Horse Girl

Anyone who spends a minute in my daughter's company these days will quickly discern her love for horses. It's her favorite subject to talk about, riding horses her dream, and what she most often will pretend to be, whinying, pawing, snorting, galloping...

In fact, her frequent response to our question about what she wants to do when she grows up is to live at our Amish neighbor's farm and be a "horse girl".

Last week I saw an ad in the local merchandizer announcing a free family event at a nearby church on Saturday: dinner, face painting, games, wagon rides, a juggling act/entertainment and (drumroll, please) PONY RIDES!!! I knew Natalia would be thrilled, but also that I'd be cooking up alot of applesauce that day and would want a break from the kitchen come dinnertime. So, we put it on the calendar.

Natalia was beyond excited to finally ride a horse, but it was forecasted to be a rainy day. I was so hoping that it wouldn't get cancelled. Thankfully, aside from the humidity and fog in the morning it turned out to be a great day weather-wise for the event!

Giddy with anticipation. (She insisted on wearing her "horsey" shirt in honor of the occasion.)

I think it's safe to say that she's even more infatuated with horses now that she's ridden one!

Shepherd's Pie

Really it's not Shepherd's Pie unless you use ground lamb, but since I have beef in my freezer that's what I used. So call it Cottage Pie if you want to get technical.

I found Gordon Ramsay's recipe online, and (dare I say it) I tweeked it...but just slightly. I wasn't crazy about putting egg yolks and heavy cream in my mashed potatoes when sour cream was much simpler. I also added some freezer corn to up the veggie count. Ramsay's recipe states that the meat mixture should have a mash consistency--so chunks of meat or veg are a no-no. We pick our sweet corn young and I think the tiny kernels added a nice element to this dish that remained in keeping with Gordon's version.

Perfect for the cooler weather we've been having, and an easy meal to serve guests, give it a try this week.

Shepherd's Pie
Makes a 2 qt. dish (about 6 servings)

POTATO MASH:
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

MEAT FILLING:
1 lb. ground beef (or lamb)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced (almost minced)
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/4 c. worchestershire
1/4 c. red wine
1/4 c. water or stock
1/2 small can of tomato paste (about 2 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pint freezer corn

1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
dash of paprika (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil potatoes in salt water (about 15 mins.), then drain and mash with other potato mash ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. In a large frying pan, brown meat, breaking it up into fine pieces. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil (medium heat) then add onion, carrot and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Drain meat, then add to veggie mixture along with remaining ingredients (except for parmesan cheese and paprika) and simmer for at least 5 minutes.
***You could put the meat and veggies in the same pot, but I like to cook them separately to ensure the onions and carrots are well-cooked and to eliminate any excess grease from the meat.
5. Layer in greased 2 qt. oven-safe dish, gently spread potatoes over top, then top with cheese. Take a fork and stab the top a couple times to create little peaks that will lightly brown. Dash with paprika for some color (optional) and bake for 20 minutes.

Multitude Monday #7

It's been 3 busy weeks since my last MULTITUDE MONDAY post...much to be thankful for!

Multitude Monday is about intentionally fixing my eyes on God's blessings, big and small, whatever the season, whether life is good or the road has been rocky.

91. Protection from the devastating effects of Hurricane Lee. My hometown saw major flooding and a lot of property damage. Even loss of life. Thankfully we were spared, but oh my--I've never seen water like that.

92. Aside from Lee, we've had a pretty easy transition into Pete and Natalia's school year.

93. Getting to know the parents of Natalia's classmates as we wait together for pick-up.

94. Especially excited to connect with one particular mom, a Christian who lives in our neighborhood!

95. Walking home from school and hearing about Natalia's day.

96. Having my youngest brother Ryan and his fiance Sarah here for the week. They leave today (sniff, sniff) but we loved the time we got to spend with them.

97. A plethora of tomatoes, peppers and onions made into V8 juice to can. Will be super tasty in those wintertime soups and stews.

98. Shepherd's Pie. Recipe will be posted sometime this week. :-)

99. A new pair of silver earrings.

100. Having my family over for ice cream last night--our final chance to see Ryan before he returned to sunny CA.

101. Dinner with longtime friends, the Zimmerman's. We take turns hosting each month and always look forward to catching up on each other's busy lives. Ken and Lisa have been there since the beginning of our married life (our anniversaries are a year and a day apart) and there's something very special about that!

102. New sermon series on the book of Revelation. So appreciate our pastors and the way they serve us each week.

103. Going to a movie matinee with my mom. She and I both read THE HELP last year and wanted to see it on the big screen together.

104. Reading THE PRODIGAL GOD by Timothy Keller as a part of my quiet times lately. So good!

105. The smell of autumn in the air. It is by far my favorite season. I'm invigorated by the crunchy leaves, brisk mornings, brilliant earthy colors, and the flavor of cinnamon.

Together At Last

Ryan and Sarah are in for the week from the Golden State.

After much anticipation and excitement waiting for their arrival, we are loving every minute we get to spend face-to-face.

Sunday evening we had a picnic at Mom and Dad's. Pulled pork sandwiches, mac-n-cheese, lots of fresh veggies, and lemon ice cream pie for dessert...end of summer on a plate.

Thankfully the weather cooperated and we could spend the entire night outside.

The kids had a great time running around and playing...

...and then there were presents from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah. (Since their visits are usually twice a year, they give group Christmas and birthday gifts when they're here...and they're so creative and fun!)

Can you guess what it is?

Pandemonium.

All lined up for a picture and so giddy they can't keep from dancin'!

(I believe the new puppies names are: Cooper, Diesel, Honey, Molly and Daisy)

Adam leaned down to hug his puppy and said, "I'm SO GLAD to meet you!"

Natalia's puppy looks just like the German Short-haired Pointer we had when she was a baby...hence the same name. AND, Joe and Kim's neighbor have a black poodle, just like the one Eli got! Ryan and Sarah had no idea how coincidental their selections were, which just made things all the more fun!

See?

I love these boys! Happy to hug them at the same time!

The Rains Came Down As The Floods Came Up

We've had record rainfall and flooding the last few days. Supposedly it's not over either.

Our backyard reservoir is completely flooded, and some of our neighbors have water in their basements, but we have been very fortunate. We have a dry basement and have not lost electricity...very thankful for that! (Especially because we have 2 freezers stocked with meat for the year down there AND our fourth batch of chickies as well! Both would be an investment lost if the basement flooded.)

Some views of our backyard. The water receded a few feet this afternoon. This morning the water was all the way to the treeline and much closer to the houses...

...and that muddy sludge was a river that extended all the way to the left. It reached about a foot from the edge of our flowerbed, which is pretty much level with our house.
My hometown just 10 minutes away has been really hit hard. It has become like an island overnight. Here is a link that shows a number of familiar landmarks (Twin Kiss, Mummau Park) underwater. Schools are closed, shelters have been set up, but so many are unable to get home due to flooded roadways, or stay in their homes because of mandatory evacuations.

Also, about 1/4 mile down the road from our house is this covered bridge that washed away. It is just incredible to see so much water pouring through this area. The bridge, built in the late 1800's, survived Agnes in 1972, but not the effects of Lee. It's so sad to see such historic landmarks gone.

We hope and pray this rain moves out of the area before things get worse. And we think of those whose lives have literally been altered overnight.