kitchen-craft

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Shanda

Good morning and isn’t the sunshine and cool breeze lovely? I am back in New England, where I feel certain I belong. I love our Georgia place but it isn’t home (yet), maybe someday. But here in New England are all my people, and all my things, and the air and insects and seasons and familiarity that I do my best breathing, enjoying, and living.

The month and more of Georgia did wonders to my nervous system and I feel calm and peaceful. Rather than doing life at a break-neck speed out of endless adrenaline, I almost feel “too slow” and my brain feels forgetful. I’m used to it firing off information and “things to remember” nonstop, instead, it feels empty in spots. Not to worry, I’m sure this Shanda is just as entertaining as the other one. I feel a shift has occurred, a changing of life that happens to all of us, and it is good. The fundamental things are the same; love of family, a desire to know and love God, celebrating life in all its messy beauty, and a love for home (this one, and the one to come). Just a step down from those things are the primary loves of my life; words written and read, nature, photography, animals, gardening, and homemaking, walking, laughing, learning, growing……..

I’m currently reading a Fannie Flagg book titled Standing in the Rainbow and I came across this quote and wanted to share it here;

“‘ You know, so many of you have written in over the years and asked me what is the best thing to do for a blue mood…….and asked if I have ever been in a blue mood, and yes, you can be sure I have. I can only tell what helps me and that is baking. I can’t tell you how many cakes I have sifted, how many cake pans I have greased, all because there is something about baking a cake that gets me out of a mood, and so I’ll just pass that on for what it’s worth.'”

Standing in the Rainbow, page 268

When I read this I thought of my mom and aunts and grandma and cousins and siblings and myself…..and understood again so clearly how much kitchen-craft serves a purpose not just for the end result, but in the very process of the work, how satisfying it is to make dishes and meals, desserts of all kinds, and even the cleaning up part is satisfying. I want to take pride in my kitchen and making it sparkle. It will always be used and a place to create.

So when we got home on Friday it made perfect sense that on Saturday I made pancakes for Caleb. Granted, it didn’t make sense as to why the batter tasted so salty, but I kept on and was quite proud of the (very very) fluffy stack of pancakes I served up. Turns out the flour I used was self-rising and I didn’t know it. It was a new bag that I opened without looking first, and as I never buy self-rising I didn’t suspect a thing. In other words, these particular pancakes had twice as much baking powder and salt in them. They got eaten, so I guess they were edible enough…….butter and syrup do wonders.

I was very eager to dig around in the garden. This spring I had a bag of grocery-store potatoes that had all sprouted so energetically (so many sprouts, making the potato itself unrecognizable) that I decided to plant them. This was a first for me. My mom guided me through the basics of tending them (now I know why gardeners are always hoeing) and as soon as I could (saturday morning AFTER the pancakes were made) I went outside to see if it really worked; and it did! I’m a potato farmer on a very small scale! I dug up three hills and found about 10 potatoes, and I have three more hills to dig when I’m ready. I also pulled some carrots, a couple beets, and onion, and picked yellow squash and cucumber.

Meanwhile, my husband was busy taking out our old dishwashers and installing these two new kitchen aid dishwashers…….we were both working so hard in the kitchen, we kept bumping into each other as Alexa played our favorite songs. Quite romantic. Since he was working so hard and did such an excellent job, naturally I felt compelled to make ……… meatballs! This was next on the kitchen-craft list of things to make.

We ate our meatballs and sauce (all homemade with tender loving care) out on the porch that evening. (by the way, when making sauce, I only ever use San Marzano canned tomatoes, I have found that they are my favorite by far.)

Cucumber salad, with my own garden onion and cucumbers.

On Sunday, Jacob, Brittnee, Sierra, and Mitchell came over for an afternoon steak cook-out. Jacob grilled the steaks and I prepared the side dishes.

“What am I going to do with all that self-rising flour?” I asked myself, and then baked this very simple cake. It’s closely related to the peach coffee cake I make all the time on Jekyll so I went ahead and made the topping for that recipe (fruit, & brown sugar mixed w/butter). However, this cake fluffed up so much as it baked that it baked AROUND and OVER the topping. (Wow self-rising flour takes itself very seriously!) Therefore, when Sarah looked at it and begged, “Mom, can you please not put sugar on top of this one, pleeeeeeeeeese?” I could, in all honesty, say “no”. What she didn’t know was it was all on the bottom.

