We've got the car packed to the gills with clothes, my sewing machine and fabric, a few kitchen items, a Select Comfort mattress, some personal care items and all the office stuff we'll need to produce the information packets we send to churches. I CANNOT BELIEVE WE FIT IT ALL IN!!! My hubby figured out he could put things into garbage bags, use the shopvac to suck all the air out and condense BIG things into wee little and very oddly shaped packages. He ROCKS!
Just waiting now for the sheets to finish drying so I can put those away. And for the other associate pastor to come home with a pizza for lunch. He called this morning to see if that would help and we said YES! I think maybe he's gonna miss us a little :-) I know we'll miss him. We've spent the last 5-1/2 years sharing the parsonage, our lives and ministry. He's family. But he's not entirely rid of us since we have to come back a couple weekends in May to finish packing the things we'll be taking to Argentina with us.
Which, I am VERY excited to say, is now much closer than before. We received word yesterday that a church in Indiana had voted on Sunday night to take on $500 PER MONTH of our support! That is HUGE! And it puts us up to 90.2% of our support level, which in turn means we can start making definite travel plans. Since we have meetings through mid-July, we're looking to leave for Argentina at THE END OF JULY. Woohoo!
This is making it a LOT easier to move today. Before, we were going without any idea of how long we'd be there, living in limbo, without a place of our own.
It also means that as we pack, we'll know what we need to keep out to take in suitcases (it will be winter in Argentina when we arrive) and what to pack for the shipping container.
This was good news on so many levels!!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Amen and hallelujah!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Testimony Time at the "Stand Up And Testify" Carnival
I love Deedee's idea to have a "Stand Up And Testify" Carnival! I'm excited to hear what God has done in the lives of my bloggy friends and to share what He has done in mine.
We moved a lot. My first memories are from a house on Hawthorne Street in Detroit. It was a street of immigrants. There were some literally straight off the boat from places like Ireland and Brazil, plus second generations of Polish and German families. A few native Detroiters sprinkled in along with those who had moved from other parts of Michigan. And us? We were the resident hillbillies. We were all there because this was the 1960s and business was booming in the Motor City!
There was a teenager down the block who invited all the kids to go to Vacation Bible School at her church. I was the only one who took her up on it (probably because it was a predominantly Catholic neighborhood). After VBS was over Vicki invited me to go to Sunday school each week and for the next several years I attended that Baptist church faithfully. I loved the Bible stories and songs but didn’t really comprehend what it was all about. Vicki also helped lead an after school Bible club that I attended (back when Bible clubs were allowed in the building after school was over). She gave me my first Bible for memorizing some verses. I don’t remember Vicki’s last name or have any idea what she went on to do, but I’d love to tell her THANK YOU for the part she played in the early years of my spiritual journey, of making me tender toward the Word of God.
[Even though we lived in Detroit when I was a kid, we often went back to Kentucky to visit family. Here I am with my little sister on the road to Aunt Lizzie's house. We were stylin' in our little dresses with matching floppy hats and purses.]
We moved three times the year I was in 4th grade and I got out of the habit of going to church. For a brief period in 6th grade I went to a Baptist church within walking distance but because of negative peer pressure I quit going. And that was it for a few years.
Just as I was about to start high school we made yet another move, this time back to Kentucky. In retrospect I think it was because my mom thought she was dying and she wanted to be back by family who would take care of us if that happened. But at the time I wondered if it was her punishing me for getting in with a not-so-nice crowd back in Michigan. And that may have played a part in it but mostly I think she was just scared. Sick, unable to work, trying to raise two girls on her own. I’d go “home” too!
Over the next few years I found my way in with another not-so-nice crowd but my sister was blessed to find herself in a little Presbyterian church where the Word of God was preached and people loved on her. Before long she was saved but I was too busy self-destructing to pay any attention to how my little sister was changing. It just irritated me that she kept pestering me to go to church with her. And the aggravation got worse when she became good friends with a new girl at school, a preacher’s daughter.
One Sunday morning she started in and I just snapped. I said I couldn’t go because I didn’t have new shoes (she’d gotten new shoes the day before). But she stopped me in my tracks when she quietly said, “You can wear my new shoes.” Whoa! Sorta feeling like a rat trapped in a maze, I realized there was no way out of that one! So, wearing her new shoes, I went to church with her. She was now attending her friend’s church which was 11 miles downriver. A lady in town always picked my sister up and she was very gracious when I joined them.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d heard some funny things about churches in the mountains, about snake handling and shouting and stuff. But my sister assured me this wasn’t that kind of church. And it wasn’t. It reminded me a lot of the Baptist churches I’d attended years before.
As soon as I walked in several people greeted me and a girl I’d never seen before came over and introduced herself and sat with me, just chatting up a storm and being friendly. I’m ashamed to admit my attitude was pretty cynical; more like “What’s her angle? What does she want?” It turned out this girl had spent the summer in Kentucky helping at this “home missions” church, whatever that meant, and she’d come back to visit that particular weekend. I don’t remember what the pastor preached about. I just remember thinking this was the nicest bunch of people I’d ever met and WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM?
On the way out the door the pastor started shaking my hand and saying how happy he was I’d come. I tried to pull my hand away but he just kept pumping away and talking, and I realized he was inviting me to join the senior high kids who were going to visit a college the next week. Just wanting to get out of there I flippantly said, “Yeah, sure, if I’m not busy.”
Oh my, I had no idea what I was saying. I had no inkling that God would make sure I had ABSOLUTELY nothing else to do and would be compelled to go on that trip. Which would change my life. Forever.
Put a preacher in a van with a bunch of high schoolers for 8 hours each way. He doesn’t need a Bible (he’s got a lot of it memorized) and he doesn’t need a pulpit (that steering wheel will do just fine, thankyouma’am). To say I clearly heard the Gospel that trip would be a vast understatement. I had the Gospel preached to me for 8 hours there and 8 hours back. Oh, and did I mention that it was a Christian college we visited? So of course we went to chapel where we heard…yes, the Gospel! And all those nice people, everywhere we went. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM?
I’m not an easy sell. I didn’t break down on the trip and do anything rash. But it did start me to thinkin’ and readin’ my Bible. And the more I read the more I realized that preacher was absolutely right and I had a choice to make. Continue on my merry way and end up spending eternity in hell. Or turn my life over to Jesus and receive eternal life with Him. There is no other way. John 14:16 is pretty clear on this point: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” As this truth overwhelmed me, I simply got down on my knees right there in my bedroom and prayed. I’m pretty sure it was an almost incoherent prayer but God knew what was in my heart and He answered that prayer and saved me!
The next step was a public testimony. This at a time in my life when I was so shy I blushed if anyone spoke to me, boy or girl. But again, scripture was clear: “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10] But I will not lie to you, that was one of the scariest experiences of my life, to stand in front of all the people in that church and share what God had done in my life. I’m pretty sure my knees were literally knocking and I turned beet red and stammered through the shortest testimony ever. I think I just used words and phrases instead of whole sentences. But when it was over and the folks smiled and clapped and welcomed me into the family of God, well that’s a feeling of coming home! I do remember one dear grandmotherly type coming up to me afterward and giving me a big hug and telling me, “Why honey I’m so surprised! I had more hope for Annie than I did for you!” Well that took me aback a bit because Annie had just run off with a married truck driver the week before.
I was a young and mighty ignorant Christian. I remember one Wednesday night in that little mountain church, raising my hand and asking in all innocence “What is circumcision?” It got real quiet and the pastor had a little smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he said, “Kim, I’ll answer that for you later, okay?” I knew I’d stepped in it but had no clue how deeply. Boy was I embarrassed afterward when he explained it!
That little group of believers just took me in and loved on me and helped me grow. They were such an encouraging group and I will be forever grateful for their investment of time into my life. When they sent me off to college about 18 months later (that same college I’d visited with the pastor and senior high kids), I went with their blessing and prayers.
And so began my walk with the Jesus who saved me. It's been a wild and crazy 31 years as He has taken me from the hills of Kentucky to places I never dreamed I'd go, done things I would have scoffed at doing, and met the most incredible people along the way. Because it doesn't matter where you go, the family of God is the same the world over. And that feeling of coming home?! I've experienced it all over the U.S., in Africa, South America, Europe, and right here on the internet. When you're with God's people, you're home! Amen and hallelujah!
We moved a lot. My first memories are from a house on Hawthorne Street in Detroit. It was a street of immigrants. There were some literally straight off the boat from places like Ireland and Brazil, plus second generations of Polish and German families. A few native Detroiters sprinkled in along with those who had moved from other parts of Michigan. And us? We were the resident hillbillies. We were all there because this was the 1960s and business was booming in the Motor City!
There was a teenager down the block who invited all the kids to go to Vacation Bible School at her church. I was the only one who took her up on it (probably because it was a predominantly Catholic neighborhood). After VBS was over Vicki invited me to go to Sunday school each week and for the next several years I attended that Baptist church faithfully. I loved the Bible stories and songs but didn’t really comprehend what it was all about. Vicki also helped lead an after school Bible club that I attended (back when Bible clubs were allowed in the building after school was over). She gave me my first Bible for memorizing some verses. I don’t remember Vicki’s last name or have any idea what she went on to do, but I’d love to tell her THANK YOU for the part she played in the early years of my spiritual journey, of making me tender toward the Word of God.
[Even though we lived in Detroit when I was a kid, we often went back to Kentucky to visit family. Here I am with my little sister on the road to Aunt Lizzie's house. We were stylin' in our little dresses with matching floppy hats and purses.]
