Monday, November 30, 2009

Decorating G-Ma & G-Pa B's Tree



Not sure what this is about!

Lights are boring.



Reign Deer #1


Reign Deer #2




Charlie's Wish List E-mail

Dad,

It was so nice to spend the holiday weekend with you. Father’s blessing for you and Mom was very touching. If there ever has been someone to live in the moment, it has been you. And I’ve got to say, Mom’s learning quickly how to follow suite!

Well, I thought you both might enjoy Charlie’s birthday (and probably Christmas) wish list. He came up with it on the way home from Quincy. These are in the order based on desire...

1. Santa’s sleigh, reindeer, and his reigns
2. Flubber (like in the 1960s movie)
3. A red suit with furry white trim, black boots, and a red hat

That is it. Nothing else is wanted. It should be pretty easy to shop for Charlie, don’t you think?! Charlie dreams big. He’s told Mike multiple times that he’s giving me a ptarodon for Christmas but has recently switched to a puppy. How lucky am I!

Love,
Sara

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Kids to Know

Dinosaur Hunt E-mail

Dad,

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon. Our first chance of snow for the season in Maroa begins at 12am on Thanksgiving. It seems like this isn’t the first year that this has happened. I wonder if God finds humor in this too. I guess if precipitation is going to fall, snow is prettier than rain.

Rob isn’t letting his Kids to Know story go to his head. When it was finished, he just said, “That was pretty short!”

Rob and Charlie spent their day being boys. First, they played dinosaur. Charlie was the quadruped (walks on all fours) dinosaur; Rob was the hunter using dart guns. Then, they made some sort of club house in Charlie’s half of the bed using blankets. Charlie’s currently 3 for 3 days with bloody noses. He’s getting pretty good at wadding a tissue and sticking it up his nose. I know two of the three have been a result of play, not sure about the third.

See you soon.

Love,
Sara

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Breakfast Bars

Started making these for Mike to take to work.

2 T vegetable oil
2 1/2 c oats
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, etc)
1/2 flax seeds
1 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc)
1 t kosher salt
1 c honey
½ c creamy peanut butter
1 t vanilla

Combine oats, fruit, seeds, and nuts. In a small saucepan, combine oil, salt, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla. Heat until combined. Mix into dry ingredients. Spread in a 9x13 greased pan. Bake 25 minutes at 325F until nicely browned. Cool & cut. Store individually wrapped in the freezer.

Yeast Crackers

A nice crisp cracker that is pretty homely in appearance.

1 c warn H2O
1 t yeast
3 T EVOO
3 c AP Flour
2 t kosher salt
2 t honey
1/4 c grated Parmesan
1 egg, beaten with 1 T water
3 T chopped rosemary

Mix yeast with water & let sit until foamy. Mix remaining items through honey. Knead a few minutes. Add cheese and knead to incorporate. Oil bowl and refridgerate at least one hour. Divide into 16 pieces, roll as thin as possible, brush with egg wash, and top with rosemary, salt, pepper, and additional cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350F.

Caramel Apples

Served these to Grandpa Gentle while Grandma was in Hawaii. Didn't think about the difficulty eating with a beard!

1 1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 1/4 c dark corn syrup
8 T unsalted butter
2 c cream
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 t vanilla
9-12 apples, chilled with sticks

Stir sugars through salt plus 1 c cream in a large pot. Boil over medium-high heat, gently add second cup of cream. Continue to boil briskly to 245F. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes. When the caramel thickens a bit, dip chilled apples and place in the fridge to set. Refridgerate for up to 2 days.

I Have Everything!

From Dr. David Jeremiah

Recommended Reading Philippians 4:10-13

So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever. Psalm 79:13

Erma Bombeck once wrote about the subject of thankfulness, saying that when she forgot to be thankful among cancer survivors, she would hear the voice of a particular eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When Christina was asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought for a moment and then responded by saying "I don't know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!"

Sometimes a momentary thought about someone other than ourselves is all it takes to remind us to be thankful for what we have and who we are. In the same way, when we turn our attention away from ourselves and upward, toward the Giver of all life, the many blessings He has poured out on us come rushing back and overwhelm us with thanksgiving.

If we find ourselves complaining about our situation or longing for a better life, we need to take a few moments to worship God and allow His goodness to wash over us until we are consumed with gratitude.

The optimist says, the cup is half full. The pessimist says, the cup is half empty. The child of God says, my cup runneth over. Anonymous

TV & Heaven E-mail

Dad,

Mom said you’re doing wheelies in your chair. OK, maybe not, but it is fun to think! We are all excited to see it.

We received word from the USCIS that they logged our latest application in the same day they received it. That is a good sign.

Tonight is Rob’s TV debut. At first when I tried telling him about it, he got really excited because he was all ready to talk about you and ALS. He didn’t care so much when I told him that the TV guy might ask him about the Bagdad gifts. He hasn’t even brought the subject up once since. I’m curious to see how he reacts when he watches it. Charlie’s expecting to be on TV too when he’s in kindergarten. Today's devotional is exactly why we did the soldier gift thing. I wish we could have gotten this message on TV.

On the way to school, the boys can ask some pretty deep questions. Charlie asked yesterday why God puts us on earth if we are to someday go to heaven. He told me he’s ready to go. Rob was wondering why God gave the Israelites a promise land on this earth and what happened to it. We talked about how it couldn’t compare to our promised land, heaven. Charlie then asked what God would look like. Rob said that they sing, “He is the light.” So he concluded that God must be really bright. I told Rob he was right, but reminded them that He's with us in the dark too.

Love,
Sara

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