I take great joy in making baked beans from scratch. There is something magical about them, a humble package of hard, dried beans developing into a pot of melt-in-your-mouth flavor. I used a basic recipe and then went from there, soaking and simmering and baking, stirring, tasting, adding this and that, for hours and hours until they were perfection. And thank goodness everyone else liked them, too.

While roasting marshmallows outside last night a few hours after our big meal, I let out such a loud toot that Mitchell said in surprise to Jacob, “Was that your MOM? I had no idea Moms could even DO that, I’ve NEVER heard my mom do that!” and later on, when he left he said he felt like he was part of the family.

This is just some of what kitchens can do!

dinner. dessert.

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Shanda

I was stirring dinner on the stove when David joined me in the kitchen and sat up on the island.

Dave: “If I didn’t have arthritis I would be an amazing ninja.”
Me (concerned): “What the heck, who has arthritis? You sure don’t!”
Dave: “Well, then I guess I’m a ninja.”

Then Rich got home and I ran outside to greet him. “You’re 11 minutes late!”

“It’s cozy inside. And just so you know, Seth and Sarah are dice stacking again so brace yourself.”

I made a variation of Hannah’s chicken and noodles that she made for my family years ago when she visited from Alaska, very easy. Put a whole chicken in a pot, add 2 boxes of unsalted organic Chicken broth, salt, pepper, a couple bay leaves and granulated onion. I also added an onion cut in half this time but it’s not something I normally do. Let simmer on the stove for hours until the meat is falling off the bone. Take the chicken out of the pot, pick the meat off the bones, add the meat back to the pot (after skimming off fat), and then add a bag of the best egg noodles available in the store (the ones I use are “homemade” packaged dy noodles and they don’t get slimy or soft in the pot). Stir and simmer until the noodles are done. Add more seasonings if necessary.

I thought it was perfect but David left the table for garlic powder and then dropped it across the room. The top came off and there was garlic powder on the floor. “Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up,” he said going to the pantry with me calling after him. “GET A BROOM AND DUSTPAN NOT THE VACUUM CLEANER IT WOULD RUIN THE VACUUM CLEANER!” Meanwhile, Seth decided to use the garlic himself and OOPS used the “spoon” side instead of the “shaker” side and added about a tablespoon (1/4 teaspoon=1 clove garlic) to his bowl. I grabbed his bowl and ran to the sink with it. I spent way too much time on dinner to waste even a bowl of this good meal. Using my fingers I got the clumps of dry garlic off his chicken and noodles, rinsing my fingers off between attempts. “Is there WATER in it now?” he worried. “No.”

The garlic is cleaned up, David is sneezing because as he swept he breathed it in. He has a cold so he admitted it cleared his sinuses and not only that “the vampires will leave us alone now so we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” “I never was worried about that,” says his Dad. We all used the garlic, even though I thought the dish was perfect as it was.

People complained that it was too hot (in temperature). They were burning their mouths. Now I can’t help myself, I’m laughing. “I like to serve my food at volcanic temperatures.” I admit with a flip of my hair.

That was dinner.

Speaking of food and the kitchen and spices, here are the promised Julia Child kitchen photos I took while at the Smithsonian.

Once you gaze upon them you will find yourself running to your own kitchen to make chicken and noodles for dinner!! I bet!

Every nook and cranny was amazing. I had to be very careful not to press my nose to the glass as I studied every angle possible.

lighting, knives

open cubby holes

magnets on the fridge

I apologize for the glare in some of the photos…..I had to take the pictures through glass.

pans hanging everywhere!!!

I have lid envy!

((((cat))))

Outside the kitchen there was a television with clips of her classic show, as you can see, she can still draw an interested audience.

The badge!!!

her Emmy award

Yours truly. (Truly a Julia fan!) It was a thrill to see her kitchen, I loved it so much, it’s, in my opinion……. PERFECT!

Ready for dessert?

Cheesecake Pie

1 (8 inch) graham cracker pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups milk
1 pkg instant pudding mix (any flavor)

In a deep bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Blend in 1/2 cup milk and continue to beat until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cup milk and the package of instant pudding mix, beat just until smooth (about 1 minute). Pour into graham cracker crust. Chill. Served with whipped cream.

