This, That, & Pie! Oh, my!

THIS...

If you were faked out by the clouds hovering over my rooftop this morning, you are not alone! Looked like rain, ended up with toasty sunshine. Either way, I was going to be in from it, cleaning, ironing, baking, sewing...

When the sun decked the clouds and sent them out of the ring, I knew it was time for a little rain of my own -- on my fake indoor ficus. The beauty of a fake one is, of course, no fallen leaves to have to bend over and pick up. The un-beauty is that those unreal leaves are the biggest collectors of dust I've ever seen!

Way back before a friend came to my rescue, I used to wipe those leaves one at a time. Yes. I. Did.

But now, the new, the improved, the smartest way ever to clean those fake ficus'... Introducing... Your hose!



Yep, it's too good to be true, but believe it. All you have to do to get dust-free leaves is drag the plant outside into the sunshine, point your hose on them, and let it rain! Literally, it takes about one minute to squirt the tree, then let the wind and warmth be the towel.

THAT...



On purpose I surrounded my ironing stack in black. That pile of clothes stands for all the jobs we wives and moms have inside our homes, but put off doing because we'd rather be doing something other than THAT. Like...



The above is going to be a fall tablecloth for my darling round patio table. It's so cute, and when I finish the tablecloth, I will set the table out there and invite you to see it.

But, THAT is for another day. Today, Galatians 5:13 reminds me to "serve one another with love." And that's what I've been doing - changing sheets, folding laundry, mopping floors, and even attacking those shirts and pants of Superman's -- serving with love. "She does him good and not harm all her days" (Proverbs 31:12).

As I've mentioned many times in my blogs, I consider homemaking a high calling. Except for emptying the dishwasher, I love everything about this God-given role. If you are privileged to be a wife and mom, then put your heart into it, and serve with love.

& Pie!...



In an email this morning there was a blurb on pumpkin being good for your heart. Since a friend had also sent this fact (with a recipe for something I will whip up and share another day), I knew I needed pumpkin.

For my health.

If my heart needs pumpkin, then pumpkin it shall have!

The recipe for the above pie is on the Libby's can... WITH ONE SMALL CHANGE...



Instead of a full 12-ounce can of evaporated milk, use 1 1/4 cup of the milk (save the rest for brushing on crust, if you plan on making a fancy edging) and 1/4 cup of the pictured Butterscotch Carmel sauce.

And all of this, that, & pie will be served with a glad heart!

Autumn Apple Dumple

A is for Apple.

Apple is for Autumn Apple Dumple!

Autumn Apple Dumple is Addicting!

It's easy. and it's going to become your fall favorite!

Here we go!



Preheat oven to 450.

For the sweetened crust you will need to put the following ingredients into a food processor with the steel blade: (This is the only pie crust I can make successfully, every single time. If I can, you can, too, so get excited.)

* 1 cup flour
* 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp white sugar
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp salt (I use Kosher)
* 1 stick butter or margarine, cold (not softened), cut into thin slices

Now, put the lid on your processor and whiz them together, one pulse at a time, till the butter is little bee-bee sizes. (Be careful not to over blend.)

Once that is done, pour in *2 Tbsp ice-cold water* and pulse the whole mix again, till it just begins to form a ball; pie crust refuses to submit to perfection unless it is handled with gentle care.

And that's all there is to that! (Keep the processor out, you're going to use it - unwashed - in a minute or two.)

Toss ample flour onto a bread board; grab your favorite rolling pin (mine was my granny's), and roll the crust out in a 12" circle.



Place the crust on a lightly greased cookie sheet or pizza pan. For my Dumple, I line my cookie sheet with parchment paper. It makes it easier to lift off and put on a plate.

Into the processor, mix the following:

* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1/4 pecans, chopped as fine or course as you prefer
* 1 tsp flour
* 2 Tbsp butter or margarine, cold



This will be mixed with your two peeled, pared, and cored apples. I used one green and one red, just for fun. The peels can be left on if you want your Dumple to look like autumn leaves have fallen upon it. :)



Stir the apples and mix until they are thoroughly hugging each other, then dump onto your awaiting pie crust.



If you look in the upper left-hand corner, you will see that I just kind of roll the edges like a pizza crust. It keeps the juices from flowing out.