We moved three times the year I was in 4th grade and I got out of the habit of going to church. For a brief period in 6th grade I went to a Baptist church within walking distance but because of negative peer pressure I quit going. And that was it for a few years.
Just as I was about to start high school we made yet another move, this time back to Kentucky. In retrospect I think it was because my mom thought she was dying and she wanted to be back by family who would take care of us if that happened. But at the time I wondered if it was her punishing me for getting in with a not-so-nice crowd back in Michigan. And that may have played a part in it but mostly I think she was just scared. Sick, unable to work, trying to raise two girls on her own. I’d go “home” too!
Over the next few years I found my way in with another not-so-nice crowd but my sister was blessed to find herself in a little Presbyterian church where the Word of God was preached and people loved on her. Before long she was saved but I was too busy self-destructing to pay any attention to how my little sister was changing. It just irritated me that she kept pestering me to go to church with her. And the aggravation got worse when she became good friends with a new girl at school, a preacher’s daughter.
One Sunday morning she started in and I just snapped. I said I couldn’t go because I didn’t have new shoes (she’d gotten new shoes the day before). But she stopped me in my tracks when she quietly said, “You can wear my new shoes.” Whoa! Sorta feeling like a rat trapped in a maze, I realized there was no way out of that one! So, wearing her new shoes, I went to church with her. She was now attending her friend’s church which was 11 miles downriver. A lady in town always picked my sister up and she was very gracious when I joined them.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d heard some funny things about churches in the mountains, about snake handling and shouting and stuff. But my sister assured me this wasn’t that kind of church. And it wasn’t. It reminded me a lot of the Baptist churches I’d attended years before.
As soon as I walked in several people greeted me and a girl I’d never seen before came over and introduced herself and sat with me, just chatting up a storm and being friendly. I’m ashamed to admit my attitude was pretty cynical; more like “What’s her angle? What does she want?” It turned out this girl had spent the summer in Kentucky helping at this “home missions” church, whatever that meant, and she’d come back to visit that particular weekend. I don’t remember what the pastor preached about. I just remember thinking this was the nicest bunch of people I’d ever met and WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM?
On the way out the door the pastor started shaking my hand and saying how happy he was I’d come. I tried to pull my hand away but he just kept pumping away and talking, and I realized he was inviting me to join the senior high kids who were going to visit a college the next week. Just wanting to get out of there I flippantly said, “Yeah, sure, if I’m not busy.”
Oh my, I had no idea what I was saying. I had no inkling that God would make sure I had ABSOLUTELY nothing else to do and would be compelled to go on that trip. Which would change my life. Forever.
Put a preacher in a van with a bunch of high schoolers for 8 hours each way. He doesn’t need a Bible (he’s got a lot of it memorized) and he doesn’t need a pulpit (that steering wheel will do just fine, thankyouma’am). To say I clearly heard the Gospel that trip would be a vast understatement. I had the Gospel preached to me for 8 hours there and 8 hours back. Oh, and did I mention that it was a Christian college we visited? So of course we went to chapel where we heard…yes, the Gospel! And all those nice people, everywhere we went. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM?
I’m not an easy sell. I didn’t break down on the trip and do anything rash. But it did start me to thinkin’ and readin’ my Bible. And the more I read the more I realized that preacher was absolutely right and I had a choice to make. Continue on my merry way and end up spending eternity in hell. Or turn my life over to Jesus and receive eternal life with Him. There is no other way. John 14:16 is pretty clear on this point: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” As this truth overwhelmed me, I simply got down on my knees right there in my bedroom and prayed. I’m pretty sure it was an almost incoherent prayer but God knew what was in my heart and He answered that prayer and saved me!
The next step was a public testimony. This at a time in my life when I was so shy I blushed if anyone spoke to me, boy or girl. But again, scripture was clear: “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10] But I will not lie to you, that was one of the scariest experiences of my life, to stand in front of all the people in that church and share what God had done in my life. I’m pretty sure my knees were literally knocking and I turned beet red and stammered through the shortest testimony ever. I think I just used words and phrases instead of whole sentences. But when it was over and the folks smiled and clapped and welcomed me into the family of God, well that’s a feeling of coming home! I do remember one dear grandmotherly type coming up to me afterward and giving me a big hug and telling me, “Why honey I’m so surprised! I had more hope for Annie than I did for you!” Well that took me aback a bit because Annie had just run off with a married truck driver the week before.
I was a young and mighty ignorant Christian. I remember one Wednesday night in that little mountain church, raising my hand and asking in all innocence “What is circumcision?” It got real quiet and the pastor had a little smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he said, “Kim, I’ll answer that for you later, okay?” I knew I’d stepped in it but had no clue how deeply. Boy was I embarrassed afterward when he explained it!
That little group of believers just took me in and loved on me and helped me grow. They were such an encouraging group and I will be forever grateful for their investment of time into my life. When they sent me off to college about 18 months later (that same college I’d visited with the pastor and senior high kids), I went with their blessing and prayers.
And so began my walk with the Jesus who saved me. It's been a wild and crazy 31 years as He has taken me from the hills of Kentucky to places I never dreamed I'd go, done things I would have scoffed at doing, and met the most incredible people along the way. Because it doesn't matter where you go, the family of God is the same the world over. And that feeling of coming home?! I've experienced it all over the U.S., in Africa, South America, Europe, and right here on the internet. When you're with God's people, you're home! Amen and hallelujah!
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Mate & Monday Meanderings
I'm definitely not firing on all cylinders this morning. A long (but good!) Sunday and not enough sleep leaves me feeling a bit anti-social and grouchy. Not my usual persona. Okay, maybe the grouchy part is normal. Oh, that reminds me, we saw a license plate that read CRMUDGN. Isn't that great?!
With Tuesday shaping up to be a busy day with last minute get-togethers, today will require a bit more push on the packing. So glad I got a lot done on Saturday 'cause that takes some of the pressure off today. I need to decide exactly what to take to Indiana with us. Since it's early Spring in the Midwest, that season that hovers between cold and hot, we'll need to take a combination of warm and cold weather clothing.
Definitely taking the computer, printer, different papers needed for putting together our packets, envelopes, prayer cards and other stuff we include, ministry files... And I have to take the sewing machine and some supplies for the next couple of months because creating quilts (or aprons or whatever) is one of my biggest stress reducing strategies. [Bubble baths is the other.]
Bed and bedding. What? You don't take your own bed when you go to other people's homes? Well, as our daughter would be quick to point out, we have never done things the "normal" way. So why start now? And the fact is, their guest bed is the most uncomfortable in the history of mankind. And that's from someone who slept on a 4" thick mattress on a cot in a youth hostel in Ireland, to say nothing of some pretty primitive accommodations in Africa. Just sayin'.
Think we can get it all in the car? So now the question is, do we figure out a way to get it all there this Wednesday, as in asking for help or borrowing a vehicle? Or do we wait and take part now and part when we come back in 10 days? My head hurts justing thinking about it. If we decide to go with plan B I must figure out what we'll absolutely have to have this first round.
And now your head is probably hurting too, with all this meandering. On to The Mate! For those who were interested in what mate means to Argentina, here's the essay I promised to post. Originally in Spanish, this is courtesy of hubby's translation. And since I have NO IDEA how to make Spanish punctuation marks in this program, pretend that the word mate has an accent over the "a" and yes, this is a two-syllable word in Spanish.
On our last visit to Argentina we stopped in to see friends at their tire business, and of course shared mate while we chatted. Hubby has the mate (which refers to both the cup and the tea).
THE MATE
Mate is not a beverage. Well, it is a liquid and it enters through your mouth, but it is not a beverage. In Argentina, nobody drinks mate because they are thirsty. It’s more of a custom, like scratching yourself.
When someone arrives at your home, the first thing out of your mouth is “hello” and the second thing is “Unos mates?” or “Some mates?” This happens in all homes, in those of the rich and those of the poor. It happens among gossipy and talkative women, and among serious and immature men. It happens among the old in nursing homes and among adolescents as they study or hang out. It is the only thing that fathers and sons share without arguments or accusations. The Peronistas and the radicals drink mate without questioning. In summer and in winter. It is the only thing that victims and perpetrators share, the good and the bad.
When you have a son, you begin to give him mate when he asks for it. You give it to him tepid and with lots of sugar and he feels grown up. You feel great pride when your offspring begins to sip mate. As they get older they choose how to drink it: sweet or plain, hot or cold, with orange peel or with herbs or a little squirt of lemon.
This is the only country in the world where the decision to go from being a child to being a man happens on a particular day. It has nothing to do with long pants, going to university or moving far away from your family. Here we become adults on the day we first drink mate by ourselves – the day a child puts the teapot on the stove and drinks his first mate alone.
The soul of Argentina is intertwined with yerba. Yerba is the only thing that exists in all home, always. With inflation, with hunger, with a military government, with a democracy. And if some day there is no yerba, a neighbor has it and will give it to you. No one is denied yerba.
When you meet someone for the first time you drink some mates. When you first meet, people ask “sweet or plain?” The response is “However you drink it.”
Mate is exactly the opposite of television. It makes you communicate if you are with someone and it makes you think when you are alone. It is the solidarity of drinking washed mates because the conversation is so good. It’s the conversation that is so good, not the mate. It’s respect for the opportunity to talk and to listen. You speak while the other sips, and you are allowed the sincerity to say “That’s enough. Time to change the yerba.”
With Tuesday shaping up to be a busy day with last minute get-togethers, today will require a bit more push on the packing. So glad I got a lot done on Saturday 'cause that takes some of the pressure off today. I need to decide exactly what to take to Indiana with us. Since it's early Spring in the Midwest, that season that hovers between cold and hot, we'll need to take a combination of warm and cold weather clothing.
