My New Favorite Soup

Even though I haven't posted anything for a while, I'm still counting my blessings (I hope you are too). Yes, everything is well with the fam.  (Blessing #1193)  Today, anyway.  You never know from one day to the next what lies ahead.  But worrying doesn't accomplish anything except ulcers and headaches, right?   Someone once told me, "there's nothing to worry about, just lots to pray about."

One of the things that I find relaxing is baking.  (#1194)  My sister once nicknamed me "Betty".  As in Betty Crocker.  I just wish I had someone to wash all my dirty dishes.

Today, I baked 4 loaves of rye bread.  Recipe courtesy of my sweet neighbor Deanna.  A few days ago, she posted something on facebook about all the things she had accomplished as she prepared for Thanksgiving, including having baked several loaves of rye bread.  This resulted in a slug of requests for her recipe.  And being the sweet little lady she is, she snail-mailed me a copy of the recipe.  (#1195)

As you can see, I had to taste it while it was still warm.  Melt-in-your-mouth delicious!   

Since it's been cold this week, I made my new favorite soup on Monday.  Chicken with Wild Rice.  I discovered it on Pinterest as a "Panera Bread Copycat" recipe. (#1196)  And I have to tell ya . . . (insert singing voice)  It's a-MAZ-ing!!   I've made it twice this winter so far, and there's never any leftovers.  Yep.  It's that good.  I think I'll pop a loaf of rye bread in the freezer to serve with my newly discovered soup the next time it makes the menu board. 

You've got to try this recipe!  You'll fall in love.  Just sayin'.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
1/2 c. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped celery
3/4 c. flour
6 c. chicken broth, low sodium
6 oz. pkg. Long Grain & Wild Rice
2 c. leftover cooked chicken

Melt butter, sauté onions, carrots, and celery til tender.  Stir in flour.  Gradually add stock til mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Prepare rice as directed on box, omitting oil and salt.  Add rice and chicken to stock and simmer 10 minutes. 

The recipe says that it serves 10.  Ummm.....not with my family.   Five is more like it. 

Shared Produce

What does one do with beets?  Well, it depends on who you ask. 

A friend of ours surprised us with some produce from his (enormous) garden (Blessing #1190), after he heard that our dog helped himself to our garden veggies.  Among the treasures he shared were beets.  His advice was to pickle them.  I waited until he left to wrinkle my nose. 

So I proceeded to ask a few of my friends if they had a better idea.  What do you do with beets?   One said "Ewww!  You throw them out!"  I knew she wasn't the one to ask.  Another friend suggested Beet Chips, which were "okay," but not as crispy as Martha's.  I decided that my slicer didn't slice them thin enough. 

And several suggested to pickle them.  Really?  Pickle them?  Ewww!   But my mom agreed:  pickle those babies! 

My mom shared my grandma Viola's recipe with me, and so I began the process.  It really wasn't that hard.  And they look so beautiful in my cute little pint-sized jars.  (#1191)

 

 

I tried one . . . and wrinkled my nose.  I'm sticking with "ewwww!"   I ended up sharing them.  All of the jars went to my mom, my sister, and my mother-in-law, who absolutely love pickled beets.  It was fun to see their excitement, as I gladly shared my pretty little jars of pickled beets with the beet-lovers of my family.  (#1192)

Grandma Daisy's Cookies

My great-grandma Daisy made the best chewy oatmeal raisin cookies (Blessing #1188), and so I decided to satisfy my little craving today and whip up a batch.  My grandma Daisy always just dumped, and didn't bother to measure.  But my mom figured it out by watching her make them, so the recipe lives on.  (#1189)
 

I'll tell you the secret to making them nice and moist.  First, you put a cup of raisins in a glass measuring cup with enough water to cover them to the top.  Then, you bring them to a boil in the microwave. 

Next, you measure out 5 TB of the boiling water from the raisins and mix the hot water with 1 tsp. of baking soda.  (It creates a nice little bubbly reaction, so be prepared.)  And then add that mixture to the dough.  Drain the rest of the water from the raisins, and add the raisins to the dough.