Place in oven for 20 minutes, or till the crust is a delicious autumn brown. If you want the crust to be shiny-ish, before you put it in the oven beat an egg with a bit of milk and brush it on the rolled up edges of the crust. It'll look better but it won't taste any better. :)

Or, if you want to make a dumpling instead of a dumple, then roll into two 6" circles and place the crust in a small, deep bowl. Then, pull the crust around the apples and cinch the top. I haven't tried this, because the Dumple is easier, but it should work just fine. Let me know if you do it this way.



Your Autumn Apple Dumple is ready to serve. I pull out my mom's old fall dishes, carefully pour and swirl Mrs. Richardson's caramel sauce on the plate (like a real chef, then set a slice of the Dumple on top. MMmmmmmmmmMmmmmm!!!!

...for breakfast or dessert or afternoon coffee/tea...

Bon Appetit!!! (Oh, be sure to say that with Julia Child's/Meryl Streep's accent; so much more fun to say, that way!)

P.S. Cute little Aimee thought I was a genius, which I loved and wished I was, but alas.. the idea for making all of this came from a recipe in one of my Barefoot Contessa books. I just adapted her recipe to my likings and tada! So... no genius here, but that pie crust is the easiest and most-fool proof one I know of!

Eat Like a Rabbit!!

OK... in a bit, I have a secret to tell. But for right now...

There's Romaine and spinach to be chopped into a salad, so I can eat like a rabbit and refuel for more hopping around the home (and blogs)!


Our garden spot is nothing special, as you can see. It's just plain ol' dirt space, but,oh... the rewards of my husband's labor. He plants, I eat. Now... could there be a better plan than that?!



Now I have to tell you the secret.

This is gonna be like an article in those old True Confessions magazines that were around when I was a kid (are they still out there?).

Clearing my throat...

Pride, that sneaky rat, crept into my heart when I was editing the above picture. Or, rather, wanting to edit the above picture.

You see that gray on our wall, where our powerful sprinklers are slowly eroding the stucco? And the ratty bamboo sun shield? I didn't want you to see them. It was just too much reality. But what is this besides pride?

I 'fessed up for one big reason --- because as women, we can easily put off being hospitable till our homes are "perfect". Or we won't go to social gatherings (I'm really guilty of this one) because we aren't "perfect". Now, I hate admitting any of this, but how are you and I going to cheer one another onward if we aren't truthful with one another?

So, let's learn a lesson from the eroding stucco of my west wall -- we are not perfect, life is not perfect, but we can have perfectly lovely fellowship with one another because of our imperfections (knowing we're all alike). And, if you know Jesus, the Perfect Savior, then what more do we need as a reason to gather and have fun and enjoy the days on earth that God has given?

Do not let your imperfections erode fellowship and hospitality from your life!

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand that we might walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10)! Let's march onward! :)

Okay, back to eating like a rabbit and gardens and salads...
Dinner tonight is going to be a simple garden salad with chicken and a few of my favorite toppings.

As I type, my chicken is cooking. My favorite spice for this is...




My favorite salad dressing, along the lines of Good Seasons Italian, is this...

First combine all the dry ingredients into a jar (one that has a lid).

1 1/2 Tbsp basil, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt
3/4 Tbsp dill
3/4 Tbsp rosemary, and paprika
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
Dash cayenne pepper

Then, to make the dressing, combine the following:
1 1/2 Tbsp of the above mix with 1/4 cup vinegar (I often use balsamic. Shake.
Add 2 1/2 Tbsp water and 3/4 cup olive oil (or canola). Shake.
Ta-da & yum!


(I have got to learn how to hold the camera STILL!! Blurry pictures, go away!)

This upcoming week I will be posting some comforting autumn recipes, so be sure to hop back often, and bring a friend or two along... The more the merrier!

This is a hint of the quilt I'll be working on while cooking up a storm...No, not a storm, a cool autumn breeze. Yeah, I like that better, don't you? So, pull your hair back and let's get ready to spend some time in the kitchen together! :)

Still Yakking...

Yes, I am still yakking about my BFF Getaway! I can't help myself, because today, besides showing you some fun things from around my house, and a spatula-licking good recipe I created, I want to share something with you...

Come close, and look at this...

What I wanted to share was that you can carry fun along on your trips! Yes, indeedy! Notice the autumn-colored mini tablecloth and plastic blue wine glasses. It's the little things that make life grand. We actually tote our fun with us, and we have throughout the years. Since suitcases now have wheels, it's a breeze to get our goodies from our homes, to my car (I am always our chauffeur), and into our hotel room. I share this with you because you might not have ever thought of this, and I don't want you to ever miss out again! :)

Autumn is popping up for a surprise visit; see...