NOTES: I used a square baking pan and put the graham cracker crust (made myself) on the bottom, it’s easier to cut and serve to my family this way. Also, Caleb stayed home sick from school with this wretched cold going through the family (I have it, too) and he told me that as soon as he got up he ate a lot of whipped cream out of the can and it helped his sore throat. Impressed with this new remedy, I told him to remember that trick for when he is a Dad someday, and his child is sick. He’ll be the only one soothed with whipped cream. Makes sense to me!

Okay, off to a chorus concert with Sarah Joy!

Thank you friends, for stopping by and saying hello!

You are loved.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

breakfast treat (brownie muffins)

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Shanda

Chocolate Brownie Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, milk, melted butter or oil, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients. Stir until just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

*****
I made these muffins for the first time this morning, with Seth as my helper. The recipe said it made a dozen but I got 48 mini-muffins so you could probably get 18-24 regular size muffins.

*****

We leave tomorrow to take Grace back to college and then spend a few days with Caleb, Seth, and Sarah on a weekend vacation together. School for them starts on the 30th.

*****

The muffins are SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! Make them!

raspberry vinegar

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Shanda

“I’m so proud of my vinegar.” ~Things I Never Thought I Would Say

Joanna gave me this cookbook. I don’t remember when she gave it to me but it was published in 2012 and I simply LOVE it…the photography is luscious and lovely…and the theme, SUMMER, makes it an obvious month of July choice to pull from the shelf and look through, slowly, out on the porch in the breeze. Yes, I persue it often at this time of year but I’ve never really tried a recipe until two weeks ago.

On Friday the 13th I found a recipe that excited me. The date was important, as I knew with that date I wouldn’t forget “WHEN” I started the vinegar. Friday the 13th is easy to remember.

I’ve been picking cups and cups of wild raspberries, which are like gems, priceless gems, and the unusually generous amount this year gave me the freedom to easily sacrifice one and a half cups to make some raspberry infused vinegar. The only downfall for me was having to wait the 2 weeks.

However, in typical busy mom fashion, after a couple days of being impatient about waiting, I completely forgot about it until today….two weeks later.

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I know the bottle isn’t very beautiful. I couldn’t even find a mason jar. But the bottle is BPA free, so………

Right away, I reduced some of it in a pan on the stove in order to drizzle over cantaloupe. And while it was delicious, it looked rather like blood.

The cookbook suggests drizzling it over vanilla ice cream. Can’t wait!

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in the kitchen

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Shanda

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For years I’ve been making dinner with children underfoot. Isn’t it grand. Indeed, if it isn’t a child, it’s the dog. Or maybe even both.

David is almost 16. He knows if he wants some attention, he just needs to lay on the floor in the middle of the kitchen while I’m making meatloaf.

I asked him to peel potatoes. He got frustrated because he didn’t like the peeler. I got frustrated because he peeled them on the floor. But he cleaned the floor when he was done.

Dinner was great.

Since the oven was already on and hot for the meatloaf, I made a chocolate cake for dessert, too.

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I baked our family favorite chocolate cake recipe and coated it with a newly found recipe for Glossy Chocolate Frosting, which tastes great with the cake. It ends up being like a thin layer of not-too-sweet soft chocolate fudge. And stays shiny!

Glossy Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
3 T. cocoa
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/2 T. butter
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, salt and add water. Cook until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Spread on cake while hot for a glossy frosting which stays soft and smooth. This recipe is enough for a 9 by 13 cake.

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I took the kids to the local library today. Seth and Sarah always play a silent game of hide and seek in the library without running. They always do this…. why don’t they sit and read books is what I want to know.

David read a book about weapons. I recently bought him a new white t-shirt covered in dark red roses and he looks handsome in it. He stayed by my side in the kitchen last night and at the library this morning. He’s a great friend and son and always makes me laugh. He tried to insult me the other day by saying, “I’m this way because of YOU.” but it just made my heart melt, as I took it as an ultimate compliment.

Grace looked at a book about Art and I picked out two books on home decorating. Weapons for Dave, art for Grace, and home decorating for me were all conveniently located in the same area so we sat on the floor together. Caleb came over to us now and then to add to his pile of books which he left with me (Garfield, football)….

