nathan to take care of a spider for me. Seriously, it was HUGE! And really, it was too high for me to reach anyway, so it truly was a justified request. What I felt was totally uncalled for however, was his response to my request. He actually laughed! He took care of the spider for me then he laughed. He then proceeded to ask me the same question as I've heard from various others lately before tacking on his idea of the perfect solution. Lindsay laughed along as he suggested perhaps they just might have to put me in a nursing home.
I'm not sure why both my children are not now experiencing a lifetime of being grounded to their rooms (Which, ironically, would solve my future dilemna). Instead, they are both off working at the neighbors, while I sit here...alone.... keeping a wary eye out for last night's spider's big brother.
Hope you all are having a fun and safe weekend!
He spent most of this morning working and came home briefly with a message. They also wanted to hire Lindsay to help pick blackberries. Naturally, I had a hard time holding her back from simply rushing out the door to comply with their wishes. I insisted she have a quick bite to eat and brush her hair before I couldn't hold her back any longer.
And so, here I sit, all alone.
Interestingly enough, there have been a few folks who have brought it to my attention lately that my children probably won't be home with me forever, and then have inquired as to how I might manage once they are gone. I have chosen to smile, declaring that I'm sure I'll manage just fine, then proceeded to shut the whole idea completely out of my mind. I refuse to acknowledge that day may ever come!
Last night I asked Nathan to take care of a spider for me. Seriously, it was HUGE! And really, it was too high for me to reach anyway, so it truly was a justified request. What I felt was totally uncalled for however, was his response to my request. He actually laughed! He took care of the spider for me then he laughed. He then proceeded to ask me the same question as I've heard from various others lately before tacking on his idea of the perfect solution. Lindsay laughed along as he suggested perhaps they just might have to put me in a nursing home.
I'm not sure why both my children are not now experiencing a lifetime of being grounded to their rooms (Which, ironically, would solve my future dilemna). Instead, they are both off working at the neighbors, while I sit here...alone.... keeping a wary eye out for last night's spider's big brother.
Hope you all are having a fun and safe weekend!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Intent To Return
I decided to check and delete all my spam and it occured to me it's been a long while since I've posted. A whole year worth of seasons has gone by. It's been a year filled with memories with my children (both of whom are rapidly leaving the "child" designation behind) and new friends.
Last year we began attending the Pointman Bible Study group. We've continued attending these meetings and made some wonderful friends there. After a few months attending, we realized we needed more, and so we began our search for a Church. We found that Church in a local Assembly of God, where we made more good friends.
Between Pointman and our Church I recommited my life to, and both my children discovered, and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. To say our lives have changed since that time would be a huge understatement! To elaborate in an adequate manner would take a novel and I'm not quite up to that so will settle for a brief update for now ;)
First, I apologize for the removal of many of the photos. It was fun while it lasted but I discovered a photo from my flickr was posted on a "suspicious" site and so chose to err on the side of safety. The initial "change" was a "batch" thing, which means I need to "fine tune" a bit. Some may return, while some others may be removed.For those of you who post pix of their younger loved ones, something to keep in mind. At the very least, keep your eyes open. It's sad. It's unfair. But it happens.
It's been a fun, eventful summer for us, and we're looking forward to an equally fun and eventful season ahead. Nathan took a hunters safety class and passed with flying colors. He is now practicing his target shooting every chance he gets in preparation for his first hunting trip, with a couple friends from Pointman in October. Lindsay and I cheer him on and are looking forward to some creative fun while he's out and about with "the guys".
The other big event this Summer was Nathan's Birthday. I still can't quite get my head around the idea that he's a teenager, and in his second official year as one at that. 14 years old. Seems like just yesterday.... I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to decorate his cake this year. Little boys are so much easier to please in that respect. It hit me one evening, the perfect idea, and he was thrilled with it! Susan, a good friend from Church helped me decorate, as well as found the accompanying plates, napkins, etc. for us. It was probably the most fun I've ever had decorating a cake!
WE vacationed with Grandma and Grandpa at the beach
We went to the fair. Went fishing on the lake, and tried our hand at crabbing with Susan. We watched a parade, and of course worked on our garden.
All in all, a busy, at times exhausting, but a really fun, and truly memorable summer.