These are narcissus. In a few more weeks Superman and I will have their precious white and yellow flowers all over the yard. Did you know that if you keep cutting them, say, for bouquets, they will reproduce like rabbits? If you are diligent to cut them, they are diligent to keep giving you new blooms. That's how it is in my yard, anyway. Hot spring days always chase them away, but till then... that's months and months of darling beauty and fragrance!

(No need to wipe your glasses; the picture is a blurry one.)

On a side-note whim, I want to share with you about Liz's Made-Up-Myself Choc Frost. Not having all the ingredients for a certain recipe is no reason to give up the effort - just concoct your own! Like I did....

It's always 12 o'clock somewhere, so eat up!


This recipe is definitely going to be adding cheer to the next cookbook I write! (NO, you won't find the other one on Amazon. Rats! I created it for my sister's real estate biz so she could give it away to clients.)

Have a joyful-heart day!

Two Best Friends!

Liz and Shannon


A new fall best friend!

Having a best friend is the most wonderful thing in the world! Shannon and I have been BFFs for a very long time... almost 28 years!!! Lucky us is all I can say!

Do you have a best friend? If you do, of course I want to hear all about it! If you don't, then I encourage you to let God hear all about it. He knows who you need and will hook you up. Really! When I first became a Christian I had a heart-to-heart with the Lord about friends, asking Him to pick some for me. To this day, most of us are still friends, though Shannon and I play and yak the most together. She's been my best friend for such a yummy long time that we are like sisters! (That just made me think of that song in White Christmas about sisters...lol.)

Shannon and I are honest injuns with one another, proving that "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy" Proverbs 27:6. It is plain ol' refreshing and helpful, even when it hurts.

Back in the day, when our friendship was just budding, we would even hang up on each other...let the Lord deal with us... and call each other back and talk about it. Yep, that's real freedom of love in a friendship and I hope your life does not lack this.

Anyhoo, the two of us just returned from our annual BFF Getaway trip. When we began, maybe 17 years ago (have to figure up the years one of these days), we went for a quick day trip. Too short, too short, we bellowed. So, we upped it to overnight. Too short, too short, we bellowed. And so we expanded the nights to two. :) And this trip, Shannon said, "Do you think we should add a third night next year?" I'm still laughing over that because it just proves that we are fun together!!!

Here are some of the pictures we took in Cambria....


We pulled into a parking lot at a winery (don't know the name), took a picture, then she gave me my early birthday present. I'll give you hints: Brighton, hangs on neck, charms can be added... she had a queen's crown charm already on it for moi - the Queen of Fun!


This blurry picture is in our little patio area. Our tradition is that her very nice and talented husband makes our first lunch - egg sandwiches, diet sodas, BBQ chips, sometimes pretzels (but not this time).


Our favorite store is Birds of a Feather. Darling and kind Bonnie owns and runs it. She greets you with a smile and cheery conversation. Her ribbon selection, as you can see, is wonderful! Everything in her store is a site to behold...Go visit her; she will like that - and so will you!


There's all kind of cute in Cambria! (Shan, Emily saw these pics and said, "She is a cutie-patootie!! Yep!!!)


Tired of my pictures yet??? :)


Our favorite dream home over there! Isn't it scrumptious? I could sit out there and blog my heart out!!!


How could we resist?



His and his wife's pumpkin farm...and our newest friend!

These two quaint sites were on our way home...





The inside of stores wasn't all we saw.... lol


I'm wishing you would share your fun best friend stories with me!



Bye for now... kiss the fun of fall as you walk by it each day!

A Giveway From Molly's Place

HURRY HURRY HURRY --TO MOLLY'S PLACE FOR THE ANNUAL MCCALL'S MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION GIVE-AWAY.

I just discovered this blog myself, and what good timing! Any site that has giveaways is my kinda site! I'm all out of breath dashing over to my blog from hers to tell you, but if you hurry, you can enter her contest, too. All you gotta do is leave a comment. Tell her anencourager.blogspot.com sent you!

Pictures of my BFF getaway will be showing soon!!! :)

See ya then!

Complaints Be Gone!

I am in Cambria with my BEST FRIEND EVER & FOREVER (BFEF). And, yes, we both brought our laptops. First time we've ever done that, but we have been looking up all kinds of fun stuff together.

