I'd like to ask you all to keep these dear folks in your prayers.
On Tuesday evening one of my high school friend's father, Bob Bruckhart, was struck and killed while riding his motorcyle to a haircut appointment in our hometown. His daughter's wedding is next Saturday. He was just 55 years old.
He was a wonderful family man, a faithful father and husband. His faith in God was strong, and he worked hard as a farmer and salesman to provide for his family. He leaves behind a rich legacy.
The timing of this all is especially painful. If you would, please pray for Sharon, (his wife), Jared (his son) and Mindi Bruckhart, Jonna (his daughter) and her soon-to-be-husband Brent, Jared and Mindi's 3 children, and their relatives and friends.
Lord, please grant them comfort and peace as only You can...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I LOVE This CD!
Hot off the press, the newest in Sovereign Grace music! The PSALMS...
One of my other recent favorites is The Valley of Vision, listed in the right column of this link.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Yearbook Yourself!
I was visiting my cousin's blog yesterday and just howling at this. I decided to try it...laughs are on me. :oP
"Miss 1952"
"Miss 1964"
"Miss 1966"
"Miss 1968"
"Miss 1982"
And the really funny one (because it's not too far off!) "Miss 1990"
Weekend Happenings
It was a fun-filled weekend, time spent with family and friends.
Parts of Friday and Saturday we spent with our friends Ken and Lisa and their kids. Lisa and I had the rare opportunity to go shopping without our shadows and were searching for those great deals on baby/kids clothes for the upcoming year. We've been waiting to try out the Kid To Kid consignment shop in York (after I heard rave reviews from my friend Libby), and I also wanted to introduce Lisa to the great consignment shop in Mount Joy, called Barely Used Boutique. Both establishments accept mostly name-brand items and everything is in new to almost new condition. Prices are good too!
I decided this was my best opportunity to shop for our upcoming baby boy, so I was thrilled to find a variety of needed items sized through to 12 months. Here's my pile of loot! Not bad for $60 total, right? (That's with the used-once Snuggli carrier included!)
Saturday and Sunday evenings we enjoyed some great outdoor delights: grilled BBQ-ed chicken, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, peach cobbler, etc. one night, followed by what may now be an established "Frogmore" tradition. That is what we're told it is sometimes called anyway! Our version consisted of: local sausage/kielbasa, corn on the cob, small potatoes, and shrimp, all brought to a boil in a large pot, seasoned with Old Bay, then served poured out on butcher paper covered tables. No silverware or plates needed, just you and your fingers...plus some cocktail sauce, butter and salt of course. Homemade vanilla ice cream, fresh peaches, and homemade strawberry sauce topped off the picnic perfectly.
Here's a picture of those from my dad's side of the family who could be there for the fun. There were about 30 of us...
Thankfully the two bee stings Natalia acquired on her feet last night are much better and the swelling is nearly gone. Three words: BAKING SODA PASTE (Putting it on immediately truly does work!) I was so grateful my aunts remembered this because my mind just couldn't think of what to do in the moment! And Natalia, who is my "bruiser" and normally does not cry long (if at all) after a nasty spill, was SCREAMING...poor thing. After awhile though, distractions such as visiting the neighbor's puppy included, she was running around and having fun again. (I still gave her some Benadryl last night though before bed.)
Parts of Friday and Saturday we spent with our friends Ken and Lisa and their kids. Lisa and I had the rare opportunity to go shopping without our shadows and were searching for those great deals on baby/kids clothes for the upcoming year. We've been waiting to try out the Kid To Kid consignment shop in York (after I heard rave reviews from my friend Libby), and I also wanted to introduce Lisa to the great consignment shop in Mount Joy, called Barely Used Boutique. Both establishments accept mostly name-brand items and everything is in new to almost new condition. Prices are good too!
I decided this was my best opportunity to shop for our upcoming baby boy, so I was thrilled to find a variety of needed items sized through to 12 months. Here's my pile of loot! Not bad for $60 total, right? (That's with the used-once Snuggli carrier included!)
Saturday and Sunday evenings we enjoyed some great outdoor delights: grilled BBQ-ed chicken, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, peach cobbler, etc. one night, followed by what may now be an established "Frogmore" tradition. That is what we're told it is sometimes called anyway! Our version consisted of: local sausage/kielbasa, corn on the cob, small potatoes, and shrimp, all brought to a boil in a large pot, seasoned with Old Bay, then served poured out on butcher paper covered tables. No silverware or plates needed, just you and your fingers...plus some cocktail sauce, butter and salt of course. Homemade vanilla ice cream, fresh peaches, and homemade strawberry sauce topped off the picnic perfectly.