And so, realizing attention spans are limited, and I have every day for the rest of my life to update, I will leave you with a promise to try to update on, at the very least, a semi regular basis, and to also do my best to keep things at least a bit interesting, perhaps even at times entertaining, or educational, or...
Last year we began attending the Pointman Bible Study group. We've continued attending these meetings and made some wonderful friends there. After a few months attending, we realized we needed more, and so we began our search for a Church. We found that Church in a local Assembly of God, where we made more good friends.
Between Pointman and our Church I recommited my life to, and both my children discovered, and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. To say our lives have changed since that time would be a huge understatement! To elaborate in an adequate manner would take a novel and I'm not quite up to that so will settle for a brief update for now ;)
First, I apologize for the removal of many of the photos. It was fun while it lasted but I discovered a photo from my flickr was posted on a "suspicious" site and so chose to err on the side of safety. The initial "change" was a "batch" thing, which means I need to "fine tune" a bit. Some may return, while some others may be removed.For those of you who post pix of their younger loved ones, something to keep in mind. At the very least, keep your eyes open. It's sad. It's unfair. But it happens.
It's been a fun, eventful summer for us, and we're looking forward to an equally fun and eventful season ahead. Nathan took a hunters safety class and passed with flying colors. He is now practicing his target shooting every chance he gets in preparation for his first hunting trip, with a couple friends from Pointman in October. Lindsay and I cheer him on and are looking forward to some creative fun while he's out and about with "the guys".
The other big event this Summer was Nathan's Birthday. I still can't quite get my head around the idea that he's a teenager, and in his second official year as one at that. 14 years old. Seems like just yesterday.... I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to decorate his cake this year. Little boys are so much easier to please in that respect. It hit me one evening, the perfect idea, and he was thrilled with it! Susan, a good friend from Church helped me decorate, as well as found the accompanying plates, napkins, etc. for us. It was probably the most fun I've ever had decorating a cake!
WE vacationed with Grandma and Grandpa at the beach
We went to the fair. Went fishing on the lake, and tried our hand at crabbing with Susan. We watched a parade, and of course worked on our garden.
All in all, a busy, at times exhausting, but a really fun, and truly memorable summer.
And so, realizing attention spans are limited, and I have every day for the rest of my life to update, I will leave you with a promise to try to update on, at the very least, a semi regular basis, and to also do my best to keep things at least a bit interesting, perhaps even at times entertaining, or educational, or...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Warning: Do NOT Try This At Home!
Yesterday was a busy and rather entertaining day at our house.
The end of March we moved into our long awaited new house. Since the new house is on the same property as the old house we figured we could move the immediate needs over then proceed to move everything else a little at a time. Over the weekend the kids and I got started moving the washer. We managed to get it out of the old bathroom, up the step, through the bedroom, down the hallway and into the living room where it sat until we got a break in the rain.
Yesterday brought the break we'd been waiting for. We headed over to the house, and began contemplating how we were going to manage to get it out the doorway, down the step into the front porch and out that doorway. It was interesting, but we managed. Then came the problem of how to get it across the gravel driveway and to the back porch of the new house.
We had already come up with two heavy planks of wood that we had enlisted to get us up and down two steps so now we needed two more planks. We looked around abit and found a few more we thought might do the trick. We ended up using all we found and stopped to look for more which we also used.I was amazed at the number of planks and scraps of wood we ended up finding and using by the end of our little adventure.
We started our journey across the driveway by moving planks of wood around, two at a time so we had a relatively smooth moveable walkway to move across. Finally, we made it to the 4 steps up to the back door. That actually went much more smoothly than we anticipated, with two long planks of wood, me behind pulling it up, with the kids pushing and steadying on the other end. The biggest challenge turned out to be getting it up the final step into the doorway from the porch.
We ended up laying the washer, heavily padded and securely strapped onto the handtruck, down across the entryway into the utility room. Then we began building the porch up under the handtruck. One plank at a time. First, I pushed down on my end so the wheels were elevated and the kids slid a plank underneath. I lowered my end and the kids lay another plank parallel to the first so I could roll my load forward. Then they lay a third plank on top of the first (closest to the house) so I could roll it back and up. We continued in this manner, inching up about an inch at a time until we had managed to "step" up nearly even with the entryway. Two more small planks, one for each wheel, a big heave ho and we were able to get it in the house.