Anyhoo, because I brought mine, I get to bring you along!

We sat on our cozy beds (we each have our own luscious queen, fitting for us, of course) and Shannon read our devotional...

It was on complaining. Or rather, on the stoppage of such, except to the Lord, who always wants to hear all about our stuff.

I read aloud Philippians 2:14-15: "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blamesless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

Now, first, we want to stand out as lights in this world, giving a lighted path to Jesus. As they see us responding differently to life's circumstances and relationships' harder moments, that is the switch that turns on the light so they can see what a life lived with the Spirit of God's empowering is like. Or shows what God's comfort looks like, when they see us enfolded in peace when a normal reaction might be heart ruckus.

And then, also, being blameless and harmless... Well, Shannon had to shed light on this, because complaining is really sin, telling God that we just simply don't like what He's allowed and will not run to Him to take care of it and us, but will run to every ear that will allow our complaining words entry. So, complaining is not for our good, nor for the good of those hearing it. It does not build us up. You just know that we want to do good to ourselves and those around us, as God does to us. This is His heart and we want ours to be like His.

With these sweet and encouraging and very convicting words (to both Shannon and I, who can be Complainer Queens when we've got the notion)we began our morning with Jesus. He is faithful and knew just what we needed to hear.

Our hearts are happily content when we let Him tell us what is what!

"For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul" Jeremiah 31:25. See, with this reality, what is there really to complain about?

Praises flow when complaints and attitudes of misery (self-pity, resentment, anger, comparisons...) are not stopping it up!

Jesus is the Satisfier and Replensisher and Love of our life! Yahoo!!!

Wednesday's Woman Wonders

:)

I liked that title. It has me grinning, still.

It's a nostalgic, contented mood I'm in today, even though I am not feeling 100%.

While we are visiting this morning, the background music is from Home Alone. Every time I hear Somewhere In My Memory
I get like this. Nostalgic, remembering when my kids were bustling about my feet; contented, because those memories are comforting. I have awesome kids!





These three trinkets of gold are truly gifts from God!

Okay, so, that's the nostalgic part of my heart this morning. The contented part is from a home that is comforting, even to me. The Lord has enabled me to work really hard this month so that I could begin getting the home holiday-ready. I am so thankful to Him that He is a God who cares! It is just the awesome-est that He does not roll His eyes over one single concern of ours! I love that about Him!!!

Superman is appreciative, too, and made several comments last night. A clean home and a contented wife makes him very happy. It's nice to be appreciated, for sure, but ya know, God has given me a love for the privilege of being wife and mom, and I do happily mill about this place because I'm utterly thankful. Serving one another in love (Galatians 5:13) is a joy when you love your job. (And don't worry if you do not possess a love or hearty gratitude for the love of the job God's given, ask Him. Yep! He's that good to give you the job and the heart to go with it!)



And then, if you need any kind of help in this area, well, there's counsel and wisdom for you! Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Psalm 119:24 says that the Word is our delight and counselors, and the very Holy Spirit of God guides us into truth and wisdom and is powerful to enable even the most lethargic hearts into action for their home.

So, my title, while I smile at it, didn't end up being the bulk of my blog, as intended. But that's okay. This was another sweet distraction in my ADD brain, one that I liked.

The woman has the unique privilege of doing wonders in her home. The opening of her doors can be a warm embrace, causing the lucky ones who step into the threshold of its love and warmth to be welcomed and hugged and pulled away from the scares and cares of the wearying world. A place of refreshment and acceptance, a place of rest and refreshing, a home filled with love and laughter and companionship and prayer and the Spirit of God. A hospital where wounds of the heart are mended, and fractures of the spirit are stitched up with empathy and care. Oh, the wonders a woman can do in her home... on Wednesday or every other day of the week. What a perfect privilege!



This has always been a delight of my heart. And now, on this Wednesday, I am off to the market. No, not to buy a fat pig, but to get the ingredients to bake my husband some tender loving care. I'm going away with my BFF of 28 years (lucky us!!!)and want to leave his favorite treats so that his heart and tummy will be filled with lots of thoughts that he is loved!



Have fun creating wonders in your home today! :)

"so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children" titus 2:4

Perseverance

This is the quilt that Liz built.

When I began this project I was pretty darn enthusiastic. The corners were going to be perfectly matched, the points would be sharp, and it was going to be beautiful!