Definitely taking the computer, printer, different papers needed for putting together our packets, envelopes, prayer cards and other stuff we include, ministry files... And I have to take the sewing machine and some supplies for the next couple of months because creating quilts (or aprons or whatever) is one of my biggest stress reducing strategies. [Bubble baths is the other.]
Bed and bedding. What? You don't take your own bed when you go to other people's homes? Well, as our daughter would be quick to point out, we have never done things the "normal" way. So why start now? And the fact is, their guest bed is the most uncomfortable in the history of mankind. And that's from someone who slept on a 4" thick mattress on a cot in a youth hostel in Ireland, to say nothing of some pretty primitive accommodations in Africa. Just sayin'.
Think we can get it all in the car? So now the question is, do we figure out a way to get it all there this Wednesday, as in asking for help or borrowing a vehicle? Or do we wait and take part now and part when we come back in 10 days? My head hurts justing thinking about it. If we decide to go with plan B I must figure out what we'll absolutely have to have this first round.
And now your head is probably hurting too, with all this meandering. On to The Mate! For those who were interested in what mate means to Argentina, here's the essay I promised to post. Originally in Spanish, this is courtesy of hubby's translation. And since I have NO IDEA how to make Spanish punctuation marks in this program, pretend that the word mate has an accent over the "a" and yes, this is a two-syllable word in Spanish.
On our last visit to Argentina we stopped in to see friends at their tire business, and of course shared mate while we chatted. Hubby has the mate (which refers to both the cup and the tea). THE MATE
Mate is not a beverage. Well, it is a liquid and it enters through your mouth, but it is not a beverage. In Argentina, nobody drinks mate because they are thirsty. It’s more of a custom, like scratching yourself.
When someone arrives at your home, the first thing out of your mouth is “hello” and the second thing is “Unos mates?” or “Some mates?” This happens in all homes, in those of the rich and those of the poor. It happens among gossipy and talkative women, and among serious and immature men. It happens among the old in nursing homes and among adolescents as they study or hang out. It is the only thing that fathers and sons share without arguments or accusations. The Peronistas and the radicals drink mate without questioning. In summer and in winter. It is the only thing that victims and perpetrators share, the good and the bad.
When you have a son, you begin to give him mate when he asks for it. You give it to him tepid and with lots of sugar and he feels grown up. You feel great pride when your offspring begins to sip mate. As they get older they choose how to drink it: sweet or plain, hot or cold, with orange peel or with herbs or a little squirt of lemon.
This is the only country in the world where the decision to go from being a child to being a man happens on a particular day. It has nothing to do with long pants, going to university or moving far away from your family. Here we become adults on the day we first drink mate by ourselves – the day a child puts the teapot on the stove and drinks his first mate alone.
The soul of Argentina is intertwined with yerba. Yerba is the only thing that exists in all home, always. With inflation, with hunger, with a military government, with a democracy. And if some day there is no yerba, a neighbor has it and will give it to you. No one is denied yerba.
When you meet someone for the first time you drink some mates. When you first meet, people ask “sweet or plain?” The response is “However you drink it.”
Mate is exactly the opposite of television. It makes you communicate if you are with someone and it makes you think when you are alone. It is the solidarity of drinking washed mates because the conversation is so good. It’s the conversation that is so good, not the mate. It’s respect for the opportunity to talk and to listen. You speak while the other sips, and you are allowed the sincerity to say “That’s enough. Time to change the yerba.”
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Pictured here are some of the boxes we've packed. That's what I spent the day doing. Ugh! I'd forgotten how much work moving can be. We have close to 30 filled so far. Being organized is critical because we have to submit a detailed shipping manifest to customs, so I'm keeping a list of everything that goes into each box. And boxes are given a simple letter/number code: kitchen items are KT-1, KT-2 and so on. I'm normally a pretty organized person but this is stretching me a bit! Hopefully it will ensure things go smoothly though.
Also accomplished: sorting through my fabric stash and trying to figure out what I need to keep out and what I can go ahead and pack. We'll be in Indiana for a few months until we leave for Argentina so I want to make sure I have what I need for a few on-going projects. I really, really, really want to finish my daughter's African memory quilt so I can leave it with her. Here's what it looks like so far:
Once I'm all done with the necessary sewing I'll attach a wee basket on top of the lady's head and offset the continent of Africa so it extends beyond the border of the quilt. The lady with basket will remind Daughter about Kabubu market held every other Thursday and the group of paper doll people represents her experience at the secondary school. All the girls wore white blouses and blue jumpers. Those little insets are tiny batiks. She and I agree it needs something more but we haven't figured out what yet. One of her ministries was to spend nights at the hospital with sick children. A family member or friend must stay with anyone hospitalized to take care of them, bring them food, water, etc. So we think something reflecting that would be good. Oh, by the way, the continent was made by weaving strips of green cotton fabric with strips of bark cloth I brought back from Uganda. I love how the bark cloth is reddish brown, just like the soil.
I'm beyond tired and tomorrow will be a long, busy day. Then two more days of packing before we load the car with clothes and head for Indiana. All those boxes? We'll be leaving them here at the parsonage until we're ready to ship them. And since there's no way we'll get everything packed before Wednesday, we'll be back to Michigan for a few flying visits to finish. Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday, full of praise and worship to the God who made us and gives us the strength we need...to pack boxes or change diapers or whatever He's called us to do!
And The Winner Is...
The Bloggy Giveaway Carnival is over. *sigh* Wasn't it a lot of fun? I found a number of blogs I really enjoyed reading and will go back to. Plus I plan to check out all the lovely people with blogs who left comments here. That'll keep me busy for a while! And I'm still hoping to hear from someone that I won something. With all the giveaways I entered (lost count but it was a LOT) you'd think I'd win at least one item.
Speaking of winning something, the African basket goes to Sarah Fischer! Congratulations Sarah! I think you'll love it and besides being beautiful, it can be useful too. I use baskets for storing all kinds of things. I brought back well over a dozen and plan to use them to decorate either the kitchen or dining room once we get into our own place in Argentina.
And going back through the week, here's a recap of the other winners:
Mindy: the African batik.
Kara: the African scarf.
Jon & Sara: mate cup and bombilla
The mommy at tonsofsons: Irish watercolor.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO WON! And thanks to all who stopped by and left a comment. I'm just sorry I couldn't give all of you something!
Speaking of winning something, the African basket goes to Sarah Fischer! Congratulations Sarah! I think you'll love it and besides being beautiful, it can be useful too. I use baskets for storing all kinds of things. I brought back well over a dozen and plan to use them to decorate either the kitchen or dining room once we get into our own place in Argentina.
And going back through the week, here's a recap of the other winners:
Mindy: the African batik.
Kara: the African scarf.
Jon & Sara: mate cup and bombilla
The mommy at tonsofsons: Irish watercolor.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO WON! And thanks to all who stopped by and left a comment. I'm just sorry I couldn't give all of you something!
Lemon Squares
Oh my but I'm exhausted after all the partying at the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival this week! I'm getting ready to post the final winner after I get this recipe up and linked to Saturday Stirrings. Sure do hope everyone who won something I gave away likes what I sent them! I made it an international offering with a batik, scarf and basket from Africa, a watercolor print from Ireland, and a mate cup and bombilla from Argentina. I haven't won anything yet but still have hopes that sometime today or tomorrow I'll get an e-mail saying that I won something, anything...pretty please with sugar on top?!
If I can't put sugar on the pretty please, I'll just have to put it on these Lemon Squares. OhMyGoodness, but these are yummy! I made them for the shower last Saturday. Very lemony, not too tart, not too sweet. Just right :-)
This is when we had most of the food on the table. People started arriving right after this and we never did get a shot of the finished table. Oh well. Anyway, the lemon squares were on either end of the table and in this picture you can see them in the front right corner.
Lemon squares just scream "SPRING!" to me for some reason. Maybe because spring is when all the yellow flowers seem to bloom: forsythia, tulips, daffodils...and yellow leads me to Lemon Squares. What? You think in a straight line and don't see the connection?
LEMON SQUARES
For the crust:
2 cups flour
16 Tablespoons of butter, unsalted and softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
grated zest of one lemon
For the filling:
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons of confectioners' sugar for sifting over top after they're baked.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the crust, mix all ingredients in bowl or food processor until ball of dough forms. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and refridgerate until chilled to make handling dough easier. Press dough evenly onto bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of ungreased 9"x13" pan. Bake on middle rack of oven until lightly colored, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while you make the filling. Leave oven set at 350 degrees.
To make the filling, beat eggs until light. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating on medium high speed until very light and airy, about 5 minutes. On low speed mix in lemon juice, flour, baking powder and salt just until combined.
Pour mixture over crust and bake until filling is set and light colored, about 25 minutes. Immediately sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Cool and cut into 24 squares.
If I can't put sugar on the pretty please, I'll just have to put it on these Lemon Squares. OhMyGoodness, but these are yummy! I made them for the shower last Saturday. Very lemony, not too tart, not too sweet. Just right :-)
This is when we had most of the food on the table. People started arriving right after this and we never did get a shot of the finished table. Oh well. Anyway, the lemon squares were on either end of the table and in this picture you can see them in the front right corner.
Lemon squares just scream "SPRING!" to me for some reason. Maybe because spring is when all the yellow flowers seem to bloom: forsythia, tulips, daffodils...and yellow leads me to Lemon Squares. What? You think in a straight line and don't see the connection?