So there you have it! A little creativity plus a bit of stubborness and even a 53 year old woman with a fussy back along with two very helpful tweens can manage to maneuver even the heaviest object!
Today, we need to make a little trip into town to pick up a new hose for the washer so we can actually begin using it again. It seems, although a 53 year old ma with the assistance of an 11 year old girl and 12 year old boy can manage to move a 400+ lb. washer, we can't manage to loosen what a 57 year old pa hand tightened to a pipe!
The end of March we moved into our long awaited new house. Since the new house is on the same property as the old house we figured we could move the immediate needs over then proceed to move everything else a little at a time. Over the weekend the kids and I got started moving the washer. We managed to get it out of the old bathroom, up the step, through the bedroom, down the hallway and into the living room where it sat until we got a break in the rain.
Yesterday brought the break we'd been waiting for. We headed over to the house, and began contemplating how we were going to manage to get it out the doorway, down the step into the front porch and out that doorway. It was interesting, but we managed. Then came the problem of how to get it across the gravel driveway and to the back porch of the new house.
We had already come up with two heavy planks of wood that we had enlisted to get us up and down two steps so now we needed two more planks. We looked around abit and found a few more we thought might do the trick. We ended up using all we found and stopped to look for more which we also used.I was amazed at the number of planks and scraps of wood we ended up finding and using by the end of our little adventure.
We started our journey across the driveway by moving planks of wood around, two at a time so we had a relatively smooth moveable walkway to move across. Finally, we made it to the 4 steps up to the back door. That actually went much more smoothly than we anticipated, with two long planks of wood, me behind pulling it up, with the kids pushing and steadying on the other end. The biggest challenge turned out to be getting it up the final step into the doorway from the porch.
We ended up laying the washer, heavily padded and securely strapped onto the handtruck, down across the entryway into the utility room. Then we began building the porch up under the handtruck. One plank at a time. First, I pushed down on my end so the wheels were elevated and the kids slid a plank underneath. I lowered my end and the kids lay another plank parallel to the first so I could roll my load forward. Then they lay a third plank on top of the first (closest to the house) so I could roll it back and up. We continued in this manner, inching up about an inch at a time until we had managed to "step" up nearly even with the entryway. Two more small planks, one for each wheel, a big heave ho and we were able to get it in the house.
So there you have it! A little creativity plus a bit of stubborness and even a 53 year old woman with a fussy back along with two very helpful tweens can manage to maneuver even the heaviest object!
Today, we need to make a little trip into town to pick up a new hose for the washer so we can actually begin using it again. It seems, although a 53 year old ma with the assistance of an 11 year old girl and 12 year old boy can manage to move a 400+ lb. washer, we can't manage to loosen what a 57 year old pa hand tightened to a pipe!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
In Loving Memory
10/4/1950 - 3/25/2010
My Husband. My best friend.
The best Father any child could ever hope for
We miss you so much!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Brunch In The Boondocks
Thanks to DJ, at The Flour Alchemist, we had Stuffed French Toast for brunch today. I only made a couple changes to his recipe. We lightened it up just a wee bit by substituting whole milk for the cream he called for. We also used Neufchatel cheese, rather than cream cheese (an option he mentioned), and we warmed up some canned cherry pie filling I had picked up awhile back and never got around to using. and used that in place of syrup. We also ended up making it "sandwich" style as we couldn't find whole loaves of french bread at the store we ended up at this last week.
It was delicious! Nathan had 3 1/2 servings! Lindsay had 1 1/2, as did I. Pa only had one serving. He complained that it didn't taste like french toast. I explained that was understandable considering he dumped close to half a pie worth of filling on top of it! LOL
Thank you DJ for a great recipe!
It was delicious! Nathan had 3 1/2 servings! Lindsay had 1 1/2, as did I. Pa only had one serving. He complained that it didn't taste like french toast. I explained that was understandable considering he dumped close to half a pie worth of filling on top of it! LOL
Thank you DJ for a great recipe!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Fun In The Kitchen With Lindsay
Now that Christmas is put away, the memories are all stowed safely away in our hearts, it's time to get back to the more normal day to day memory making activities. For us that includes homeschool.