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I checked out the books while the children looked at charming paintings and talked to each other.

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And I thought to myself, “They love their sister.”

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I went to the farmer down the road next for some packs of nice hamburger. I am going to make Dorito chip Salad for dinner. Seth and Sarah know if they come in with me they can ask the farmer (or his wife) for a popsicle and they will say “yes” and cut the top off for them.

When we got home I took another cat portrait, this time Sherlock was with David, rather reluctantly.

Seth is standing here with his arm around my neck waiting for me to be done typing. We are about to make another cake because there was only one piece left this morning and he wanted it. However, I ate it in a weak moment (it was so good, so worth it) and I told him we could make another one.

Brittnee is happy.

Brittnee is always happy (says Seth).

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a muffin morning

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Shanda

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“I’ll measure the flour, you can dump it in,”

“You’re good at measuring.”

“And you’re good at dumping.”

“3 Tablespoons of sugar.”

“You don’t have to mix so strenuously.”

“1 Tablespoon of baking powder.”

“Baking powder?”

“And 1 teaspoon of salt.”

“Did you already put the salt in? I wanted to use my little teaspoon.”

“Okay, now we have to put the wet ingredients in this bowl.”

“You can crack the egg, just let me pour the milk in first.”

“A whole cup of milk.”

“I need to melt half a stick of butter.”

“The key to perfect muffins is to never over-mix the batter.”

“Repeat after me, I will never over-mix my muffin batter.”

“I will never over-mix my muffin batter.”

Good girl.

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Sarah ate all 6 of her tiny muffins and then ate one of mine. Then Caleb and Seth each had a muffin. Ethan came home from picking up Tessa and they ate the remaining nine muffins which meant Michael, David, Jacob, and I did not get a muffin. (12-3=9)

“I feel so bad,” said Tessa when she realized.

“I don’t. I’m proud of us.” said Ethan with his eyes closed contentedly.

thanksgiving preparations

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Shanda

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We are hosting thanksgiving dinner for our family on Thursday and this morning I began preparations.

I made the rolls…….

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let in a kitty

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kept making rolls….

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including a round pan of cinnamon rolls to be baked on Thursday morning for breakfast.

(for you, E)

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At this point, everything went into the freezer. On thursday morning I will take the rolls out and put them in pans to rise and then bake them so they are nice and fresh for our feast day.

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next I will make a couple of

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pies, but first some

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coffee. With

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Jake.

super long but I promise you will enjoy it

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Shanda

On Tuesday I had to take Grace to the doctors because she was awake half the night in agony. Turns out she had a full blown ear infection. She stayed home from school for two days in a row because of it and is on antibiotics.

On Wednesday, Rich and I drove to Vermont to watch the very first wrestling event at Ethan’s college. We watched him wrestle in the exhibition matches before the main event. He lost to his opponent and then by the end of the night the varsity team ended up losing by a distant tie breaker. It was such a close competition. The gym was packed and I loved how the refs encouraged all the young kids in the stands to come down and sit right by the mat to watch. So, this was my favorite photo of the whole night, just because of this dear little boy who reminded me so much of Seth:

After the meet Ethan was about to faint from hunger (slight exaggeration) and all he could do was think about food, so we took him to the college cafe and ordered two pizzas. He wolfed down three pieces and then we got him a Ben and Jerry’s frozen yogurt to take back to his dorm room to eat in bed while watching Netflix. Rich and I drove back home and were in bed by 1:15 in the morning.

Moving on…..this post is actually about my son Caleb, who is rarely featured on my blog anymore because he is a little camera shy. My early posts were pretty much all about him because he was my baby at the time. Always a mama’s boy, always with a tender heart toward others. Of course he has his silly side, and has made a name for himself at school and at football as “the boy who can make realistic chicken sounds.” I’ll record it for you one of these days.

I LOVE KING ARTHUR FLOUR!!!!!!! Caleb is in 6th grade and King Arthur FLOUR came to his school and taught the children HOW TO BAKE BREAD!!!!! Can you even imagine? What a blessed change from assemblies about “bullying” and “whatever social issue needs to be discussed” –not that there is anything wrong with that but you know what I mean. They learned to bake bread!

Each child was given a fabric bag filled with goodies to take home. Inside, there were two little bags of flour (so cute!) a flexible plastic scraper (I never knew how convenient they were!), yeast, and an instruction booklet written on a level for children to learn and understand (amusing!)