LEMON SQUARES
For the crust:
2 cups flour
16 Tablespoons of butter, unsalted and softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
grated zest of one lemon
For the filling:
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons of confectioners' sugar for sifting over top after they're baked.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the crust, mix all ingredients in bowl or food processor until ball of dough forms. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and refridgerate until chilled to make handling dough easier. Press dough evenly onto bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of ungreased 9"x13" pan. Bake on middle rack of oven until lightly colored, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while you make the filling. Leave oven set at 350 degrees.
To make the filling, beat eggs until light. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating on medium high speed until very light and airy, about 5 minutes. On low speed mix in lemon juice, flour, baking powder and salt just until combined.
Pour mixture over crust and bake until filling is set and light colored, about 25 minutes. Immediately sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Cool and cut into 24 squares.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Handmade African Basket Giveaway
The giveaway today is this lovely handmade basket from Uganda that measures 13" across the middle. I didn't see them making this particular basket, but I did watch them making baskets. A number of ladies sit in a circle on the ground at the Arts & Crafts Village in Kampala, working on baskets and chatting away like magpies (what does that phrase mean anyway, what is a magpie and why do we talk about the way they chatter?). It looks kind of purpley in the photo but it's more of a navy blue with the natural color of the grass. Yes, that's right, this basket is made from grass. A special kind of grass and we can't remember the name of it. It grows really, really tall. Does that help?
This is the fifth and final giveaway! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE CONTACT INFORMATION when you comment! I feel sorry for the poor lady who commented and whose number we picked, only to find out there is no way to get in touch with her. She didn't include contact info and when I click on her name it takes me to a blogger profile page WITH NO CONTACT INFORMATION. Are you kinda getting the fact that there was NO WAY TO CONTACT HER?! So Hubby picked another number and the winner of the Irish watercolor print is the mommy at tonsofsons! Congratulations!
I'm guessing most of the people who comment here are also stopping by lots of other blogs in the big Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. Don't forget this is the last day for most of the giveaways! No time to waste! Get over there right now and start signing up willy-nilly for more free gifts! That's what I'm gonna do.
Right after I have me a big ole cup of coffee and wake up. I need lots and lots of caffeine to catch up. Do you realize there's around 1,000 giveaways going on?! Now that's what I call a party :-)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
It's A Touch 'O The Irish Today!
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
Process is still the same, leave a comment to enter. I've been going back and forth; one day I'll pick a number and the next day my hubby does, and whoever matches that number wins that day's giveaway. Easy, peasy. I've lost count of how many giveaways I've entered in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. I'm SO hoping I win something!!!
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
For those of you new to my blog, hubby and I are getting ready to relocate to the sunny south...way down south that is, all the way to Argentina. The land of gauchos, mate, delicious beef, a little slower pace of life. We'll be helping Tito & Adriana plant a church in the city of Carlos Paz. Although Tito is a doctor, his heart is in church planting and they could use some help. So as soon as we can, we're outta here! :-) Hubby grew up in Argentina so for him it's "going home". For me it's a HUGE change. Which I look forward to, 'cause I'm an adventurous kind of gal (except when it comes to heights) and I have itchy feet so I don't like to stay in one place too long. The tough part? Leaving my kids behind. The son is married so I leave him in the capable hands of his new wife. The daughter is finishing up college, living in the basement apartment at her grandparents' where she can keep an eye on them and help out as needed. Both very independent young adults who will do just fine on their own, thankyouverymuch, but that doesn't mean I'll miss them any less. Just sayin'. They're the ones who talked me into starting this blog as a way to keep them (and anyone else who stops by) informed on what's happening as we move far, far away.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Today We Give Away A Mate Cup & Bombilla!
This giveaway is certainly a lot of fun! Entering to win lots of fun giveaways AND giving stuff away myself. The Bloggy Giveaway Carnival is the best online party I've ever been to! Also the first online party I've ever been to :-) But it won't be my last! Unless I get blackballed or something. Do they do that in bloggy land?
Anyway before I describe what we're giving away today, just a shout out to Kara who won the African scarf from yesterday!!! I think she just may be planning to wear it when they go pick up their little girl from Africa.
Okay, now on to the mate cup and bombilla straw pictured here.
We have an essay written by an Argentine about what mate means to the nation. I'll send a copy of that with the cup and straw to whoever wins. I always think it's nice to know a little of the history of things, don't you? :-)
For those not in the know, mate refers to both the cup and the tea. This herbal tea is from a bush from the holly family. It has a mild stimulant (but not caffeine) so a lot of health food stores in the U.S.A. are selling it now. And my hubby is reading a book right now that was written back in the 1930s by a man who traveled around Argentina. He came across the story of an expedition into Chile to establish a cattle ranch. Being so far away from the rest of civilization meant they had to get their supplies by ship, and unfortunately their supply ship was wrecked before it reached them so the people were starving. The leader of the expedition tried to get everyone to drink mate at the very least. Those who did never got scurvy! Makes one wonder if there have been any long-term studies done on all the health benefits of this tea!
Now the way Argentine's drink their tea is a little counterintuitive to how we drink it here in the U.S. We typically put our loose tea into tea balls or small cup strainers. But in Argentina they dump the loose leaves right into the cup AND THE STRAW HAS A STRAINER BUILT INTO THE END OF IT so you don't get little bits of tea leaves in your teeth. How cool is that?! Don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the bottom of the straw is indeed a strainer.
Again, to enter to win this giveaway, just leave a comment. I'm picking winners each morning.
Oh, and now I can show you to loot from our shopping blitz yesterday.
And here's a shot of the savvy shoppers when we were checking out. Do we look happy or what?! Every time I use any of the fabric I bought yesterday I will remember how much fun we had together.
THURSDAY UPDATE:
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
Anyway before I describe what we're giving away today, just a shout out to Kara who won the African scarf from yesterday!!! I think she just may be planning to wear it when they go pick up their little girl from Africa.
Okay, now on to the mate cup and bombilla straw pictured here.
We have an essay written by an Argentine about what mate means to the nation. I'll send a copy of that with the cup and straw to whoever wins. I always think it's nice to know a little of the history of things, don't you? :-)For those not in the know, mate refers to both the cup and the tea. This herbal tea is from a bush from the holly family. It has a mild stimulant (but not caffeine) so a lot of health food stores in the U.S.A. are selling it now. And my hubby is reading a book right now that was written back in the 1930s by a man who traveled around Argentina. He came across the story of an expedition into Chile to establish a cattle ranch. Being so far away from the rest of civilization meant they had to get their supplies by ship, and unfortunately their supply ship was wrecked before it reached them so the people were starving. The leader of the expedition tried to get everyone to drink mate at the very least. Those who did never got scurvy! Makes one wonder if there have been any long-term studies done on all the health benefits of this tea!
Now the way Argentine's drink their tea is a little counterintuitive to how we drink it here in the U.S. We typically put our loose tea into tea balls or small cup strainers. But in Argentina they dump the loose leaves right into the cup AND THE STRAW HAS A STRAINER BUILT INTO THE END OF IT so you don't get little bits of tea leaves in your teeth. How cool is that?! Don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the bottom of the straw is indeed a strainer.
Again, to enter to win this giveaway, just leave a comment. I'm picking winners each morning.
Oh, and now I can show you to loot from our shopping blitz yesterday.
And here's a shot of the savvy shoppers when we were checking out. Do we look happy or what?! Every time I use any of the fabric I bought yesterday I will remember how much fun we had together. 
THURSDAY UPDATE:
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Boy, Was I Surprised!
I've often mentioned my sewing buddies. We get together every Tuesday, usually to quilt but other sewing happens too. Anyway, today was our last day together since we move to Indiana next week. *sigh*
Those sweet ladies totally surprised me! They "kidnapped" me and off we went to Lansing to the big Country Stitches quilting store for a couple hours of blissful fabric shopping. Too much fun! I'd show you what I bought but Blogspot isn't letting me post pictures now. Aaargh! I'll try again later.
And then they took me to lunch at Red Lobster. Aren't they sweet?! We had us some good seafood and cheese biscuits {and stuffed mushrooms and salads and dessert). Mmmmm, good! At the end our server asked if we'd like to take home the biscuits that were left. Duh! So we thought he'd bring a bag to put those two little biscuits in, but he brought a bag ALREADY FULL OF BISCUITS. How's that for service?
To say I've had a good day is an understatement. I had a GREAT DAY!!! Thank you Lori and Jami!
Those sweet ladies totally surprised me! They "kidnapped" me and off we went to Lansing to the big Country Stitches quilting store for a couple hours of blissful fabric shopping. Too much fun! I'd show you what I bought but Blogspot isn't letting me post pictures now. Aaargh! I'll try again later.
And then they took me to lunch at Red Lobster. Aren't they sweet?! We had us some good seafood and cheese biscuits {and stuffed mushrooms and salads and dessert). Mmmmm, good! At the end our server asked if we'd like to take home the biscuits that were left. Duh! So we thought he'd bring a bag to put those two little biscuits in, but he brought a bag ALREADY FULL OF BISCUITS. How's that for service?
To say I've had a good day is an understatement. I had a GREAT DAY!!! Thank you Lori and Jami!
Bloggy Giveaway Carnival Continues!
First off, congratulations to Mindy for winning the African batik! But the bloggy giveaway fun is just beginning. Have y'all been over to Don't Try This At Home yet? My word! I just checked and the links just keep comin'. As of this morning there are 563 folks participating in this bloggy giveaway extravaganza!!!
Here's a quick peek of what I'll be giving away the rest of this week. (And I apologize -- my photography skilz are sadly lacking.)
Up for grabs today is this gorgeous African scarf.