We just finished our latest Social Studies lesson which we all found quite interesting. We learned a lot about Israel this last couple weeks. I think everyone's favorite part though, was the ending, which took place yesterday.
Although this last project was mostly Lindsay's doing, we all benefitted from her presentation , and I enjoyed spending time with her as I helped out just a wee bit.
One of Lindsay's favorite pasttimes these days is spending time in the kitchen, so it was with great enthusiasm that she tackled her chosen project. She washed her hands with warm water and soap, and began collecting her ingredients.
We started with the stewed tomatoes. Since she's a bit leary of dealing with sharp knives I diced 2-3 Tbsp. worth of green bell peppers and about 1/3 cup of onion. Lindsay then opened a 15-1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes. She popped the tomatoes, along with the diced vegetables into a sauce pan and added 1/2 tsp salt, 1 rounded Tbsp. sugar and about 16 turns of pepper from the pepper mill. She stirred it up real good and placed it on the burner on medium high heat. I cut up about 1-1/2 cups worth of bread into cubes and set it aside for her.
Next she got started on the main dish. Chicken Schnitzel, we learned, is a popular dish in Israel, especially with the children. To begin, she whipped up 2 eggs in a bowl.
Next she measured about a cup of Panko (unseasoned) into another bowl, to which she added 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, salt and paprika, and about 24 turns from the pepper mill. She mixed that up real good and spread it out on a plate. She then measured about 1/2 cup of flour into the now empty bowl. Yes! One less dish to wash later!
Then the fun began! She lined her ingredients up in a row, first the flour, then the eggs and finally, the now seasoned Panko. She gave her tomatoes a stir, added some oil (we used Olive oil) to a large skillet and set it to heating up, grabbed the 4 slightly flattened chicken breast halves and got to work. First she placed the chicken pieces in flour, turning them to coat both sides. Then she gave them a dip in the egg mixture before popping them on the plate of Panko. She coated them real good with that and placed them on another plate while she repeated the process until all 4 pieces were ready.
About this time she just couldn't stand it any more! She had to go wash all that sticky mess from her hands! She got the green beans started, turned the tomatoes down to low, gave them another stir, and we determined the oil was hot enough so she placed the chicken in the pan. It took maybe 4 minutes on the first side then, using tongs she turned them over to cook the other side, while Nathan and I were busy setting the table. When everything else was about ready Lindsay stirred the bread cubes into the tomatoes before serving everything up.
By then end of the meal we could all understand why this chicken dish is so popular with the younger set, and I'm guessing the young at heart as well, in Israel. It was delicious! This is one meal we'll be repeating!
We just finished our latest Social Studies lesson which we all found quite interesting. We learned a lot about Israel this last couple weeks. I think everyone's favorite part though, was the ending, which took place yesterday.
Although this last project was mostly Lindsay's doing, we all benefitted from her presentation , and I enjoyed spending time with her as I helped out just a wee bit.
One of Lindsay's favorite pasttimes these days is spending time in the kitchen, so it was with great enthusiasm that she tackled her chosen project. She washed her hands with warm water and soap, and began collecting her ingredients.
We started with the stewed tomatoes. Since she's a bit leary of dealing with sharp knives I diced 2-3 Tbsp. worth of green bell peppers and about 1/3 cup of onion. Lindsay then opened a 15-1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes. She popped the tomatoes, along with the diced vegetables into a sauce pan and added 1/2 tsp salt, 1 rounded Tbsp. sugar and about 16 turns of pepper from the pepper mill. She stirred it up real good and placed it on the burner on medium high heat. I cut up about 1-1/2 cups worth of bread into cubes and set it aside for her.
Next she got started on the main dish. Chicken Schnitzel, we learned, is a popular dish in Israel, especially with the children. To begin, she whipped up 2 eggs in a bowl.
Next she measured about a cup of Panko (unseasoned) into another bowl, to which she added 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, salt and paprika, and about 24 turns from the pepper mill. She mixed that up real good and spread it out on a plate. She then measured about 1/2 cup of flour into the now empty bowl. Yes! One less dish to wash later!