Here's the whole recipe:

Grandma Daisy's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
2/3 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
5 TB raisin juice combined with 1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. raisins (boiled)
Mix in order listed.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

The Disappearing Cucumbers

As you know, I am madly in love with Cucumber Salsa.  So naturally, I planted cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes in my garden this year.  (And green beans, which rates equally high in our home.)  And to protect our plants from hungry little bunnies, Chad helped me (blessing# 1184) put a chicken-wire fence around it. 

All spring and summer, Chad and I took great care in watering our garden and keeping the weeds away.  We nurtured it and fed it, looking forward to the fruits of our labor come late summer.  And despite the HOT weather we've been having, it has been looking really good.  (#1185)  Until a few days ago. 

Upon walking into our back yard, I could see our innocent dog Beau chomping away at something in the grass. But what was it?  I couldn't tell.  As I got closer, I could see that he was devouring (gasp) a cucumber from my garden!  Naughty dog!

I didn't want the rest of my cucumbers to disappear, so I found a large wire basket in the garage and tried to position the remaining cucumbers under the basket and into safety.  I am so naïve. 

I'm sure you already know what happened.  But I'll tell you anyway.  When I went outside to water the garden the next day, I discovered ALL of my remaining cucumbers were gone.  G.O.N.E.  Gone.  And the vines were pretty much destroyed too.  Naughty Beau!  I guess, at least he's eating healthy and getting a good dose of Vitamin B.  (#1186)  I suppose that's a good thing for dogs too. 

So far, he's only eaten ALL of my cucumbers, several green peppers, and a couple tomatoes.  At least I have a few things left in my garden.  (#1187) We've found a solution . . . electric fence. 

Vitamins, Veggies, Soy, & Rice

It is so easy to take for granted the food we eat on a daily basis.  Our kids might say, "I'm starving," but they don't know what it truly feels like to go without food for days.  Unfortunately, there are millions of starving children in our world, yet there is enough food produced each year to nutritiously feed everyone, every day. 

The question is:  What can I do to make a difference?

Our family had a chance to lend a hand towards fighting world hunger over the weekend when Feed My Starving Children came to town.  We didn't know quite what to expect - we just knew we wanted to help. 

Janet, Jenica, Jillian rockin' the hair nets Saturday afternoon!

"Youth Night" - Friday
Maddy, Jenica, Ashlyn

For two hours, Jacob & Chad ran boxes and supplies back and forth to all the stations while Jenica, Jillian, and I assembled the MannaPacks.  (Blessing #1179)  Each pack we assembled consisted of Vitamins, Veggies, Soy, and Rice in a nutritional value (developed by scientists at Cargill) that will lead a child out of malnutrition into health. 

The goal for our community was to package 225,000 meals during the 24 hours FMSC was in town.  And we did it!  (#1180)  There was so much support from our community, businesses, and churches that our event was completely funded before the trucks even pulled into town.  (#1181)  Wow!  God is at work!  

This video is just one example of how FMSC is making a difference in just 1 of the 70 countries where they provide MannaPack meals.




Did you smile as you watched each of these children share their dream?   They are precious in His sight. . .  (#1182)  Amen?

Maybe we aren't able to physically go on a missions trip to another country, but this is one way we can be part of a missions project without even leaving our town.   (#1183) And we're looking forward to helping again next year.

Back to School

Jenica's first day of school was last Wednesday, which Jillian thought was totally unfair.  Jillian would go to school every day of the year if possible.  She loves learning.  Jenica, on the otherhand . . . well, let's just say she's glad she's no longer a freshman. 


Jenica met her friend Becca, who IS a freshman this year, so they could walk to school together on the first day.  I totally dropped the ball and forgot to pull out my camera before we left.  Luckily, Becca's mom was on the ball and snapped a few for both of us.
(Blessing #1176)

Becca & Jenica - 1st day of School

 

 

Finally, on Thursday, Jillian's day had arrived.   (Blessing #1177)  Third grade, here she comes!