It measures about 40" x 42" but this is a stretchy kind of fabric. My female Ugandan friends used scarves like these every day to tie around their heads. They tried, really tried to show me how to do it. But I am completely inept with the technique. I have, however, used another scarf I bought in Uganda over the shoulders with a winter coat. The rich browns and touches of black in this scarf make it a striking fashion accessory.
Remember, all you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment. Someone kindly pointed out yesterday that I wasn't allowing anyone without a google account to comment. Sorry about that! I'm new at this bloggy thing and left everything in default setting when I started. BUT I did go in and figure out what I needed to do so ANYONE CAN COMMENT NOW!!! If you don't have a blog, make sure to leave an e-mail where you might be reached in case you win. It would be just too sad if you win and I have no way of letting you know. I'd have to move on and pick someone else.
And now I'm off to see how many giveaways I can enter and how many new friends I can make. Ain't this a hoot?!
WEDNESDAY UPDATE:
Anyway before I describe what we're giving away today, just a shout out to Kara who won the African scarf from yesterday!!! I think she just may be planning to wear it when they go pick up their little girl from Africa.
Okay, now on to the mate cup and bombilla straw pictured here.
We have an essay written by an Argentine about what mate means to the nation. I'll send a copy of that with the cup and straw to whoever wins. I always think it's nice to know a little of the history of things, don't you? :-)
For those not in the know, mate refers to both the cup and the tea. This herbal tea is from a bush from the holly family. It has a mild stimulant (but not caffeine) so a lot of health food stores in the U.S.A. are selling it now. And my hubby is reading a book right now that was written back in the 1930s by a man who traveled around Argentina. He came across the story of an expedition into Chile to establish a cattle ranch. Being so far away from the rest of civilization meant they had to get their supplies by ship, and unfortunately their supply ship was wrecked before it reached them so the people were starving. The leader of the expedition tried to get everyone to drink mate at the very least. Those who did never got scurvy! Makes one wonder if there have been any long-term studies done on all the health benefits of this tea!
Now the way Argentine's drink their tea is a little counterintuitive to how we drink it here in the U.S. We typically put our loose tea into tea balls or small cup strainers. But in Argentina they dump the loose leaves right into the cup AND THE STRAW HAS A STRAINER BUILT INTO THE END OF IT so you don't get little bits of tea leaves in your teeth. How cool is that?! Don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the bottom of the straw is indeed a strainer.
Again, to enter to win this giveaway, just leave a comment. I'm picking winners each morning.
THURSDAY UPDATE
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
Here's a quick peek of what I'll be giving away the rest of this week. (And I apologize -- my photography skilz are sadly lacking.)
Up for grabs today is this gorgeous African scarf.
It measures about 40" x 42" but this is a stretchy kind of fabric. My female Ugandan friends used scarves like these every day to tie around their heads. They tried, really tried to show me how to do it. But I am completely inept with the technique. I have, however, used another scarf I bought in Uganda over the shoulders with a winter coat. The rich browns and touches of black in this scarf make it a striking fashion accessory.
Remember, all you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment. Someone kindly pointed out yesterday that I wasn't allowing anyone without a google account to comment. Sorry about that! I'm new at this bloggy thing and left everything in default setting when I started. BUT I did go in and figure out what I needed to do so ANYONE CAN COMMENT NOW!!! If you don't have a blog, make sure to leave an e-mail where you might be reached in case you win. It would be just too sad if you win and I have no way of letting you know. I'd have to move on and pick someone else.
And now I'm off to see how many giveaways I can enter and how many new friends I can make. Ain't this a hoot?!
WEDNESDAY UPDATE:
Anyway before I describe what we're giving away today, just a shout out to Kara who won the African scarf from yesterday!!! I think she just may be planning to wear it when they go pick up their little girl from Africa.
Okay, now on to the mate cup and bombilla straw pictured here.
We have an essay written by an Argentine about what mate means to the nation. I'll send a copy of that with the cup and straw to whoever wins. I always think it's nice to know a little of the history of things, don't you? :-)For those not in the know, mate refers to both the cup and the tea. This herbal tea is from a bush from the holly family. It has a mild stimulant (but not caffeine) so a lot of health food stores in the U.S.A. are selling it now. And my hubby is reading a book right now that was written back in the 1930s by a man who traveled around Argentina. He came across the story of an expedition into Chile to establish a cattle ranch. Being so far away from the rest of civilization meant they had to get their supplies by ship, and unfortunately their supply ship was wrecked before it reached them so the people were starving. The leader of the expedition tried to get everyone to drink mate at the very least. Those who did never got scurvy! Makes one wonder if there have been any long-term studies done on all the health benefits of this tea!
Now the way Argentine's drink their tea is a little counterintuitive to how we drink it here in the U.S. We typically put our loose tea into tea balls or small cup strainers. But in Argentina they dump the loose leaves right into the cup AND THE STRAW HAS A STRAINER BUILT INTO THE END OF IT so you don't get little bits of tea leaves in your teeth. How cool is that?! Don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the bottom of the straw is indeed a strainer.
Again, to enter to win this giveaway, just leave a comment. I'm picking winners each morning.
THURSDAY UPDATE
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Carnival's In Town! The Bloggy Giveaway Carnival!
I'm pretty excited to participate in my first online giveaway!!! Hosted by Don't Try This At Home, you can browse through a gazillion giveaways and enter as many as you want by just going to the individual blogs. And it's going on all week so more and more people will be offering oh-so-wonderful giveaways so be sure to keep going back! How fun is that?!!! Who doesn't love free things?!
You'll see the button on my sidebar that gives the guidelines for participating. if you'd like to give away something yourself.
So what am I giving away? Actually I'll be offering a few things throughout the week. Up for grabs first is an authentic African batik we brought back after spending a year in Uganda. Measuring roughly 8" x 17" the batik features African ladies on their way to market with their wares. Isn't it fabulous?!
I know whoever wins this will love it!
It is handmade so there are imperfections but that just adds to the charm. I'm showing it on a piece of black fabric so it stands out better. The background is a golden yellow and there's a lot of oranges, black and olive green plus a little brick red. It is African folk art at its finest. I love my batiks! [Nope, will NOT say how many I have 'cause I don't want folks to think I'm a glutton for batiks.] You can frame it in a variety of ways. I've seen them displayed in those glass frames that don't have edges (sort of frameless frames), mounted and framed in rustic frames, and I've given away a few that I sewed on fabric borders and backs (like a quilt).
So leave a comment to enter, and don't forget to keep coming back 'cause I'll be giving away even more goodies throughout the week -- a scarf from Africa, mate cup and bombilla (metal straw) from Argentina, watercolor print from Ireland, and basket from Uganda. Have fun at the Carnival!
TUESDAY UPDATE:
First off, congratulations to Mindy for winning the African batik! Since I'm new to the bloggy giveaway thing, I put up a new post today without thinking that folks coming from Mr. Linky would see this post and not that one. I did add today's post to Mr. Linky but that's not going to help those who come visit from the first one. So I'm adding part it to this as an update.
Have y'all been over to Don't Try This At Home yet? My word! I just checked and the links just keep comin'. There are hundreds and hundreds of folks participating in this bloggy giveaway extravaganza!!!
Here's a quick peek of what I'll be giving away the rest of this week. (And I apologize -- my photography skilz are sadly lacking.)
I'll be adding people who comment on this post with those that post on today's and coming up with a winner for today's giveaway: the African scarf. Which is roughly 40" x 42" (it's a stretchy fabric) in rich shades of brown with touches of black.
My female Ugandan friends tried to teach me how to wrap it around my head like they do with their scarves. Unfortunately I am completely inept in regard to this technique :-( But I have used another scarf I brought back over the neck of a winter coat, and looked, as my African friends would say, "Very smart!" However you use the scarf, it's a striking fashion accessory!
WEDNESDAY UPDATE:
Anyway before I describe what we're giving away today, just a shout out to Kara who won the African scarf from yesterday!!! I think she just may be planning to wear it when they go pick up their little girl from Africa.
Okay, now on to the mate cup and bombilla straw pictured here.
We have an essay written by an Argentine about what mate means to the nation. I'll send a copy of that with the cup and straw to whoever wins. I always think it's nice to know a little of the history of things, don't you? :-)
For those not in the know, mate refers to both the cup and the tea. This herbal tea is from a bush from the holly family. It has a mild stimulant (but not caffeine) so a lot of health food stores in the U.S.A. are selling it now. And my hubby is reading a book right now that was written back in the 1930s by a man who traveled around Argentina. He came across the story of an expedition into Chile to establish a cattle ranch. Being so far away from the rest of civilization meant they had to get their supplies by ship, and unfortunately their supply ship was wrecked before it reached them so the people were starving. The leader of the expedition tried to get everyone to drink mate at the very least. Those who did never got scurvy! Makes one wonder if there have been any long-term studies done on all the health benefits of this tea!
Now the way Argentine's drink their tea is a little counterintuitive to how we drink it here in the U.S. We typically put our loose tea into tea balls or small cup strainers. But in Argentina they dump the loose leaves right into the cup AND THE STRAW HAS A STRAINER BUILT INTO THE END OF IT so you don't get little bits of tea leaves in your teeth. How cool is that?! Don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the bottom of the straw is indeed a strainer.
THURSDAY UPDATE
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
You'll see the button on my sidebar that gives the guidelines for participating. if you'd like to give away something yourself.
So what am I giving away? Actually I'll be offering a few things throughout the week. Up for grabs first is an authentic African batik we brought back after spending a year in Uganda. Measuring roughly 8" x 17" the batik features African ladies on their way to market with their wares. Isn't it fabulous?!