Then the fun began! She lined her ingredients up in a row, first the flour, then the eggs and finally, the now seasoned Panko. She gave her tomatoes a stir, added some oil (we used Olive oil) to a large skillet and set it to heating up, grabbed the 4 slightly flattened chicken breast halves and got to work. First she placed the chicken pieces in flour, turning them to coat both sides. Then she gave them a dip in the egg mixture before popping them on the plate of Panko. She coated them real good with that and placed them on another plate while she repeated the process until all 4 pieces were ready.
About this time she just couldn't stand it any more! She had to go wash all that sticky mess from her hands! She got the green beans started, turned the tomatoes down to low, gave them another stir, and we determined the oil was hot enough so she placed the chicken in the pan. It took maybe 4 minutes on the first side then, using tongs she turned them over to cook the other side, while Nathan and I were busy setting the table. When everything else was about ready Lindsay stirred the bread cubes into the tomatoes before serving everything up.
By then end of the meal we could all understand why this chicken dish is so popular with the younger set, and I'm guessing the young at heart as well, in Israel. It was delicious! This is one meal we'll be repeating!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Just Readin' Ma!
One of the kids' favorite pastimes is reading. With the exception of Saturday mornings, it's usually the first thing they do after getting up. It's also one of their favorite things to do in the afternoon when they're finished with school. There have been times, when it's really nice outside that we've practically had to force them to put their books down and go outside for some fresh air. More than once we've glanced outside and been surprised to find that, although they have gone outside as requested, they managed to sneak their books out as well. There we see them, sprawled out on the ground, taking advantage of the suns rays as they continue their reading. Ah well. At least they're getting some fresh air!
Other than Saturday movie nights, and Sunday Family Game night, reading is usually their activity of choice in the evenings before getting ready for bed. You'd think that would be enough reading time for two really quite active youngsters, but no, once they've changed into their PJs, and brushed their teeth, they each grab at least one book to take in with them to bed. There's been more than one time I've gone in to check on them before retiring to bed myself and found it necessary to inform them they needed to wrap it up and go to sleep.
This is what I found when stopping in to check on Nathan at 10 o'clock last night.
I suppose there are worse things for ones children to be so enamored with.
Other than Saturday movie nights, and Sunday Family Game night, reading is usually their activity of choice in the evenings before getting ready for bed. You'd think that would be enough reading time for two really quite active youngsters, but no, once they've changed into their PJs, and brushed their teeth, they each grab at least one book to take in with them to bed. There's been more than one time I've gone in to check on them before retiring to bed myself and found it necessary to inform them they needed to wrap it up and go to sleep.
This is what I found when stopping in to check on Nathan at 10 o'clock last night.
I suppose there are worse things for ones children to be so enamored with.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Fun With Ice Cream!...And A Recipe!
Yesterday, one of our cats was just curious enough to brave helping the kids make dessert.
This year we found ourselves in the rare situation of actually having leftover egg nog! In contemplating this dilemna, I came up with the idea of using one of the kids' Christmas gifts to use the egg nog up in a way that did not require the use of a drinking vessel.
Nick and Kimmi were the inspiration for this Christmas gift, the Ice Cream Ball! A few years ago they visited and brought along their Ice Cream ball. The kids had so much fun with it that we were just sure they'd enjoy having one of their own. We opted for the Mega version which makes a quart.
After washing the new ball inside and out, we filled the one end up with ice cubes and 1 cup of Ice Cream salt. We closed that end up and turned the ball over. Then we mixed 3 cups of egg nog (we used Lucerne) and 1 cup of heavy cream. To this we added 1/4 tsp. each nutmeg and vanilla. We poured this mixture into the other end of the ball and closed it up. Then I grabbed the camera as the kids headed outside with the ball.
Even though it is pink (not the most masculine color I'm told), Nathan joined in and the kids, as well as the cat had a great time shaking, rolling and chasing the ball around the yard.
After about 30 minutes we brought the ball inside and opened it up to discover a creamy soft serve eggnog ice cream that we all enjoyed for dessert.
As this was a family dessert we did not include any spirits in the recipe. If it were for adults only, I may have added a bit of good rum to the mixture (maybe 1/4 cup?) I also think it would've turned out fine using 4 cups eggnog, omitting the cream, although we rather liked the fresh taste the cream added.
Hope you all are enjoying your last weekend of Winter vacation!
This year we found ourselves in the rare situation of actually having leftover egg nog! In contemplating this dilemna, I came up with the idea of using one of the kids' Christmas gifts to use the egg nog up in a way that did not require the use of a drinking vessel.