 

 

Jillian's first day of school

Despite having to endure biology and geometry this year, Jenica was extra-happy this week.  She got her school permit (and a car) and no longer has to wait on the rest of us when leaving for school.  And thus, I don't have to make so many extra trips to the High School, practice, youth group, etc.  (Blessing #1178)

 

 

The Best Things in Life Aren't Things

There are so many things in life that make me smile. (Blessing #1167). But the best things in life aren't things. The value of family, friends, and faith points us to the realization that what matters most in life is all wrapped up in people and the Lord. (#1168)

Of course, the Lord and all that He is, is at the top of my list. (#1169) And second is the man who stole my heart. (#1170). Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary. (#1171) 25 years! I'm sure you're thinking that Chad and I don't look old enough to be married 25 years. Well, maybe just one of us does. Just kidding, just kidding.

Interested in a flashback photo?

25 years ago, our silver anniversary seamed like a long way off. But here it is already! God has truly blessed me (more than I deserve).

 

Since my brother and his family are back from Arizona this week (#1172), we thought it would be fun to celebrate on the day of our anniversary, with our families. After all, they're at the top of my best-things-in-life list too. (#1173)

 

I love this! My sister-in-law Alimah made it for us. (#1174) She has been blessed with the gift of creativity. Unfortunately, the only picture I got features Chad blinking. But that doesn't matter, because I get to look into his non-blinking eyes every day. (#1175) Here's to the next 25 years, honey! Cheers!

 

Scrap the Schedules

I love, love, LOVE summer! And the thing I like best about summer is that (for the most part) schedules are thrown out the window. (Blessing #1166). I love the laid-back lazy days of summer. Of course, there are times when we have a schedule to stick to, but not like during the school year.

Estes Park

 

This summer, we came up with our own "summer bucket list." A list of things that would be fun to do, if it works out. But we don't stress over our list. Its not our goal to accomplish everything. Our goal has been to enjoy a relaxing summer, with some fun things thrown in every now and then.

Newsboys, Francesca Battestelli, & Hawk Nelson

 

Minnesota, before Jacob's surgery

 

Swimming at the Lake

 

Omaha Zoo - Jenica & sweet little Erica

 

A Day at the Lake with my Parents

 

Kabobs on our grill

 

 

It's sad to think we are already winding down on our final 17 days of summer break. Very soon, the alarm clocks will be set regularly again, and lunch boxes will be packed daily. (Sniff, sniff). I'm just not ready for hectic school schedules to resume.

Beau's Bath

The flies have really been bothering our dog lately. They are taking over his ears, nose, and everywhere else they can stick to. Thankfully, Google helped me find a solution. (Blessing #1163)

I found a bottle at Orschelin's and Chad helped me spray Beau down. Did Beau like his new "treatment"? Ummmm . . . NO! The first thing he did was roll around in the dirt, which became mud on his freshly sprayed hair. But at least the flies left him alone. (#1164) Next time, we'll try a new approach and not let him out of the house til it dries.

In the meantime, Beau earned himself a trip to the Doggie Bath at our local car wash a couple days later.

He fought us, but we won!

If you've never tried the Doggie Wash, it's perfect for washing big dogs. But the best part is that the mess wasn't in my house. (#1165) It works just like a car wash, and you start with the dial on "shampoo," then you switch it to "rinse," then "conditioner", followed by another "rinse" and then "dry." And if you're dog has met a skunk, they even have a "skunk wash" cycle. And if your dog has dry skin, try the "oatmeal" cycle.

The hair dryer cycle made Beau's hair fly everywhere! We were covered with it! We tried not to breath thru our mouths, but that just meant his hair went up our noses instead. Gross!

 

Air Show

Since we live close to the airport, we often get a really early morning wakeup call when spray planes take off and land. But last weekend, we had great seats (blessing #1158) for the big Air Show that took place at our airport. (#1159) We invited our small group out to watch the aerobatics, parachuters, and even a really brave dude who walked on the top wing of a double-winged airplane.

I love when we all get together, but summer is a busy time and not everyone could make it. But those who did got to enjoy some of our homemade ice cream too. (#1160)

 

The kiddos found ways to keep busy in the shade.

Here's Suzy and baby Isaac, all snug as a bug.

 

And Jenica snuggled up in the quilt my mom made me (for my bridal shower 25 years ago - #1161) and snoozed for a couple hours. She was tired from the going-away party she had for a couple friends the night before.

It was a fun afternoon, and I'm glad we didn't have to wait in the long lines for parking, beverages, or for the porta-Pottys. (#1162).