I know whoever wins this will love it!
It is handmade so there are imperfections but that just adds to the charm. I'm showing it on a piece of black fabric so it stands out better. The background is a golden yellow and there's a lot of oranges, black and olive green plus a little brick red. It is African folk art at its finest. I love my batiks! [Nope, will NOT say how many I have 'cause I don't want folks to think I'm a glutton for batiks.] You can frame it in a variety of ways. I've seen them displayed in those glass frames that don't have edges (sort of frameless frames), mounted and framed in rustic frames, and I've given away a few that I sewed on fabric borders and backs (like a quilt).
So leave a comment to enter, and don't forget to keep coming back 'cause I'll be giving away even more goodies throughout the week -- a scarf from Africa, mate cup and bombilla (metal straw) from Argentina, watercolor print from Ireland, and basket from Uganda. Have fun at the Carnival!
TUESDAY UPDATE:
First off, congratulations to Mindy for winning the African batik! Since I'm new to the bloggy giveaway thing, I put up a new post today without thinking that folks coming from Mr. Linky would see this post and not that one. I did add today's post to Mr. Linky but that's not going to help those who come visit from the first one. So I'm adding part it to this as an update.
Have y'all been over to Don't Try This At Home yet? My word! I just checked and the links just keep comin'. There are hundreds and hundreds of folks participating in this bloggy giveaway extravaganza!!!
Here's a quick peek of what I'll be giving away the rest of this week. (And I apologize -- my photography skilz are sadly lacking.)
I'll be adding people who comment on this post with those that post on today's and coming up with a winner for today's giveaway: the African scarf. Which is roughly 40" x 42" (it's a stretchy fabric) in rich shades of brown with touches of black.
My female Ugandan friends tried to teach me how to wrap it around my head like they do with their scarves. Unfortunately I am completely inept in regard to this technique :-( But I have used another scarf I brought back over the neck of a winter coat, and looked, as my African friends would say, "Very smart!" However you use the scarf, it's a striking fashion accessory!
WEDNESDAY UPDATE:
Anyway before I describe what we're giving away today, just a shout out to Kara who won the African scarf from yesterday!!! I think she just may be planning to wear it when they go pick up their little girl from Africa.
Okay, now on to the mate cup and bombilla straw pictured here.
We have an essay written by an Argentine about what mate means to the nation. I'll send a copy of that with the cup and straw to whoever wins. I always think it's nice to know a little of the history of things, don't you? :-)For those not in the know, mate refers to both the cup and the tea. This herbal tea is from a bush from the holly family. It has a mild stimulant (but not caffeine) so a lot of health food stores in the U.S.A. are selling it now. And my hubby is reading a book right now that was written back in the 1930s by a man who traveled around Argentina. He came across the story of an expedition into Chile to establish a cattle ranch. Being so far away from the rest of civilization meant they had to get their supplies by ship, and unfortunately their supply ship was wrecked before it reached them so the people were starving. The leader of the expedition tried to get everyone to drink mate at the very least. Those who did never got scurvy! Makes one wonder if there have been any long-term studies done on all the health benefits of this tea!
Now the way Argentine's drink their tea is a little counterintuitive to how we drink it here in the U.S. We typically put our loose tea into tea balls or small cup strainers. But in Argentina they dump the loose leaves right into the cup AND THE STRAW HAS A STRAINER BUILT INTO THE END OF IT so you don't get little bits of tea leaves in your teeth. How cool is that?! Don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the bottom of the straw is indeed a strainer.
THURSDAY UPDATE
This watercolor is part of the Images of Ireland series by Pat Flavell, watercolorist and illustrator living in the southwest of Ireland. The framed size is 8" x 10". [It's still in the cellophane envelope which created a glare when I snapped the picture.] I absolutely LOVE this print that some fortunate person will win today! I brought back *ahem* nine altogether. On our first trip to Ireland we had some money left at the end of the trip (shocking, I know) and it was such a pain to convert the money that we decided to spend it there somehow, someway. It wasn't a difficult choice, really, because I'd been eyeing the watercolors by Philip Gray and Pat Flavell. I bought three at that time. On our last trip I picked up another six.
And now on to who won yesterday's amazing giveaway, the mate cup and bombilla...(drumroll please)...it's none other than Jon & Sara! Congratulations! I'll also be sending them the essay about why mate is so important in Argentine culture.
Actually a number of you expressed an interest in the essay. Soooo...next Monday I'll be posting it on this blog.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The Weekend In Review
While setting up for the bridal shower yesterday, Daughter commented that this was our last party in the parsonage. *sigh* I hadn't thought of that! With us moving in just over a week, this was indeed our final fiesta. And it was a good one! Great turn out, everyone had a good time and the bride-to-be garnered a lot of "loot" :-) She liked the aprons I'd made, especially the one that was my favorite, too.
Daughter (on the left) and her friend at the end -- tired but happy.
Today found us traveling just 1-1/2 hours away for the morning and actually being able to attend our home church this evening. Woohoo! I'm not musically inclined, as I've already admitted, but I enjoy good music and there was plenty of that today. The worship time this morning just blew us away. A great combination of hymns about the name of Jesus totally helped us focus on why we were there. And tonight was "pick your favorite and tell us why" which is always excellent. It's like eating a really good meal that leaves you feeling full and content.
Our nephew called this evening to let us know they'd made it back to Denver. Oh to be young enough to make the trip from Denver to southern Michigan and back again within less than five days. Just thinking about it makes me tired! They were basically just here from late Thursday night through early Saturday morning. Friday was spent figuring out how to pack the airplane parts in such a way that would allow them to get it all in the truck bed :-) Mission accomplished!
A busy but productive and fun weekend.
Think I'll take me a little break tomorrow to recuperate :-)
Daughter (on the left) and her friend at the end -- tired but happy.
Today found us traveling just 1-1/2 hours away for the morning and actually being able to attend our home church this evening. Woohoo! I'm not musically inclined, as I've already admitted, but I enjoy good music and there was plenty of that today. The worship time this morning just blew us away. A great combination of hymns about the name of Jesus totally helped us focus on why we were there. And tonight was "pick your favorite and tell us why" which is always excellent. It's like eating a really good meal that leaves you feeling full and content.
Our nephew called this evening to let us know they'd made it back to Denver. Oh to be young enough to make the trip from Denver to southern Michigan and back again within less than five days. Just thinking about it makes me tired! They were basically just here from late Thursday night through early Saturday morning. Friday was spent figuring out how to pack the airplane parts in such a way that would allow them to get it all in the truck bed :-) Mission accomplished!
A busy but productive and fun weekend.
Think I'll take me a little break tomorrow to recuperate :-)
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Party Parfaits!
So today is the bridal shower for one of my daughter's best friends. Been sorta busy getting ready for that so I'm late posting for Saturday Stirrings over at DeeDee's. No new recipe this week, but an idea to use the Best Chocolate Pudding Ever in a special way for parties.
'Cause instead of the traditional shower cake we are having us a little dessert buffet. Originally we had planned to have brownies for the chocolate offering but we're also having lemon bars and that just seemed too much the same.
So...came up with a little idea that I'll share now:
Bake the brownies. I added some Ghirardelli chocolate chips because I was feeling all Emeril and wanted to kick it up a notch!
Once the brownies are cool I cut out little rounds that fit perfectly into the bottom of a small clear plastic cup available at Walmart and other fine stores. Had trouble finding the right size cutting tool until while rummaging through the pantry I saw a can of tomato paste. Aha! I checked and yep, perfect match.
That was last night. This morning I commenced to making the Best Chocolate Pudding Ever and filling the cups about 2/3 full with that. It chilled while I worked on other things.
And for the final touch I whipped up some real whipping cream (heavy whipping cream and a few spoons of sugar) to top it off.
Mmmm, good! And pretty, too.
Much better than plain old brownies :-)
'Cause instead of the traditional shower cake we are having us a little dessert buffet. Originally we had planned to have brownies for the chocolate offering but we're also having lemon bars and that just seemed too much the same.
So...came up with a little idea that I'll share now:
Bake the brownies. I added some Ghirardelli chocolate chips because I was feeling all Emeril and wanted to kick it up a notch!
Once the brownies are cool I cut out little rounds that fit perfectly into the bottom of a small clear plastic cup available at Walmart and other fine stores. Had trouble finding the right size cutting tool until while rummaging through the pantry I saw a can of tomato paste. Aha! I checked and yep, perfect match.
That was last night. This morning I commenced to making the Best Chocolate Pudding Ever and filling the cups about 2/3 full with that. It chilled while I worked on other things.
And for the final touch I whipped up some real whipping cream (heavy whipping cream and a few spoons of sugar) to top it off.
Mmmm, good! And pretty, too.
Much better than plain old brownies :-)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Haiku, Bless You
I'm not sure how haiku is pronounced but in my mind it's sort of like a sneeze. And the appropriate response when someone sneezes is "Bless you!" And since reading all the haiku poems honoring moms on Shannon's blog blesses me, then it all makes perfect sense.
My entry did not make it into the finals. *sigh* But with over 700 entries that's not surprising. There were so many really, really good ones! But for the record, my contribution was:
"Shut that dog up!" she's
tired, sore, not amused when nurse
says, "That's your baby!"
This was one of my mom's favorite stories. She was so aggravated by that barking dog! Only to find out it was her newborn daughter crying :-)
I have an alternate theory that I wasn’t crying, but laughing. My laugh is…hmmm, how do I put it…it’s unique. Yes, unique. That sounds much better than hideous which is what some people undoubtedly think when they hear me laugh. It even scares babies and small children. Really! When I helped out in the nursery I had to be very careful. More than once I caused pandemonium when my laughter startled and frightened the babies who then set off crying themselves.
