October 10, 2011

  • Food for the body as well as for the mind.

    It is Fall!!!!

    In fall the young men's hearts turn to thoughts of good hearty, hot cooking.  (well not really, but they eat up everything that I cook so they might as well think about it first!)  So we have been trotting out some of our old standards and a couple of new recipes.

    Last week I came home from being away all day to smell chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove and pumpkin corn bread cooling on the table.  If that menu doesn't shout fall I don't know what does.

    Sweet Potato Cornbread
    (you can substitute pumpkin if you like)
    3 large eggs
    1/2 c vegetable oil
    3/4 c sweet potato puree
    3/4 c light brown sugar, packed
    1 tsp vanilla
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
    1 c cornmeal
    1 c pamela's baking mix (if you are cooking GF) if not 1 c flour with 1/2 tsp soda and 1 tsp baking powder added.
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom of a 8-inch cake pan and dust with cornmeal. (we use a springform pan)
    In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs till frothy, add the oil and whisk to combine.  Add the sweet potato puree and whisk well.  Add brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pie spice and whisk again to combine.
    In a separate bowl mix together the cornmeal, flour mix and baking powder.
    Add the dry ingredients into the wet; and stir just enough to make a smooth batter.
    Pour into the prepared pan.
    Bake for 45 min. until the bread is firm to the touch and golden.  A pick should come out clean.  Serve warm.

  • My granddaughter!

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    Savannah Ann

  • The Simple Womans Daybook 10 October 2011

     tdbsmall

    Outside my window...the sun is shining and the scent of fall is heavy in the air.  I can hear geese flying overhead in their precise formations calling to each other, "hurry, before the cold catches us."

    I am thinking...it is nice when Doug lets me sleep in but my whole day gets backed up from there.  Thank you love for being so sweet and generous.

    I am hearing...the call of the geese in the skies, MK murmuring to Savannah as she gives her a bottle, and the distant rumble of traffic on the highway not far from here.

    I am thankful for...the next generation.  I thank God daily that I have the privilege of being able to see the next generation of my family be born and start in on their lives.

    One of my favorite things...chicken noodle soup and good company.  Thursday I came home from being gone all day and Melissa and MK had a big pot of chicken noodle soup and pumpkin corn bread waiting for supper. 

    From the kitchen....leftovers for lunch and who knows for supper.  I guess I will just have to be terribly clever in my culinary preparations.  (that's mom speak for I haven't a clue but I'll come up with something.)

    I am wearing....a blue nightshirt and grey shorts.  I really need to go take a shower and get my day going..

    I am going...to the grocery to pick up a few essentials then I will be home for the rest of the beautiful day that is in store here.

    I am reading...nothing for fun, yet but the time is coming soon!!!!

    A few plans for the rest of the week....school, cooking, cleaning, major kid enjoyment, and lots of the life that I lead.

    Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...

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    Layn helping grandma with her school work.  He sits still so rarely I just have to take pictures of it when it happens.

October 8, 2011

  • Look mom, no hands!

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    It has been a little rainy around here lately.  I'd forgotten how diverting, distracting, and wonderful it can be when I take my laptop outside to write.  Matthew is done trimming the treee, Layn is down for a nap and I am so happy I could burst.

    This beats coffee, chocolate, and well you know what I am getting at.

  • Ninja tree trimmer?

    Rule number one: never stand on the branch that you are cutting. No, Matthew, you are not really a ninja!

    Matthew recently had a birthday and his good friend Brett gave him a katana as a gift.  I did not know those things were so sharp!


    Some of the trees out front needed a bit of trimming.  Katana + Matthew + trees that need trimming = Ninja tree trimmer!

    The facial expression is my favorite.  Remind me to count fingers, toes, arms and legs when he is done

  • What's wrong with this picure?

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  • A hole, a dog and a beautiful sunny day.

    We have a hole in our back yard.  We have always had a hole in our back yard.  We also have boys and dogs.  They go together don't you know.  When there are no longer boys and dogs in this house there will no longer be a hole in the back yard.

    What is the hole for all you ladies may ask.  I'll tell you, I don't know it just makes them happy to have a hole. Years ago I used to fill it in and they would dig it out.  We played that game several times until my husband convinced me that a hole was a necessary ingredient to the raising of boys and dogs. So I gave up and just let it be.

    Must be true. There is Layn his first summer out here on his own and he gravitates to that hole like iron to a magnet, same as he does when it has rained and there are mud puddles out there. (but that is another post)

    Today I am thanking God that there is a hole in my back yard.  Here I sit at the picnic table working on an essay for school and Layn and Archie have been happily occupied in that hole for a good 15 minutes. (that has to be a record!)