Here's a picture of those from my dad's side of the family who could be there for the fun. There were about 30 of us...
Thankfully the two bee stings Natalia acquired on her feet last night are much better and the swelling is nearly gone. Three words: BAKING SODA PASTE (Putting it on immediately truly does work!) I was so grateful my aunts remembered this because my mind just couldn't think of what to do in the moment! And Natalia, who is my "bruiser" and normally does not cry long (if at all) after a nasty spill, was SCREAMING...poor thing. After awhile though, distractions such as visiting the neighbor's puppy included, she was running around and having fun again. (I still gave her some Benadryl last night though before bed.)
Today we're catching up on some schoolwork, household stuff and sleep. Natalia seems to be fighting a cold today and my head has been pounding--probably due to the sudden change in temperature. I can always tell when the barometric pressure changes quickly. Only Extra Strength Tylenol for me these days though. :o(
A random funny, straight from Natalia to all of you, for your reading amusement:
She's been learning and very excited to pray the "God is great, God is good" prayer before we eat lately. Yesterday, we couldn't help but chuckle at her most recent version, which included " by His hands we all are Fred (fed)". I have an uncle Fred who she's seen often this summer at church softball games.
And to finish out this post, here's a cute picture of Natalia from today. She decided she wanted to sweep the leaves off of our back deck. (Pint-sized broom courtesy of my parents who have observed Natalia's desire to do all-things-Mommy.)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Asian Chicken Wings
I was putting it off as long as possible...partly because it's a big job, and partly because I wanted to make sure my crazy pregnant self could handle it. Raw meat still affects me at times, but last Saturday I was good to go!
We picked up our case of fresh birds (cleaned and dressed of course), and as soon as we got home I jumped right in.
For those of you squeemish about raw meat, I promise, I did not take pictures. It's not at all like butchering...otherwise I would NOT be doing it.
I just take the whole birds, and partition them, then wrap in wax paper and freeze in bags according to cut. I keep the legs and thighs together (skin on) to bake, remove the skin from the breasts and cut it off the bone, cut off the tips of the wings and keep the other segments, take the little baggie of "goodies" which hold the neck (Eww! That gets tossed!), liver and heart and save them for my mother-in-law (she makes her own pate from the livers), and then slow cook the bones to get my piece meat for casseroles and stews. Technically I could save the broth, but I admit that by that point I'm exhausted and using bouillon is so much easier!
So...from a case of 16 birds, I get enough chicken to last us 3-4 months! It is a lot of work, but since it's organic, and $2.70/lb. I think it's well worth it! I just can't justify the price of organic pre-packaged chicken that's in the store these days!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a recipe I like to use for homemade chicken wings. They're baked, not fried, and ever so tasty!
ASIAN CHICKEN WINGS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3 tsp. paprika
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. ginger
3 tsp. dry mustard
Mix ingredients together and then toss with defrosted chicken wings. (I use this amount of seasoning for 24 pieces.)
Spray a 9 x 13" casserole dish and spread wings out in one single layer. Pieces can be touching. You may need to use another dish, such as an 8 x 8" depending on the size of your wings.
Bake uncovered for at least 20 mins.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and celery/carrot sticks.
We picked up our case of fresh birds (cleaned and dressed of course), and as soon as we got home I jumped right in.
For those of you squeemish about raw meat, I promise, I did not take pictures. It's not at all like butchering...otherwise I would NOT be doing it.
I just take the whole birds, and partition them, then wrap in wax paper and freeze in bags according to cut. I keep the legs and thighs together (skin on) to bake, remove the skin from the breasts and cut it off the bone, cut off the tips of the wings and keep the other segments, take the little baggie of "goodies" which hold the neck (Eww! That gets tossed!), liver and heart and save them for my mother-in-law (she makes her own pate from the livers), and then slow cook the bones to get my piece meat for casseroles and stews. Technically I could save the broth, but I admit that by that point I'm exhausted and using bouillon is so much easier!
So...from a case of 16 birds, I get enough chicken to last us 3-4 months! It is a lot of work, but since it's organic, and $2.70/lb. I think it's well worth it! I just can't justify the price of organic pre-packaged chicken that's in the store these days!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a recipe I like to use for homemade chicken wings. They're baked, not fried, and ever so tasty!