So I’ve learned to “tone it down” although the full-bellied laugh escapes from time to time. Funny movies just kill me…and anyone else within hearing distance. Some people will no longer go to funny movies with me.
My mom had a beautiful laugh. Lady-like, well modulated and appropriate for all occasions. I remember consciously trying to mimic her laugh but utterly failing. I miss her laughter. She’s been gone almost twenty years but I can close my eyes and see her, head tilted back, laughing with abandon at something my sister or I had done. A beautiful laugh. A beautiful mom. If you feel like being blessed, go over to Shannon's blog and read the many haiku poems offered in honor of moms everywhere.
My entry did not make it into the finals. *sigh* But with over 700 entries that's not surprising. There were so many really, really good ones! But for the record, my contribution was:
"Shut that dog up!" she's
tired, sore, not amused when nurse
says, "That's your baby!"
This was one of my mom's favorite stories. She was so aggravated by that barking dog! Only to find out it was her newborn daughter crying :-)
I have an alternate theory that I wasn’t crying, but laughing. My laugh is…hmmm, how do I put it…it’s unique. Yes, unique. That sounds much better than hideous which is what some people undoubtedly think when they hear me laugh. It even scares babies and small children. Really! When I helped out in the nursery I had to be very careful. More than once I caused pandemonium when my laughter startled and frightened the babies who then set off crying themselves.
So I’ve learned to “tone it down” although the full-bellied laugh escapes from time to time. Funny movies just kill me…and anyone else within hearing distance. Some people will no longer go to funny movies with me.
My mom had a beautiful laugh. Lady-like, well modulated and appropriate for all occasions. I remember consciously trying to mimic her laugh but utterly failing. I miss her laughter. She’s been gone almost twenty years but I can close my eyes and see her, head tilted back, laughing with abandon at something my sister or I had done. A beautiful laugh. A beautiful mom. If you feel like being blessed, go over to Shannon's blog and read the many haiku poems offered in honor of moms everywhere.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
It Always Comes Back to Food
Proof of my ninja skills at restraint. I did NOT eat the whole thing! In one sitting that is. I figure I'll have the rest for breakfast. Hey, it has dairy (mascarpone CHEESE), it has grain (well, cake is made from flour which comes from WHEAT), it has vegetable (duh, cocoa BEANS are used to make chocolate).
After making a big pan of tiramisu for the bridal shower, I had to use the leftovers to create these cute little individual desserts. "Waste not, want not." And I really WANTED these :-)
Also made chicken salad and southern sweet tea with mint. Tomorrow I'll whip up a double batch of lemon bars and some Ghirardelli brownies. Gotta have balance with the dessert options.
On the savory side we'll be serving chicken salad on croissants, fresh tomato salsa bruschetta and vegetable "pizza" (crescent dough topped with spinach dip and pretty raw vegetables).
Besides the southern sweet tea we'll offer iced mocha and what we call "fruity goodness" -- a combination of orange juice and grapefruit soda. Obviously pretending we're in the south instead of the not-quite-thawed-out north. But hey, we southern gals are quite adept at making up our own reality. Bless our hearts.
Although it's supposed to cool off on Saturday (just in time for the shower) we are currently enjoying primo weather. Today was windy but also warm and wonderful. Took a nice walk with hubby through the neighborhood. Guess because we're getting ready to move, the walk made us reminisce about our time in Michigan.
We've really enjoyed living in a small town (technically we're so small we're not even a town, but a village). Being on a first-name basis with many of the shop owners and a lot of the other residents. Able to walk to the library or the hardware store. Having neighbors who plow you out in the winter or look after your pets when you go on vacation.
So we wonder, what will it be like living in a big city? Carlos Paz has over 60,000 people crammed into a small area at the foot of a long valley, sort of squashed between the mountains and the lake. Houses piled practically on top of each other, climbing up the mountains, small homes with virtually no yard space. Homes with bars on the windows and triple locks on the doors. Many have fences and locked gates. Although it's a relatively safe area, no one takes any chances.
There will definitely be some adjustment necessary. Except when it comes to food. And it ALWAYS comes back to food, doesn't it :-) Plenty of good Argentine beef (best in the world!), amazing fresh bread from the bakery every day...and because so many Argentines can trace their ancestry back to Italy, there's lots of fresh pasta -- and desserts like tiramisu!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Life Is Good
Today has been a really good day. I spent most of it sewing with my friends, then took a walk with hubby, and now I'm relaxing in the recliner. Life is good :-)
The Ghirardelli Caramel Turtle brownies didn't hurt either.
Our nephew and his family are coming to visit later in the week and we'll get to meet his three youngest for the first time (they live in Colorado so we don't see them very often). Nephew is picking up the kit plane that hubby never had the time or money to finish. It's a Turner T40A like this one, a very cute two-seat tail dragger.
As we work out sleeping arrangements, we've decided to set up our "new" used air bed. Hubby has been looking at Select Comfort beds on eBay and craigslist for a while now. He came across one last week that wasn't too far away and we picked it up Friday evening. This, if it works out well, will be a good bed to take with us to Argentina. It can be broken down into smaller pieces and packed into boxes and, because it's an AIR bed, it's very light.
We've been in sort of a holding pattern for a couple months as our support level hit a plateau. But things are looking up and we are hopeful as several churches are considering taking on some of our support. I haven't shared a lot on this blog about this part of being a missionary. While some denominations have their churches send money into headquarters and missionaries are supported out of that, we are from an independent Bible church and going with an independent mission so we have to raise our own support. This has entailed going to a LOT (as in many, many, many, MANY) churches to present our ministry. At this point we have 9 supporting churches and 25 individual supporters who, combined, have committed to almost 80% of what our mission anticipates we will need on a monthly basis. We are so close but our mission requires we have 100% before we leave, so you can imagine how encouraging it has been to see some positive signs. We know it will all come together in God's perfect time. But have I mentioned I am not a patient person? ;-)
But also being of an optimistic nature, we have begun packing! Twelve boxes so far. When God gives the "all clear" signal, we're outta here!
And when we go, we'll be taking two beautiful homemade quilts made by a very special lady, one of my sewing buddies! It's been fun to see the two quilts come together under her expert hands. Next Tuesday is our last sewing day together and looks like she'll finish the second one then.
The following Tuesday will see us moving to Indiana for the remainder of our time in the U.S. This move will help in several ways: cut living expenses and put us closer to the churches we'll be visiting in the coming months.
While I'll miss our life in Michigan, I look forward to being closer to my kids and other family. Good to have more time with these special people I love and will greatly miss when we move to Argentina.
The Ghirardelli Caramel Turtle brownies didn't hurt either.
Our nephew and his family are coming to visit later in the week and we'll get to meet his three youngest for the first time (they live in Colorado so we don't see them very often). Nephew is picking up the kit plane that hubby never had the time or money to finish. It's a Turner T40A like this one, a very cute two-seat tail dragger.
As we work out sleeping arrangements, we've decided to set up our "new" used air bed. Hubby has been looking at Select Comfort beds on eBay and craigslist for a while now. He came across one last week that wasn't too far away and we picked it up Friday evening. This, if it works out well, will be a good bed to take with us to Argentina. It can be broken down into smaller pieces and packed into boxes and, because it's an AIR bed, it's very light.
We've been in sort of a holding pattern for a couple months as our support level hit a plateau. But things are looking up and we are hopeful as several churches are considering taking on some of our support. I haven't shared a lot on this blog about this part of being a missionary. While some denominations have their churches send money into headquarters and missionaries are supported out of that, we are from an independent Bible church and going with an independent mission so we have to raise our own support. This has entailed going to a LOT (as in many, many, many, MANY) churches to present our ministry. At this point we have 9 supporting churches and 25 individual supporters who, combined, have committed to almost 80% of what our mission anticipates we will need on a monthly basis. We are so close but our mission requires we have 100% before we leave, so you can imagine how encouraging it has been to see some positive signs. We know it will all come together in God's perfect time. But have I mentioned I am not a patient person? ;-)
But also being of an optimistic nature, we have begun packing! Twelve boxes so far. When God gives the "all clear" signal, we're outta here!
And when we go, we'll be taking two beautiful homemade quilts made by a very special lady, one of my sewing buddies! It's been fun to see the two quilts come together under her expert hands. Next Tuesday is our last sewing day together and looks like she'll finish the second one then.
The following Tuesday will see us moving to Indiana for the remainder of our time in the U.S. This move will help in several ways: cut living expenses and put us closer to the churches we'll be visiting in the coming months.
While I'll miss our life in Michigan, I look forward to being closer to my kids and other family. Good to have more time with these special people I love and will greatly miss when we move to Argentina.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Don't Get Snippy...or You'll End Up Like Me
I've never been big on accessorizing as I am "fashionally challenged" but for the next who-knows-how-long I'll be sporting this chic fabric wrist cuff in cool shades of gray. And the reason? I got snippy with my hubby...in that I spent six hours one day snipping open seams on the rag quilt I made for his birthday. NOTE TO CRAFTERS making rag quilts: Either use the appropriate tool for the job, or spread it out over days (or weeks...or months). Being impatient has come back and bit me yet again. You'd think after almost half a century I'd know better. Now I'm learning to do a lot of things with my left hand, and just dealing with the pain when I have to use the right one. The tendonitis has struck before (but not in the hand) and I know it takes months to heal. This makes for one, very sad Southern Girl.