Nick and Kimmi were the inspiration for this Christmas gift, the Ice Cream Ball! A few years ago they visited and brought along their Ice Cream ball. The kids had so much fun with it that we were just sure they'd enjoy having one of their own. We opted for the Mega version which makes a quart.
After washing the new ball inside and out, we filled the one end up with ice cubes and 1 cup of Ice Cream salt. We closed that end up and turned the ball over. Then we mixed 3 cups of egg nog (we used Lucerne) and 1 cup of heavy cream. To this we added 1/4 tsp. each nutmeg and vanilla. We poured this mixture into the other end of the ball and closed it up. Then I grabbed the camera as the kids headed outside with the ball.
Even though it is pink (not the most masculine color I'm told), Nathan joined in and the kids, as well as the cat had a great time shaking, rolling and chasing the ball around the yard.
After about 30 minutes we brought the ball inside and opened it up to discover a creamy soft serve eggnog ice cream that we all enjoyed for dessert.
As this was a family dessert we did not include any spirits in the recipe. If it were for adults only, I may have added a bit of good rum to the mixture (maybe 1/4 cup?) I also think it would've turned out fine using 4 cups eggnog, omitting the cream, although we rather liked the fresh taste the cream added.
Hope you all are enjoying your last weekend of Winter vacation!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Years Dinner
Lindsay was itching to put her new cookbook, Taste Of Home's Simple & Delicious Cookbook to use so I suggested perhaps she'd like to fix our New Years Day dinner this year. She thought that was a great idea and had a fine time in the kitchen! Once she was done we all enjoyed the fruits of her labor.
She prepared Ginger-Apple Pork Chops along with Sesame Green Beans. She rounded out the meal with cornbread muffins. What a Yummy way to begin the new Year!
She prepared Ginger-Apple Pork Chops along with Sesame Green Beans. She rounded out the meal with cornbread muffins. What a Yummy way to begin the new Year!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
Hard to believe it'll be 2010 in just a few hours! 2009 just flew by!
Also hard to believe it's been so long since I posted last. It's been a rough season for us healthwise. Halloween we took the kids to the Mall as usual, and as usual, two days later the "bugs" caught up with us. We swapped flue bugs back and forth for a bit, then started sharing cold bugs.
By the time Lindsay's Birthday had arrived on the 20th we were all feeling better, but still hanging on to symptoms to the point we ended up putting her special outing off. Guess we have that to look forward to in the New Year. The kids are all better now while Pa and I are slowly but surely limping our way back to our usual relatively healthy selves. I guess these things take a bit longer as a body gets older...
Still wore out it, seemed even more stressful than usual having Christmas follow so close behind a Birthday, but we managed for the most part and the kids seemed quite happy with their gifts, even though there weren't quite so many under the tree this year. I expect we weren't the only parents explaining the realities of the economy to their children this year.
One thing we miss here is Christmas snow, but there are some benefits to a warmer climate, especially when Ma Nature cooperates and holds off on the rain for Christmas day. The kids had a ball with one of their shared Christmas gifts.
The next day they played with their "OgoSports" disks some more, then Lindsay pulled out her new stilts.
The stilts are called "Walkaroos" and their great! Designed for ease and safety in learning, they also feature a great extending design which means they'll grow with Lindsay all the way into adulthood if she's still interested by then. Who knows? Maybe I'll even get brave enough to give them a try one of these days! Now there would be a picture!
For anyone with active children I highly recommend both these items for gifting!
Tonight, as the wind and rain do their thing outside we'll be enjoying pizza, followed by oodles of popcorn as we do whatever we dream up for fun. Maybe a game, or perhaps enjoy a movie until the New Years show starts at 10. The kids are looking forward to staying up til midnight. Pa and I are figuring the kids will be giggling as we drop off sometime before the magic hour. Hopefully they'll be kind enough to toss a blanket or two over us before they head into bed! ;-)
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!
Best wishes for a very Happy New Year !
Also hard to believe it's been so long since I posted last. It's been a rough season for us healthwise. Halloween we took the kids to the Mall as usual, and as usual, two days later the "bugs" caught up with us. We swapped flue bugs back and forth for a bit, then started sharing cold bugs.