October 7, 2011

  • Morning constitutional

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    Our second vehicle has died! Nothing to be mourned mind you, it lived a long and full life.  Manufactured in 1995 it has over 100,000 miles on it and was treated to a new motor over a year ago.  But like anything that worked hard all its life, the Blazer was just beginning to feel its age in all its many parts.  My husband plans on talking to our mechanic to see if he can sell her for parts and we will bid her a fond farewell with many thanks for all the miles she gave us and all the loads that she hauled for us.

    Consequently, we are down to Big White.  Unfortunately, although the number of vehicles may fluctuate, the number of people who have to go somewhere or the number or places to go never diminishes.  So for the past couple of weeks I have been taking Matthew to work and staying in town rather than making the trip back to Vernon just to have to turn around and go back to town for Holy hour and to pick him up later in the day; thank God for the public library!  Not only is the presence of the library a godsend but the adoration chapel and the proximity of the canal trail have been blessings for someone who is used to wide open spaces. 

    This morning after dropping Matthew off at the Y I had time before the library opened so I thought I would combine my morning prayers with a bit of exercise.  I drove the two miles to the Erie Canal trail head and parked and started to take a walk. 

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    The air was a nice crisp 43 degrees and the sun was shining, what could be more conducive to a good brisk walk and the recitation of the Rosary.

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    Of course along the way I am certain that Our Lord didn't mind a few brief pauses to snap some pictures and admire the scenery that he created for our pleasure.

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    Suitably calmed and refreshed I headed to the library just in time for the doors to be unlocked.  Here I am settled with my school work ready to accomplish great things.

October 3, 2011

  • The Simple Womans Daybook 3 October 2011

     tdbsmall

    Outside my window...it is still dark but I know that there is a fall nip in the air.  If I cared to open the window on the chill wisp that came in the window would be the scent of woodsmoke from the furnace and the musky smell of damp leaves that sit on the bare ground under the shrubs.  There is a soft rain falling and with it comes the promise of hoodies, boots, and steaming mugs of tea when morning chores are completed.

    I am hearing....the soft tick of the clock in the living room counting down the minutes until the house comes alive for a new day.  If I sit very still and listen with more than my ears I can hear the life of the house as it breathes softly in and out with the faint snores of a contented beast as it slumbers on toward morning.

    I am thinking...about the enormity of love and its limitless capacity for expression.

    I am thankful for...the crunch and bite of apples and a daughter who makes apple crisp.  I am thankful for the scent of wood smoke in the air and the pile of wood in the basement.

    One of my favorite things...flannel night gowns, handmade quilts, mugs of hot tea, and a kindred spirit to share them with.

    From the kitchen...I smell the raisins that Matthew is making.  I know that Melissa has beef in the refrigerator marinating for something delicious tonight and there is a bushel of apples in the pantry just waiting for me to bite into them.

    I am wearing...said flannel night gown.

    I am reading...so much for school that there is no room for pleasure reading at the moment.

    I am going...to take Doug and Matthew both to work today so that I can go to swim class this afternoon.  My achy old joints could use the time in the pool.

    A few plans for the rest of the week...lots of schoolwork for mom, laundry, soaking in the deepening fall colors and smells, celebrating the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, and enjoying my family.  There, that should keep me a trifle busy for the week to come.

    Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...

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    What could be happier than a little boy enjoying his bubbles in the tub? Nothing I think!

September 28, 2011

  • The promises of the rainbow

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     Last night there were some thunderstorms in the area. We were spared the worst of the lightning but boy howdy did we have some heavy downpours. I think even my minimalist husband would have called a couple of them torrential downpours.  Sitting here at my desk during one I couldn't see past the overhang of the front walk.  Later, when they were over the sky was gloomy and over cast still so no one thought to look for a rainbow.  Suddenly, like a promise fulfilled the sun came out and there was not only a rainbow but we could see both ends of it shining brightly like a newly minted coin.  When I went outdoors to take a picture, faintly, very faintly next to one end of the rainbow glimmered the image of another, as if it was valliantly trying to immitate the first.  There in the picture, behind the house I managed to catch the faint glow of the second rainbow. 
    The rainbow is a sign in the sky of God's promise that he would never again destroy the earth by flood again.  Between my husband and I a rainbow after a storm is a promise also.  It is a promise of his abiding love for me and his protection of me against danger, real and imagined.  Though the man cannot understand being afraid of anything unreasonable as lightning (something that I fear), he doesn't question it but provides me with his love, comfort, and protection during the worst fears of my life.  When the rainbow comes after a storm he points to it and reminds me that he loves me too, just as God does.  He has even been known to call me from work to remind me to look for the rainbow so that I will remember that even from a distance, just as with God, he is loving me as no one else does.