UNFORTUNATELY for Caleb, he was bit on Wednesday night on the hand. By Thursday it had become infected and was pink and somewhat swollen. He told me it was a scratch and as I am a “oh you’ll be fine” sort of mom, we set to work baking the bread together.

After he washed his hands with powerful soap over and over under my watchful eye.

“Mom, the dough is like pancake batter.”

We kept adding the flour.

One cup at a time. No mixer, just a bowl and a spoon.

He learned at school how to use the edge of the scraper to level off the cup.

The bag of flour was too small to fit a measuring cup inside of it so we dumped each bag into a mixing bowl.

“Mom the dough is like cake batter now.”

He was very observant. And you can tell he is experienced in all kinds of batter, too. Comes from years in the kitchen with Mom. 🙂

“Mom you stir it now, my hand hurts.”

Here is the entire free download of recipes if you would like to try Caleb’s bread:

CALEB’s BREAD (King Arthur Flour booklet of recipes for kids)

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Naturally, because of *infection-hand* I did the kneading as well. (Caleb didn’t touch the dough)

The finished dough ball.

Truth be told, as I spent time with my son, I realized that his hand was worse than my original diagnosis. So, I called the doctors and took him in to get it checked while the dough was rising in the fridge.

I was sort of apologetic at first that I didn’t wait to see if it would clear up on its own but the doctor said, “No. I am so glad you didn’t wait on this. Always trust your gut. I know you and you have a good gut.”

Thanks to the mother’s gut, it was antibiotics and an excuse note to miss Football practice for Mr. C.

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For those of you who do not know yet (young moms) if you see a red streak (like what is on Caleb’s wrist) coming from the wound, you should take your child to the doctors sooner rather than later.

It was at the doctors that I learned that his “scratch” was truly a “bite”. He didn’t want to tell me that he was bitten.

Guess who bit him?

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Therefore, hours later, after the doctors, after football practice (during which Caleb sat out), we finally baked the bread.

Second rise, right before popping it into the oven (after removing plastic wrap, of course).

Half the dough was used to make a loaf, the other half to make cinnamon rolls.

This loaf was taken to school today to be donated to someone in need.

While the rolls cooled, we naturally watched a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED show full of bready goodness for all ages: Wallis and Gromit’s of A Matter of Loaf and Death. (it’s on amazon prime I believe)

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The cinnamon rolls were soooooooooo good! Oh it was a gift, to “snuggie” (that’s what I say, I say, “Seth come snuggie with me.”) on the couch with Caleb and Seth to watch a nice show and then eat cinnamon rolls together right before bed.

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tired mama, but happy mama, & precious boy o’mine

By the way, I rubbed pressed garlic on his infection twice last night and by this morning it was looking much better. Of course it could have been from the one dose of antibiotics that he had after his appointment, too. He’ll be on it for 10 days.

Aren’t you glad it’s Friday? I sure am!

homemade rolls made with love

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Shanda

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Rich’s Aunt Phyllis visited this weekend with her cousin Marie. Rich’s Dad came, too. They wanted to watch Grace in a play at her school. It was such fun to attend together but my favorite part of all was when we were home again and the ladies were snuggling up on the couch reading an old old copy of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Aunt Phyllis gave the book to Grace and it is special because her mom (Grace’s Great Great Grandma) used to read it to her children at bedtime. And from this very copy Aunt Phyllis and Marie each read a chapter aloud to the girls. On Sarah Joy’s lap is a quilt that was given to her Great Grandma which she kept on her lap during her last years. It was made by another relative. Aren’t relatives the best, the most inspiring of all? I love all the women in my family, both in my own family and the family I married in to. I feel very blessed by all the stories, sewing, quilting, crafting, working, mothering, beauty, books, baking, and so on……that I learned from my sisters, cousins, aunts, Mom, and grandmas. All so uniquely special and dear.

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I look into their faces and see my self, and own children, in them.

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Rich is hosting an off site meeting today for work and as always, I am making homemade rolls for our sandwiches. (they are rising as I type) I don’t divide my Grandma’s recipe anymore because I can use all the dough I can get! Last night I mixed up the dough and put half in the refrigerator for today’s rolls, and formed the rest into a big pan of cinnamon rolls. After all, it was a holiday, it was Halloween! I baked in the kitchen while Davy made clam chowder and Rich took the three youngest children out trick or treating. We had Harry Potter going on TV and there were a roomful of teen-sized kids in the basement having their own party.