Not wanting to use any fabric that required my car or wallet, I began hunting in my sewing drawers for enough coordinating fabrics to make this work. Well, not having any background color, I was forced to undo a class project so that I could use the muslin from it. The muslin was not of high quality, and as I ironed, it shrank. It was a mess.

But, I'd already sewn all the 72 "geese" (triangles) and was determined to persevere and make the best of it. I sighed through every stitch, but I didn't give up, tear it up, throw it away, or give the Lord a shorter count with the number of my hairs.

I kept at it. Sighed. Continued. And.... ta-daaa... finished!

Life is like this, don't you think? We begin different seasons with high hopes...Ours is going to be the perfect marriage, I'm going to be the perfect mom, etc. And then, the corners don't meet, the points are cut off, etc.

We just can't take the whole and destroy it. No! We keep at it, by God's grace!

It takes perseverance. That is a trait that gets sewn in our lives when things aren't going quite how we had planned, hoped, or dreamed. Disappointment in life, others, ourselves is the fabric God uses to make beautiful quilts out of our lives. If we quit before His work is done, then another project will soon be following. God does not give up! He completes the work He has begun (Philippians 1:6), of this we can be confident!

So, don't give up! Persevere, one second, one step at a time!

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance... and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope... but if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it... for whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 5:3-4, 8:25, 15:4.

Though my quilt did not turn out at all as I'd hoped, and is quite humiliating for anyone to see, it taught me a lesson in perseverance, and some little preemie at our local hospital is going to be warmed by it!

Glad I persevered and finished it!

October First!

Gosh, this is one of my most favorite days of the year, and yet... I forgot it! All day I was thinking that it was the last day of September. Even in my new journal I wrote the wrong date, wishing I would be patient enough to begin the journal entries on October 1st! LOL And then, just a bit ago (and it's early evening now), I visited a blog that had the October 1, 2009 as the date. I said to myself, "Oh, where does she live that it's already the first?" OHBROTHER!



Now, wanna know why I love this month???

1. To me, this is the official day of Fall; I don't care what the calendar says!
2. It's my birthday month - and I am not opposed to celebrating the entire 22 days
leading up to it! Don't even think that all those birthday tablecloths, cups,
plates, etc. should be used only once a year...
3. It's the month my BFF and I take our girlfriend weekend getaway.
4. The weather is cooler, football nights are cozier.
5. It's almost time to push the button and turn on our fake fireplace and snuggle in
the loveseat under a flannel quilt I made Superman, years ago.
6. Oh, and what about picnics in the park or our own back lawn? Wanna come over?
7. And what about Disneyland? This year I Disney is giving me a free ticket!!! I'm coming, Mickey!!!!
8. I'll stop now, but the list could keep on going.... Why do you love October???

Okay, so, I don't make it a habit to let others read my journal. But, since I didn't have any hatred for anyone or anything like that, I decided it was safe. Now you can see that I had that silly date wrong. No matter, it's all put to rights now, and this all is a perfect intro to the little lesson the Lord gave me last night...

I had gone to lunch with a friend and she was sharing how the Lord told her that when He said, "Rejoice always," that it was a command, not an option...oh...in all circumstances, not just the happy fall ones. "But it's so hard!" she bemoaned. And I bemoaned with her, knowing just how hard certain circumstances make it seem so!

But then, I come home and am cramming to finish my Bible lesson for our home group that night, and lo and behold, what do you think was question #last? Yep, it was all about 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 - right where "Rejoice always" is housed.

Anyhoo, I'm reading the verses, but the Spirit is showing me something fun. Nothing that Thomas Nelson would pay me to write a book about, mind you, but fun and applicable to life.

Okay, follow along with me. So, we are to rejoice always. Sometimes it's hard, and of course the Lord knew this long ago. So, the next verse is pray without ceasing. Gosh, this is help. I mean, have you ever thought to pray, "Lord, help me to rejoice in this particular trial that stinketh?" Well, now we have. And then, if that still doesn't cut the mustard, then the very next command is give thanks in everything. Thankful hearts are happy hearts and happy hearts rejoice...always. AND THEN, if we are really, really stubborn, and are standing firm in our unrejoicing ways, then hear ye, hear ye the next command: DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT. BOOM!

So, like I said, I don't think any of my commentaries would quite teach that lesson (and I will look at some this weekend), but for me, for now, the Lord knew how to put an end to my excuse making ways and get me on the rejoicing side!

What do you think???? Tell me all about it! :)