By the time Lindsay's Birthday had arrived on the 20th we were all feeling better, but still hanging on to symptoms to the point we ended up putting her special outing off. Guess we have that to look forward to in the New Year. The kids are all better now while Pa and I are slowly but surely limping our way back to our usual relatively healthy selves. I guess these things take a bit longer as a body gets older...
Still wore out it, seemed even more stressful than usual having Christmas follow so close behind a Birthday, but we managed for the most part and the kids seemed quite happy with their gifts, even though there weren't quite so many under the tree this year. I expect we weren't the only parents explaining the realities of the economy to their children this year.
One thing we miss here is Christmas snow, but there are some benefits to a warmer climate, especially when Ma Nature cooperates and holds off on the rain for Christmas day. The kids had a ball with one of their shared Christmas gifts.
The next day they played with their "OgoSports" disks some more, then Lindsay pulled out her new stilts.
The stilts are called "Walkaroos" and their great! Designed for ease and safety in learning, they also feature a great extending design which means they'll grow with Lindsay all the way into adulthood if she's still interested by then. Who knows? Maybe I'll even get brave enough to give them a try one of these days! Now there would be a picture!
For anyone with active children I highly recommend both these items for gifting!
Tonight, as the wind and rain do their thing outside we'll be enjoying pizza, followed by oodles of popcorn as we do whatever we dream up for fun. Maybe a game, or perhaps enjoy a movie until the New Years show starts at 10. The kids are looking forward to staying up til midnight. Pa and I are figuring the kids will be giggling as we drop off sometime before the magic hour. Hopefully they'll be kind enough to toss a blanket or two over us before they head into bed! ;-)
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!
Best wishes for a very Happy New Year !
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The World Link : NB cops recover stolen cruiser
Seems someone in the area decided to steal a Police car! I can't help but wonder what the transmitions between officers sounded like on this one! Unfortunately, we weren't listening to the scanner at the time.
The World Link : NB cops recover stolen cruiser
Shared via AddThis
The World Link : NB cops recover stolen cruiser
Shared via AddThis
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A Birthday - A Movie - A Fire!
It's been another busy week in the Boondocks.
Tuesday was Nathan's 12th Birthday which meant we were busy with preparations for several days ahead of time. We like to take the kids somewhere special for their big days , which usually means an outdoor outing. Due to the uncomfortably warm weather on Tuesday, we made an exception this year.
Shortly after noon we all piled into the truck and headed for town, and proceeded to the mall, and the Cinema. The kids had never been to a movie theatre before , and it was a nice cool place to spend a hot afternoon, so we thought it would be a good choice for the special event.
Turns out we were right. Nathan and Lindsay both thoroughly enjoyed the cool air, as well as the movie we chose to treat them to. We were pleasantly surprised at the price of admission, but were quickly shocked back into the present time by the prices at the concession stand. It cost more for popcorn and sodas than admittance! It was worth it though, to see the kids eyes widen at the site of the huge bags of popcorn and the large cups of soda. We ordered small of each and they were the size of large that I remember when I went to the movies as a youngster.
The film we saw was Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. As with the first two Ice Age movies, it was an excellent film! Including us, there were maybe 15 folks watching this particular showing, and most of those were adults, in their 50's and older. Including our two, there was a total of three children, and the chuckles and outright laughing could be heard throughout the film, from both children and adults. I would highly recommend this film for the whole family!
After the movie we headed to Albertson's where we picked up Nathan's choices for dinner, Macaroni and cheese, Broccoli and fish, and his cake, which he was tickled to note was an Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs theme.
Back at home the kids played outside for a bit while Pa and I blew up balloons and set the table up with gifts, balloons and the cake. Nathan was thrilled with his gifts, which included books (he loves to read!), archery equipment, a dissecting kit (that was the closest thing I could come to his request for something having to do with bones) and cash. The kids then headed back outside where Nathan practiced his archery skills until dinner time.
Yesterday was another exciting day, which included a surprise visit from the head forester for our area. The kids were wandering around their paths in the woods on our property when they smelled smoke and investigating further they discovered a fire. They immediately ran back to the house to inform us. Pa grabbed the shovel and we followed them back up to the fire. Fortunately, it was still small enough we were able to deal with it. While Pa was busy doing what he could with the shovel, the kids and I set up a relay of sorts, to get jugs of water up to the site.