I posted the photo of the completed rolls on FB and Instagram and several of my dear friends requested the recipe.

My Grandma (her name was Mary) used to bake these rolls by the hundreds…she was well known for them in our church and in her home for the holidays. She in turn passed the bread baking art down to her daughters–my mom Cindy makes amazing bread on a weekly basis and I’ve shared several of her recipes here on my blog already. She is a most amazing baker and I’m thankful she is just a phone call or text away to answer my questions and eventually answer questions for my girls, as well. The Mama/Grandma hotline! So blessed.

Isn’t family wonderful? I know yours is, too!

ROLLS

3-4 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 T. salt
1/2 cup butter
3 cups water-divided
2 T yeast or 2 packages
2 eggs
close to 5 lb bag of flour

Mix 1 cup of warm water with the yeast and set aside. Heat milk, sugar, salt, and butter until dissolved–let cool. Add 2 cups cold water to mixture. Add the 2 cold eggs to the milk mixture. Combine the yeast mixture with the milk mixture. Add enough flour till the right consistency. (Approximately 5 lbs).
Knead dough till smooth on a flour surface. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 2 hours (until doubled in size). Punch down dough-knead-then shape rolls or roll out for sweet rolls.
Place rolls in a greased pan and cover and let rise till doubled– about half an hour.
Bake at 350 for 24-25 minutes, till golden brown and rolls sound hollow when tapped.
Makes about 3-4 dozen dinner rolls and a 9 by 13 plan of sweet rolls.

(note: children LOVE to watch the process!! Sarah Joy eats a bit of the dough raw–she loves it!)

SWEET ROLL ADDITIONS

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture: 2 cups sugar 3 T cinnamon 1 stick melted butter

Roll dough to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Pour on melted butter and spread to edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up and slice about inch thick with a sharp knife. Place in well greased pan or into pan with caramel nut topping mixture spread in the bottom. Let rise for 1/2 to 1 hour and bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes

(note: raw cinnamon roll dough is even better! you can rub it around in the butter left behind on the counter! My dad loves to do this.)

CARAMEL Nut TOPPING 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Thank you to my Aunt Colleen for sharing this recipe and making sure it is in the recipe files of all our families! You are wonderful.

NOTE-I use my kitchen aid mixture to knead the dough and then finish it off on the counter because I do like to get my hands on it during part of the process. It’s so soft and warm….good to work with.

*****

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THIS IS MY HUSBAND’S GRANDMOTHER! Her name was Sarah Lillian but everyone called her Lillian. Aunt Phyllis shared this 1980’s newspaper clipping with us. It is from when Grandma was working in a school cafeteria (the very same school Rich and I and all our relatives attended) These were the days when children actually ate some HOMEMADE foods, like these big homemade peanut butter cookies (800 of them baked at once). I love the details in this picture and I know these ladies loved working together. They made biscuits, apple crisp, and so many other delicious foods for the children.

*****

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My kitchen, where I think of all the women in my family as I work.

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Dedicated to mamas, grandmas, and aunts everywhere.

You make a difference wherever you are, even long after you’re gone.

You are loved.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
“Many women have done wonderful things,
but you’ve outclassed them all!”
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

my new garbage disposal

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Shanda

“There is often more wisdom to be found at the edges of life than in its middle. Life-threatening illness may shuffle our values like a deck of cards. Sometimes a card that has been on the bottom of the deck for most of our lives turns out to be the top card, the thing that really matters. Having watched people sort their cards and play their hands in the presence of death for many years, I would say that rarely is the top card perfection, or possessions, or even pride.

“Most often the top card is love.”

My Grandfather’s Blessings, by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

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Good morning, friends.

When I first woke up this morning, I sat in my bed with a cup of hot coffee and listened to the wind. It was a lovely autumn wind, yellow leaves were flying past the windows. Wind chimes were loud enough to hear and their music was saying, “It’s a windy morning!”

It has died down some, and the rain of yesterday is past, leaving clean fresh air and a brilliant blue sky. It’s hardly 50 degrees and feels invigorating but chilly.