ASIAN CHICKEN WINGS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3 tsp. paprika
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. ginger
3 tsp. dry mustard
Mix ingredients together and then toss with defrosted chicken wings. (I use this amount of seasoning for 24 pieces.)
Spray a 9 x 13" casserole dish and spread wings out in one single layer. Pieces can be touching. You may need to use another dish, such as an 8 x 8" depending on the size of your wings.
Bake uncovered for at least 20 mins.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and celery/carrot sticks.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday Madness
What a busy day!
After trying repeatedly to fall asleep last night (baby was practicing his karate and boxing--sometimes at the same time) morning seemed to come too quickly. But we had a full day planned and by 8am we were on the road.
First I had another ECHO at the nearby hospital. Adam was in fine form, squirming all over the place, making the scan as difficult as possible for the tech and doctor. :o) I did get some good pictures in the end though, and thought I'd try to share one with you all. You'll have to forgive the quality of the picture--I had to take a picture of the picture. (The large white spot on the right is just above his left eyebrow and you can sort of make out an arm beside his face.) Oh, and once again everything with his heart is looking great. I go back in 6 weeks and that may be it...we'll find out then.
Then it was a quick trip to the grocery store after picking Natalia up, lunch, and putting her to bed before Grandma came.
Two weeks ago when canning tomatoes, I made the mistake of mentioning to Natalia that we would see Grandma that day. I didn't say when, and other than mentioning that briefly right after waking up that morning, I didn't reiterate it. Wouldn't you know she quietly lay in bed for 45 minutes, and as soon as my mom opened the front door we could hear her through the monitor calling, "Mammaw! Mammaw! Are you coming to see me?" Her door was shut and I even had the stereo on softly to muffle our voices!
Today, "mum" was the word! :o) She still only slept for an hour. But, we successfully canned 25 qt. of peaches with the assistance of a very enthusiastic little helper! I tried a firmer clingstone variety called Baby Gold. YUM YUM! Here's a picture of Natalia getting in on the action. (Notice the fake fruit in her bowl!)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Bumps Make It Memorable
So, last night could have been a complete disaster...
Pete's birthday is next week and in light of the fact that school has already started for him, I wanted to plan a last hurrah--something he and I could do and enjoy together. I found some great tickets to last night's Phillies game about a month ago and so the plan was to pawn Natalia off on the Grandparents and we'd hit the town! :o)
We headed out early, around 3pm for the 7 pm game, figuring traffic would be heavy and it'd be better to get there early. That ended up being one of many God moments we would experience.
Shortly after exiting the SureKill Expressway (I mean Schuylkill/PA Turnpike) we noticed the AC wasn't working...then a funny smell...then the smoke billowing out from under our hood.
Not a welcome sight!
To make a long story short, we blew a hose and "blindly" exited the highway within a mile of a Pep Boys. How kind of God, right? Two cell phones, 3 strangers, a patch kit, 1 super handy hubby, and a mountain of grace later we were on our way again! We arrived only 15 minutes after the start of the game and as a result didn't even have to pay for parking! :o)
All in all we had a great time and the Phillies smashed the LA Dodgers 8 to 1! Whoo Hoo!
But it just reminded us once again that our lives are not left to chance. We have the ability to make choices, but God is the Great Orchestrator. And He often uses the bumps in the road to teach us more about His character and our utter need for Him.
Pete's birthday is next week and in light of the fact that school has already started for him, I wanted to plan a last hurrah--something he and I could do and enjoy together. I found some great tickets to last night's Phillies game about a month ago and so the plan was to pawn Natalia off on the Grandparents and we'd hit the town! :o)
We headed out early, around 3pm for the 7 pm game, figuring traffic would be heavy and it'd be better to get there early. That ended up being one of many God moments we would experience.
Shortly after exiting the SureKill Expressway (I mean Schuylkill/PA Turnpike) we noticed the AC wasn't working...then a funny smell...then the smoke billowing out from under our hood.
Not a welcome sight!
To make a long story short, we blew a hose and "blindly" exited the highway within a mile of a Pep Boys. How kind of God, right? Two cell phones, 3 strangers, a patch kit, 1 super handy hubby, and a mountain of grace later we were on our way again! We arrived only 15 minutes after the start of the game and as a result didn't even have to pay for parking! :o)
All in all we had a great time and the Phillies smashed the LA Dodgers 8 to 1! Whoo Hoo!
But it just reminded us once again that our lives are not left to chance. We have the ability to make choices, but God is the Great Orchestrator. And He often uses the bumps in the road to teach us more about His character and our utter need for Him.
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