daybook 2/15/2011

 

FOR TODAY  

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Outside my window...

Sunshine amongst the clouds, puddles have ice this morning ~

Forecast is warmer and warmer…

   

I am thinking...

February is HALF gone!  So much to do…

I am thankful to God…

for good news from a far country ~ Mexico, the Czech Republic

for my sweet husband and children

for fellowship with good friends

I am praying for...

... the Rettigs and the church in Prague ~ Ivana, Eva, and follow-up meetings in Pribram!

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Amber’s dad (more chemo coming)

… Diane and family

… Grant S.

… the broken marriages of J & S and R & K

… the W family

… Cinnamon, whose sweet baby girl was born last week, but she is still missing her deployed hubby

… my mom, scheduled for surgery March 2

From the learning rooms...

   The Popper is reading a good book.

Miss Artist is practicing her declamation ~

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

The Cowgirl is taking a math test ~

The Computer Geek is studying non-metals and their compounds.  Yee ha.

The Cattleman is sharing a homemade joke (?) ~ writing dialogue for language :-)

Miss Music Box ~ YIKES!  is a senior ~ Time to crack the whip!  Meanwhile, she’s having a conversation with herself in Spanish. ahem.

And I have yet another pile of papers to grade.  It reminds me of laundry.

From the kitchen...

Tomorrow’s breakfast just came out of the oven ~ oatmeal teacake

See, I’m ahead on something!

Especially for Felicity ~ I missed a picture of a completed ‘sandwich’ but here’s the gyro meat…

 

I think this is a combination of beef and lamb.  It cooks up like bacon ~ very greasy!  I filled that 15oz can about 3/4 full of grease after frying 3 pounds of "Greek Gyro Loaf."

The tzatziki sauce is incredibly yummy!  We use sour cream with shredded, drained cucumber and garlic salt. 

 

Fill a warmed flat pita bread with meat, sauce, lettuce, onions (and tomatoes, which I don’t think to buy in the winter)

It was a very well-received treat for our Valentine’s Day dinner  :-)

And then we had chocolate!

The rest of my menu plan doesn’t go beyond Sunday’s leftovers!   

• Italian chicken with veggies (need to write this one down before I forget what I did)
• chili

I am creating...

   

This was a fun retake on jam thumbprint cookies.  I borrowed the Valentine theme from Jane and the Cowgirl was good help!  ♥

 

Check out this fabric close up!  ~ha ha~  It was just too perfect for a former dairy farmer’s new baby!  I used the pink ‘sweet dreams’ lambs to back the burp rags.  If we could only deliver this gift in person ~ just a 3-hour drive.

No picture yet, but I also finished the plaid skirt for Miss Artist ~

Happy girl!  :-)

I am going...

to have fun sharing these seeds with my kiddos!

 

These all came in the mail Friday from Michelle’s surprise give-away  :-)  Thank you!

I am reading...

my Bible and blogs ~ See the sidebar for what else I could be reading  ;-)

I am still resisting the Francine Rivers book ~ Are you impressed?

I am hoping...

to make an appointment with the chiropractor soon… 8 weeks is a long time for me!  I should have called last week.

I am hearing...

the natives (children) are getting restless ~ It must be time for the youngers to get some fresh air and feed Valerie a bottle

 

 

Around the house...

school papers to check, a mountain of laundry, still a pile of flannel, the vacuum is still waiting for someone else to use it next ;-)

One of my favorite things...

Baby calves  ♥

 

Pondering these words...

Who is this Jesus?

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Mark 16:19-20

Pastor preached the final sermon in the Mark series ~  I will need to listen to the recording since I missed it on Sunday night.
 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• Wednesday eve ~ church
• Thursday ~ violin lesson, Azure Standard delivery
• Friday ~ piano lessons, groceries

Here is a picture for thought...

Miss Artist brought these twigs in some time ago…

They are finally budding!  Spring is in the air  :-)

 

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it.

Colossians 4:17

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~

death by chocolate (or so it’s called)

 Laura recently posted about some favorite goodies for Valentine’s Day.   So here I am, succumbed to the temptation of Death by Chocolate…  Wanna join me?

First, a half-batch of Perfect Brownies with chopped English walnuts and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips ~ and fresh whole wheat flour!  This is going to be healthy!



I opted for homemade chocolate pudding from my Better Homes & Gardens cook book, but tweaked the method a bit after reading Laura’s recipe  :-)  You know me, I’m all about tweaking and making it easier!  I also added an extra ounce of semi-sweet baking chocolate.. just because more chocolate seemed appropriate.

  



I followed Laura’s method of 3 layers of brownies and pudding in a beautiful glass bowl…

  

I splurged on Picket Fence cream – oh la la!  Such fresh yummy goodness!  And since they bottle in a 12-ounce container, we have LOTSA creamy goodness here…

 

And a few more mini chocolate chips for decoration ~ Ta da!

Perfect Brownies
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
4 eggs
¾ c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. veg. oil (or more butter)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 c. chopped walnuts
Cream sugar and butter; add eggs and beat well. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Pour into greased 9x13” pan. Bake 30-35 min. at 350*. Cool and frost with thin layer of Butter Cream Frosting (chocolate).
NOTE: For today’s half-batch (8x8 dish) I used about 3/4 cup whole wheat flour.
 
Chocolate Pudding (Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, c. 1981)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 cups milk
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 beaten egg yolks or 1 beaten egg
Whisk dry ingredients together in a heavy saucepan, add milk, egg, and chocolate.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook another minute or two.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Another NOTE: The cook book directs to carefully add the raw egg to the hot thickened milk mixture and cook another two minutes, but I chose to follow Laura’s directions and add the egg while the milk is still cold… seems to have worked just fine without any potential for scrambled eggs in my pudding.  Yay!
 