 

When it's Cold in Nebraska, head for Arizona

My nephew graduated from high school in Tucson last week, but our family had numerous conflicts with schedules, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it or not. But I did! (Blessing #1153). My parents planned to drive to Arizona, and they had room for Jillian and I to tag along for the 18-hr drive. (#1154)

The first thing Jillian did was jump in the pool to cool off and wear off some energy from the long ride. The weather in Arizona was nice and hot.

 

My nephew graduated with honors in his class of 300, and it was a blessing to be there, showing him our support. An interesting fact about his class: 56 different nations were represented in his class of 300. That's amazing to me!

One thing about Arizona, the sun rises and sets really early while the rest of us observe daylight savings time. The graduation ceremony was outside on their football field, at 7:30 pm. (9:30 our time) Even though temps reached 100+ degrees that afternoon, humidity was only 4% (a welcome change from what we're used to), and it was a beautiful evening to sit outside as the sun began to set. (#1155)

I asked Chad, "Wouldn't this be an awesome setting for a HS football game?!" If you look really close, you can see the white chairs on the field for the graduates. Here's my brother and his two little ones.

 

Jillian loves playing with her cousins! The little guy looks just like my brother at his age.

We spent four days in AZ with my brother and his sweet family (#1156). Jillian was really interested in all the cacti since she had recently learned about them in school.

Close-up of Teddybear Cholla

The saguaro cactus is an icon for the southwest, and we learned a lot about them at the National Park. They can live up to 150 years or more, and they don't produce "arms" until they're about 75 years old. So the one we stood by for the picture had to be really old.

I wanted a photo with all of us while we were in Cameron, just before we headed home, so I set the camera on the pavement, set it's timer, and quickly jumped in line, not quite sure how it would turn out. And it worked! (#1157). Looks a little like an ad for Diet Coke. Between my mom and I, we had plenty on hand.

Diet Coke & Ice Cream Break

 

Jillian did a lot of swimming while we were gone, but it'll be a while before our weather warms up enough for her to jump in the pool again here. After being in AZ, I am really ready for summer.

Two Reasons to Party

School is out for the summer! (Blessing #1150). Jenica's happy, but Jillian is sad. (Jillian loves school.) Not only is school out, but its also Jenica's 15th birthday! (#1151) I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. It also happened to be the day she received her first helicopter ride . . . But that's a story for another time.

The girls wanted to do a little laser-taggin', and then we had a picnic courtesy of Flippin' Sweet. On the menu: Pepperoni-beef Calzone and S'More Dolcé. It was A-MAZ-ING! (#1152)

 

You've got to try this yummy dessert! It was SOOOOO yummy! I've got to find that recipe!

The party isn't over yet! We've got all weekend to celebrate. Happy Birthday, sweet Jenica!

Mothers Day Weekend

By now, most everyone knows my favorite place in the whole world to visit is Colorado. So when God gave us the opportunity to spend Mothers Day weekend in Colorado, we took it. (Blessing #1145). Unfortunately, Jenica didn't go with us because she got a better offer. . . . A state soccer playoff game in Omaha. Even though she doesn't normally play on the Varsity team she still went with the team, suited up, and got subbed into the state playoff game towards the end of the game. (#1146) I won't mention the score, but we didn't win.

Team prayer before the game

She had a great weekend with her friends, and the rest of us enjoyed a bit of Colorado. Check out these clouds! The sky was so pretty driving into Colorado. (#1147)

Of course, we had to stop at the sign for a picture. Jillian saw it as another opportunity to show off another version of her gymnastics salute.

Besides eating at some yummy restaurants, we did some hiking at the Red Rocks Park. (#1148)

 

Shall we salute?

 

Jillian shows off her salute . . . Again.

And again . . .

And again. The whole time saying, "I've always dreamed of doing this! I love it here! We should move to Colorado!" (Atta girl, Jillie!)

When the Red Rocks Amphitheater isn't being used for a concert, fitness junkies come here to get in a strenuous workout. We don't fall into that category. We got a thigh burn just walking up the 70 rows of bleachers. I'm amazed at all the people who go there for a really good (free) workout. Crazy people! But the view is awesome!! (#1149)