Once we got the fire out we came back down to the house and called the forestry dept, and the forester came out to take a look. He was great! He praised the kids multiple times for finding the fire, and taking the correct action, then proceeded to show his trainee, as well as the kids how to determine the cause and path of the fire. He determined it was airborne, and the most probable direction of origin. His theory was the same as ours, and once he'd finished on our property our neighbors got a visit as well.
It turns out this forester lives in the neighborhood as well so he was doubly grateful for the kids' discovery and actions. We were all shaking our heads, feeling our hearts pounding as we realized how fortunate we, and the whole neighborhood were that the kids discovered it when they did. It was just getting a good blaze going. Mere minutes, or a good gust of wind later and it would've been raging into a wildfire beyond our control with dozens of homes, including ours in it's path.
Today, we're heading to town for our weekly visit to the Library and some shopping, including a search for Nathan's last Birthday gift from us, his choice of a quiver for his archery pursuits.
Hope you all are having a safe and fun week, and that you are able to stay cool!
Tuesday was Nathan's 12th Birthday which meant we were busy with preparations for several days ahead of time. We like to take the kids somewhere special for their big days , which usually means an outdoor outing. Due to the uncomfortably warm weather on Tuesday, we made an exception this year.
Shortly after noon we all piled into the truck and headed for town, and proceeded to the mall, and the Cinema. The kids had never been to a movie theatre before , and it was a nice cool place to spend a hot afternoon, so we thought it would be a good choice for the special event.
Turns out we were right. Nathan and Lindsay both thoroughly enjoyed the cool air, as well as the movie we chose to treat them to. We were pleasantly surprised at the price of admission, but were quickly shocked back into the present time by the prices at the concession stand. It cost more for popcorn and sodas than admittance! It was worth it though, to see the kids eyes widen at the site of the huge bags of popcorn and the large cups of soda. We ordered small of each and they were the size of large that I remember when I went to the movies as a youngster.
The film we saw was Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. As with the first two Ice Age movies, it was an excellent film! Including us, there were maybe 15 folks watching this particular showing, and most of those were adults, in their 50's and older. Including our two, there was a total of three children, and the chuckles and outright laughing could be heard throughout the film, from both children and adults. I would highly recommend this film for the whole family!
After the movie we headed to Albertson's where we picked up Nathan's choices for dinner, Macaroni and cheese, Broccoli and fish, and his cake, which he was tickled to note was an Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs theme.
Back at home the kids played outside for a bit while Pa and I blew up balloons and set the table up with gifts, balloons and the cake. Nathan was thrilled with his gifts, which included books (he loves to read!), archery equipment, a dissecting kit (that was the closest thing I could come to his request for something having to do with bones) and cash. The kids then headed back outside where Nathan practiced his archery skills until dinner time.
Yesterday was another exciting day, which included a surprise visit from the head forester for our area. The kids were wandering around their paths in the woods on our property when they smelled smoke and investigating further they discovered a fire. They immediately ran back to the house to inform us. Pa grabbed the shovel and we followed them back up to the fire. Fortunately, it was still small enough we were able to deal with it. While Pa was busy doing what he could with the shovel, the kids and I set up a relay of sorts, to get jugs of water up to the site.
Once we got the fire out we came back down to the house and called the forestry dept, and the forester came out to take a look. He was great! He praised the kids multiple times for finding the fire, and taking the correct action, then proceeded to show his trainee, as well as the kids how to determine the cause and path of the fire. He determined it was airborne, and the most probable direction of origin. His theory was the same as ours, and once he'd finished on our property our neighbors got a visit as well.
It turns out this forester lives in the neighborhood as well so he was doubly grateful for the kids' discovery and actions. We were all shaking our heads, feeling our hearts pounding as we realized how fortunate we, and the whole neighborhood were that the kids discovered it when they did. It was just getting a good blaze going. Mere minutes, or a good gust of wind later and it would've been raging into a wildfire beyond our control with dozens of homes, including ours in it's path.
Today, we're heading to town for our weekly visit to the Library and some shopping, including a search for Nathan's last Birthday gift from us, his choice of a quiver for his archery pursuits.
Hope you all are having a safe and fun week, and that you are able to stay cool!
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