But these make me happy :-) I'm helping Daughter host a bridal shower this Saturday for one of her best budds and these are two of the three aprons to be included in the gift basket I'm putting together. I just love these fabrics! The third apron will be similar in style to the red, black and yellow one but will be in bright shades of blue, pink, orange and yellow. Happy colors! Aprons are perfect for this friend who's finishing up culinary school. Making aprons is addictive -- they're so fast to put together! I got a lot of ideas from this flickr layout called "Tie One On". Definitely not your grandmother's aprons!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Creamed Chicken Over Cornbread
We arrived home around noon today. We've been on the road eleven of the last 16 days. Feeling just a wee bit tuckered. But not as tired as Jenni over at One Thing who had a beautiful baby boy early, early this morning. Xavier took his sweet time getting here but I'm sure Jenni would say he was worth the wait. What a cutie!
All the traveling meant I wasn't home to participate in the Spring Fashion Fiesta hosted by Big Mama. Which is probably a good thing, since I'm not sure the bloggy world is ready to see what's in my closet. I'm actually using two closets to contain all the items necessary for the fashion challenge unique to women who have reached the age where their thermostat is broken and it's necessary to layer the clothing.
But I am home in time to post a recipe for Saturday Stirrings! After a lot of fast food meals on the road, I'm going to share something I plan to make in the next couple of days. For a southern girl who loves cornbread and gravy with equal passion, this is the ultimate comfort food! Typically I share quick and easy recipes but today's offering will take a little more work. But let me assure you, IT WILL BE WORTH IT! And it's not hard, just a little more time consuming than the ones I've been posting.
Creamed Chicken Over Cornbread
1 chicken, whole (around 3 lb.)
6 cups watter
salt
1 stalk celery
1-2 carrots
1/3 c. butter
1/3 cup flour
1-1/2 cups light cream or half and half
1 Tablespoon grated onion
1 10 ounce bag frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Rinse chicken, place in large pot with 6 cups water. Add salt, celery and carrots (washed but not peeled). Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is cooked (the cooking time depends on how big the chicken is). Remove from heat, remove chicken to platter until cool enough to handle. Reserve the broth. (I often cook down the broth while letting the chicken cool, so the flavor is more intense.) Strain the broth before using later in the recipe.
When chicken is cool enough, remove the meat and dice. Discard skin and bones.
In a heavy saucepan melt the butter on low, add the flour and stir until bubbly (3-5 minutes). Add the cream and 1-1/2 cups of the reserved broth. Cook, stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Stir in chicken, onion, peas, sage, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.Salt to taste. Serve over cornbread (recipe below). IF by some bizarre chance you don't care for cornbread [what is wrong with you, anyway?!] you can serve over biscuits or other bread products.
Cornbread
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups cornmeal
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
[NOTE: It's good to start the cornbread while chicken is cooling.]
Melt butter in cast iron skillet while mixing dry ingredients in a bowl. In a small bowl mix egg and milk, add to dry ingredients along with melted butter. Stir just until mixed, pour batter into hot skillet. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This is one of those recipes you can adapt to your family's personal preferences. Replace the peas with a different vegetable or leave out the vegetable entirely. Add or delete seasonings as you like. Serve it over mashed potatoes instead of bread. Or noodles. I mean, really, this is a very versatile recipe. And it's so delicious!
All the traveling meant I wasn't home to participate in the Spring Fashion Fiesta hosted by Big Mama. Which is probably a good thing, since I'm not sure the bloggy world is ready to see what's in my closet. I'm actually using two closets to contain all the items necessary for the fashion challenge unique to women who have reached the age where their thermostat is broken and it's necessary to layer the clothing.
But I am home in time to post a recipe for Saturday Stirrings! After a lot of fast food meals on the road, I'm going to share something I plan to make in the next couple of days. For a southern girl who loves cornbread and gravy with equal passion, this is the ultimate comfort food! Typically I share quick and easy recipes but today's offering will take a little more work. But let me assure you, IT WILL BE WORTH IT! And it's not hard, just a little more time consuming than the ones I've been posting.
Creamed Chicken Over Cornbread
1 chicken, whole (around 3 lb.)
6 cups watter
salt
1 stalk celery
1-2 carrots
1/3 c. butter
1/3 cup flour
1-1/2 cups light cream or half and half
1 Tablespoon grated onion
1 10 ounce bag frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Rinse chicken, place in large pot with 6 cups water. Add salt, celery and carrots (washed but not peeled). Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is cooked (the cooking time depends on how big the chicken is). Remove from heat, remove chicken to platter until cool enough to handle. Reserve the broth. (I often cook down the broth while letting the chicken cool, so the flavor is more intense.) Strain the broth before using later in the recipe.
When chicken is cool enough, remove the meat and dice. Discard skin and bones.
In a heavy saucepan melt the butter on low, add the flour and stir until bubbly (3-5 minutes). Add the cream and 1-1/2 cups of the reserved broth. Cook, stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Stir in chicken, onion, peas, sage, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.Salt to taste. Serve over cornbread (recipe below). IF by some bizarre chance you don't care for cornbread [what is wrong with you, anyway?!] you can serve over biscuits or other bread products.
Cornbread
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups cornmeal
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
[NOTE: It's good to start the cornbread while chicken is cooling.]
Melt butter in cast iron skillet while mixing dry ingredients in a bowl. In a small bowl mix egg and milk, add to dry ingredients along with melted butter. Stir just until mixed, pour batter into hot skillet. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This is one of those recipes you can adapt to your family's personal preferences. Replace the peas with a different vegetable or leave out the vegetable entirely. Add or delete seasonings as you like. Serve it over mashed potatoes instead of bread. Or noodles. I mean, really, this is a very versatile recipe. And it's so delicious!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A Life Well Lived
On our way to Chicago Monday we got the news that Jim, a dear brother in Christ, had passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. We are stunned. We do not “grieve like men who have no hope” because we know Jim is with the Lord. But we do grieve our loss in the here and now. We will miss Jim. And we are not alone.
Jim and his wife, Beth, impacted many lives, not just ours, especially in the area of ministry. With the gift of encouragement Jim did an amazing job in and out of the home office of Pioneers Missions where his primary responsibility was in member care. He loved his people and worked hard to encourage and support them in any way he could. And he used every opportunity; Jim typically used time between flights or on the road to call folks and just see how they were doing.
Jim also led short-term teams out into the field. He had just returned from a trip to Indonesia where he traveled by boat to remote villages, helping a ministry team provide everything from children’s programs to dental care. Upon his return Jim wrote: "I never imagined that I would be helping to pull teeth in a remote village on the Kapuas River, or have a gaggle of monkeys jump into our boat as we were passing an island—but it really happened. It was a great ministry trip and we saw the Lord work in the hearts of Indonesian people." Although it’s been some years since Jim & Beth served in Indonesia full-time, Jim retained a good grasp of the language and served as a translator.
Jim loved his family. Such a simple statement but such a profound truth. He loved his wife, his sons, his grandchildren; he loved his mother- and father-in-law, his sister, his extended family – including us. And you couldn’t help but love Jim. He was such a high energy, lovable guy. When our kids were young and we were making out a will “just in case” we asked Jim & Beth if they’d take care of our children if anything ever happened to us. Now you know how much you love someone if you’re willing to hand your kids over to them! That’s how much we loved Jim.
There are many other things I could say about Jim. But the most fundamental thing is that Jim loved Jesus. And like Jesus, Jim was a giver: of his time, his energy, his possessions. He was always looking for some way to bless others. That was his life. What a legacy!
Any sudden and unexpected death is hard. Please pray for Beth and the rest of the family in the days and weeks ahead. And for the Pioneers Missions family. Jim's loss is felt around the world.
Jim & Beth relaxing at the reception after Jim "tied the knot" at our son's wedding last August.
Jim and his wife, Beth, impacted many lives, not just ours, especially in the area of ministry. With the gift of encouragement Jim did an amazing job in and out of the home office of Pioneers Missions where his primary responsibility was in member care. He loved his people and worked hard to encourage and support them in any way he could. And he used every opportunity; Jim typically used time between flights or on the road to call folks and just see how they were doing.
Jim also led short-term teams out into the field. He had just returned from a trip to Indonesia where he traveled by boat to remote villages, helping a ministry team provide everything from children’s programs to dental care. Upon his return Jim wrote: "I never imagined that I would be helping to pull teeth in a remote village on the Kapuas River, or have a gaggle of monkeys jump into our boat as we were passing an island—but it really happened. It was a great ministry trip and we saw the Lord work in the hearts of Indonesian people." Although it’s been some years since Jim & Beth served in Indonesia full-time, Jim retained a good grasp of the language and served as a translator.
Jim loved his family. Such a simple statement but such a profound truth. He loved his wife, his sons, his grandchildren; he loved his mother- and father-in-law, his sister, his extended family – including us. And you couldn’t help but love Jim. He was such a high energy, lovable guy. When our kids were young and we were making out a will “just in case” we asked Jim & Beth if they’d take care of our children if anything ever happened to us. Now you know how much you love someone if you’re willing to hand your kids over to them! That’s how much we loved Jim.
There are many other things I could say about Jim. But the most fundamental thing is that Jim loved Jesus. And like Jesus, Jim was a giver: of his time, his energy, his possessions. He was always looking for some way to bless others. That was his life. What a legacy!
Any sudden and unexpected death is hard. Please pray for Beth and the rest of the family in the days and weeks ahead. And for the Pioneers Missions family. Jim's loss is felt around the world.
Jim & Beth relaxing at the reception after Jim "tied the knot" at our son's wedding last August.
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