Cool brownies and pudding before layering dessert.
 
 

Now it’s time I was frying the gyro meat!

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ 

{  7 pm post script:  Tim says it's good, but "Better than Perkins" Pie is best!  } 

Valerie

 

Valerie’s mama lost her first calf a year ago or thereabouts.  And stayed with Bullwinkle a little early for our schedule.  (We prefer to have the cows calve in April).  So Tim decided she might need some intervention.

  

After warming her up in the garage…

and filling her belly with some psuedo-colostrum from the store…

Tim is reuniting Val with her mama.

  

Hopefully that will go well…

And we will have our dinner date a little late!

our Valentine: Valerie

 

 

Today’s surprise! 

We are thankful the weather is more like spring!

wordless Wednesday

 

 

        

 

  

 

Happy Birthday!

daybook 2/7/2011

FOR TODAY  

Monday, February 7, 2011

Outside my window...

Light snow shower

Birds are enjoying the refilled feeder

It doesn’t seem as cold as it is – I guess that’s good?  (We’re toasty inside!)

 

I am thinking...

about the fact that we have a high school senior!  :o  Oh my.

 

I am thankful …

… for the Packers winning last night’s Super Bowl.  Seriously.  And that no one was intentionally hurt beyond legal play.  It’s just a game.  That men get paid entirely too much to play.  But I am so happy that my “good” guys were able to pull off a win.

 

I am praying for...

... the Rettigs & the church in Prague

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Amber’s dad (more chemo)

… Diane and family

… Grant S., who is doing well on his meds ~ must have another appt coming up

… the broken marriages of J & S and R & K

… the W family

… Cinnamon and EMichelle, who are both expecting babies AND missing their deployed hubbies.  Cinnamon’s baby is DUE!

… Jason D. at boot camp  (& his sweet wife Laura)

… my mom ~ scheduled for surgery in March

From the learning rooms...

We enjoyed live entertainment Friday night in the form of dramatic monologues – hee hee – The pictures don’t do justice.

(and I am humiliating myself posting pics of the basement!)

 

          

Next up:  Declamations.

From the kitchen...

meatloaf is ready to bake for tonight’s supper

Someone needs to scrub potatoes.

 

I am creating...

a scrapbook of 2010 Christmas cards… TODAY!

 

Here are the most recent flannel productions:

(double-sided baby blankets)

 

     

 

 

 

I am going...

to take Miss Music Box to the orthodontist today – and Miss Artist and the Computer Geek to the Post Office to apply for their passports

 

I am reading...

Exodus and Matthew

Family Friendly Farming

I am resisting the new Francine Rivers book I brought home from the library.

 

 

I am hoping...  to get it *all* done someday somehow

I am hearing...  the washer spinning

Around the house...

Mt. Washmore will be conquered slowly but surely.

Some kids are studying; others are reclaiming dominion over their stuff and space.

One of my favorite things...   hearing a cardinal sing

 

Pondering these words...

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Matthew 23:23

 

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

the usual…

and a birthday!

 

 

Here is a picture for thought...

 

The boys enjoyed some football on a recent pleasant day

 

 

Miss Artist loves grapefruit… and taking pictures.

 

 

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it.

Colossians 4:17

 

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~

what’s up?

I have been reading blogs instead of writing my own.


Laura is so good about sharing some of the month’s specials at Azure.  I hope those oranges are available this time!  We have eaten almost 46# of apples in the past two weeks.   I meant to count how many apples come in a 20-pound box.

Conny has a great series going for February ♥  Check it out!

I was pleased to see pictures from Bible Night #2 near Prague!  They handed out another 60 Czech Bibles.  God is working!

I was saddened and sobered by Jaynee Lockwood’s post “The Sound of No Hope.”  I am praying for God’s hand to work in lives in Mexico as well.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

On a more trivial note, we missed Friday’s Chocolate Breakfast.  But we are still eating our Christmas chocolates here.  Seriously.  Saturday night Tim & I went to a Sunday school party that was pretty fun.  Mostly it was just nice to enjoy an evening with my favorite guy.  :-)

I finished To Kill a Mockingbird, so I indulged myself with another Francine Rivers book…





… and a Jane Austen movie…
     

…and I’m still in Season One of Lark Rise to Candleford via YouTube

…while trying to keep up with laundry, meals, schoolwork, etc…

fwiw, I did iron a lot of flannel while watching P&P  ;-)

You can see why I haven’t been posting here!

I’m really glad I don’t have snow shovel duty.

I haven’t taken any pictures during our recent blizzard.  (The photo above is from the Iowa City Press Citizen website.)  Thankfully Tim has made it safely to/from work this week.  The rest of us are happily staying indoors where it is warm.  A friend called today … She drove home on black ice yesterday.  Praise the Lord she is able to stay home today.

What’s left on my immediate TO DO List? 

• Buns and cookies for Saturday’s South Story Sportmen’s Adventure 
• Encouraging the Computer Geek to study and pass his driver’s permit test.  (It occurred to me this morning that he needs a photo ID before he can apply for his passport… which we should have applied for in January)
• Calling my mom to see what she learned today at the doctor’s
• Vacuuming my gritty kitchen floor…

Hurray for leftover lasagna for supper!

~ Not quite a daybook, but I’m done for today ~

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it.

Colossians 4:17

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

...Thursday's Edit...  OH HAPPY DAY!  I remembered incorrectly.  The CG does NOT need his photo ID (driver's permit) before we apply for his passport.  YAY!
One less thing on the Overdue List.  :-)