I’m eating lunch as I type; vegetable soup.

The children are home from school for Columbus Day. Sarah Joy had a dentist appointment at 9, which I was not looking forward to after her year of kidney stone adventures. She was so sweet and brave until the last when the tears came…..she was worried that the dentist would pull her loose tooth out right then and there. The dental hygienist was sweet and understanding with Sarah. As a mom, that meant the world to me.

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On Saturday we spent the entire day at the football field. Rich, myself, Sarah, Seth, and Caleb.

Rich officiated Seth’s game. Seth made several good plays as a quarter back (at his level, the boys take turns trying different positions). I was able to get this series of photos showing an impressive pass to his teammate, who did a great job at catching the ball.

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Seth with the ball……

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…..ball in the air……

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…..with a catch and first down! Not bad for 6 and 7 year olds!

We had time to leave and eat dinner before Caleb’s game, which they won brilliantly.

It was raining on and off the whole day and we were soooooo ready to be home afterwards.

I love this little girl with all my heart.

And this one, too. Rich took Grace with him to go get a new garbage disposal.

The other day I was tired and grumpy but trying very hard to not say anything. Zak was here and he played a prank on Jacob in the kitchen. Jacob had left his cup of coffee on the counter while he went to the bathroom, and while he was gone, Zak put coins and butter in his coffee. I was in the kitchen, working, saw everything, and became annoyed. Jacob came out and dumped his coffee down the drain, and into the garbage disposal went the coins. I continued to be annoyed and I said to Jacob, “YOU put your hand down there and get the money out.” I assumed he did and the next day when I used the disposal it of course made (along with me) a terrible noise of distress and woe. I instantly knew what had happened and was mad this time. I put my hand down there and retrieved two almost unrecognizable pennies. I got the broom and used the end of the handle to try to get the disposal moving again, but no. I sent Jacob a text saying *no friends this week* (it was last week now) and he was still saying things like “It wasn’t me, it was Zak”…. like I cared WHO it was, which I did not—as long as I was not the one to have to deal with the messes of teenagers. “It was only one penny” they insisted. Rich was alway on a business trip and now my garbage disposal wasn’t working at all. As a homemaker, this was very unsettling. I called the plumber and he fixed several things (like a drippy faucet in the bathroom) but said he would have to get to the disposal in a few weeks. When Rich had time to look at it on Sunday, he discovered a QUARTER stuck so tightly in the disposal that there was nothing to be done but buy a new one. Thankfully, the disposal was old anyway and honestly needed to be replaced or I would still be annoyed at this moment. (I am over it and Can Now Laugh).

Rich and Grace came home with a garbage disposal so quiet I don’t believe it’s even working because I’m used to my old one that was as loud as a chainsaw and dripped gray water into a bowl under the sink each time I used it.

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While they were out shopping for the disposal, I had asked Ethan *which would he rather take back to college with him, brownies or cookies* and he picked cookies and said, “Thanks Mom” which completely melted my heart. He kept coming in the kitchen to eat the dough. My kitchen was a mess because the disposal wasn’t working. True! Really! 🙂

I made the best chocolate chip cookies ever and even snuck in some wheat flour. I pressed pumpkin seeds on top of a dozen (kids won’t eat them, of course). Ethan took about a dozen with him to school.

This is an easy snack for the kids….buy a loaf of garlic bread at the store and bake it according to the package directions. Then, open up the loaf and put some sauce, cheese, and dried basil and bake it again until it’s done. Glorified french bread pizza.

I watched David play the piano.

And noticed Gentleman Gray sleeping in an odd place with his leg sticking out. 🙂

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We ended up sitting on the floor in the corner together, petting the cat.

Jacob made the trip to Vermont yesterday with his brother. They took Grace and Tessa along, and Zak, too. Although it was sad to have to say goodbye to Ethan again, I heard this morning that they had a very nice time together on their little road trip, listening to music and stopping for coffee and a buffet for dinner.

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The view from the porch yesterday evening was stunning.

Love.

“Blessing the life in someone usually requires a deep respect for their uniqueness, an openness to allowing them to uncover who they are rather than shaping them into who we want or need them to be. Innately, blessing life confers a greater freedom on those we bless.” ~Rachel N. Ramen, M.D.