Beaver Cupcakes

As I browsed through my old magazines recently I came across these cute cupcakes that were done up in Canadian Living last year. Just in time! I got out my chocolate cupcake recipe, checked out some directions online and tried my hand at them.
Now there is still time for you to try them too!

Wishing all Canadians a wonderful day and weekend - which happens to run right into the American celebrations too! May God keep our land, glorious and free. We have much to be thankful for!

What's in my Pantry?

I recently found out that my grandkids are not the only ones who are interested in my pantry. So I took a few minutes to check it out and then went back to a “Basic Staples” list I made for my girls way back. A few things have been added, but all in all, it is still okay, and maybe something I can share. I don’t stock up with cases full of everything, but it is good to remember that dry goods can be purchased when they are on sale, and I'm glad to find them in my pantry when I need them.

Dry / Canned Goods

• pastas
• rice
• dried peas /beans / barley
• cornmeal
• soups – cream of mushroom and chicken, tomato, cup-a-soup
• side kicks
• canned tuna / salmon
• tomato paste / sauce
• canned whole / crushed tomatoes
• spaghetti sauce
• chili style beans
• chili style canned tomatoes
• an assortment of canned beans
• crackers
• peanut butter
• honey
• salsa / chips
• cereals
• canned fruit
• jello / puddings / pie filling
• pickles
• canned artichokes / mushrooms
• onion soup mix
• coffee / tea / chocolate milk mix
• pancake mix
• syrup
• stove top
• boxed juices
  

Baking Ingredients

• flour (unbleached, multigrain, w/w)
• vital wheat gluten
• rolled oats
• flaxseed
• sugar (white / brown)
• confectioner’s sugar
• cake mix
• canola oil
• cooking spray
• baking powder
• baking soda
• cornstarch
• vanilla / almond / maple extracts
• cinnamon
• baking cocoa
• semi sweet chocolate
• chocolate chips
• trimmits (chocolate or colored sprinkles)
• raisins / dried fruit
• coconut
• yeast (in fridge once opened)
• evaporated milk / powdered milk
  

Other Cooking Staples

• salt / pepper
• dried herbs and spices ( onion, basil, oregano, dill, bay leaves, whole black peppers, red chili, cumin, garlic, ginger, curry, mustard, paprika, thyme, chili, cloves, anise, allspice etc.
• seasoning pkgs for sloppy joes, chili, fajitas. stir fries, tacos
• Knorr soup bouillon cubes
• soy sauce
• white cooking wine
• vinegar
• balsamic vinegar
• red wine vinegar
• white wine vinegar
• olive oil
• Worcestershire sauce
• mayonnaise (refrigerate after opening)
• Ketchup (refrigerate after opening)

Memory on my Desktop and More

This recent three day memory in a hotel greets me on my screen every morning. That's what's making me smile these days . . . and to think that the nurse who was prepping me for my test yesterday asked if there was any chance I was pregnant!!

I remember very clearly the hours, minutes and seconds just before they put me to sleep. But after I woke up, it's a different story.

I'd been home for six hours or so, when I realized I had no recollection of getting dressed after my test. I called G and asked her at what point she had picked me up. She laughed and told me that when she got there, the curtain around my bed was drawn and that the nurse told her I was getting dressed. I could tell she was hesitant to tell me it was taking quite some time, but finally two nurses had checked on me. At this point in the conversation I had no idea if she was going to tell me I had gone back to sleep or that I was standing there with no clothes on. It turned out, I was sitting on the bed, fully clothed and just waiting.

Another thought that came to me late in the evening was that I had packed a yogurt in the morning. I wondered what had happened to it? When I went to check my purse, it was gone and the spoon was nicely wrapped in a paper napkin. A very funny feeling . . . like finding out what you did while sleep-walking.

I'm just glad I was careful in choosing the friend who was to pick me up. If it had been one of my kids, my name just might be on the Tabor Home list by now.

Lesson from a Little Girl

We were at the family cabin where another member of the family may have friends over, whom the rest of us are not necessarily acquainted with. I remember one summer day, the family that came to visit my brother’s family had a little girl named Julia. She had a head of curls and big brown eyes.
Everyone else was outside and the kitchen door stood open. I was at the sink, peeling potatoes or something, when she came into the doorway and I heard the words sweetly, but bravely spoken,
“I’m not scared.”
I turned to her and saw in her face what she was saying. Coming from the bright outdoors it probably looked dark in the kitchen and there I was, a stranger whom she was trying to trust.

I’ve often thought about the way she said those words. They made me smile and still do . . . because I think she really was scared, but tried to convince herself to be brave and that she need not be afraid. It probably got her places.

Today I’m standing in the dark doorway, looking in at a stranger. I don’t know this doctor, but I know that he knows how to do what he is trained for. I will say I’m not scared, even though I am. I will go ahead and trust him. In the end it will all be good.

It's a Small World After All

One family, on their way home on furlough, flew 20 hours stopping in LA for "a first time in Disneyland" with their kids. One family drove 12 hours from Colorado with kids, excited to meet up with their cousins. The third family flew out of Bellingham with a baby, while we got on the I-5 for a 20 hour drive, with a vehicle to leave for the first family.
This is how the world around us became smaller for a few days. It’s amazing how quickly the miles that separate can dissipate into a distant memory as we take up residence with rooms close together.
A place where the cousins can run into each other’s rooms and play make believe - like they always have done so. A place we can sit around a long table, where everyone wants to sit beside each other and not miss a thing - but probably someone always does. A place where the reality of the ties that bind a family can overwhelm you when you least expect it . . .

Papa usually seen with some grands in tow . . .

Auntie not giving up till she gets a smile . . .

The plain comfort while hanging out . . .

Or in being held . . .

Total trust …

Seeing things through their eyes . . .

And sometimes having to put up with plain goofiness.

It’s a place where little girls dream of being princesses, big boys become little boys and little boys become big boys.

Sometimes dreams really do come true.

How to Iron a Shirt

We tend to divide our work pretty much the old fashioned way. Sure, you’ll find us in the kitchen together, but mostly it’s my domain. Maybe I’ll be out poking around the yard with him, but mostly it’s his baby. He takes care of my car, I iron his shirts. We don’t actually think about dividing the work. We just tend to gravitate to that with which we are comfortable with and it has worked for us for us.

Now, this is about ironing. Although I procrastinate, I really don’t mind it when I get to it. It’s kind of a mindless job that still gives me a sense of satisfaction. Even so, while most of it is a quick run-over with the iron, those cotton shirts can look quite daunting. Sometimes I spread out his shirt on my ironing board, and when I wish I was done already, I remember . . . to be thankful for his arms, his strong back, his loving heart . . . and I iron. I know that if he were not here . . . I would iron 300 shirts just to have him back for one day.
So, it looks like not all ironing moments are mindless . . . because I had another thought. If I can take pictures of cooking, why not ironing? Maybe a shirt ironing lesson is practical too. So here are my thoughts, beginning with the fact that you need a good steam iron. If you do not have that, you will do yourself a big favor by taking cotton shirts our of the dryer while still damp.
Then . . .

1) Spread the left side of the shirt out on the ironing board, leaving the rest to hang behind the ironing board - away from you. Straighten it out and iron that whole panel, starting under the collar and going down over the button holes.
2) Slide the shirt down toward you (the left sleeve hanging down on your side) and iron along the shoulder blade area toward the collar and down.
3) Keep sliding the shirt down toward you and go over the middle of the back – if there is a tuck, you can iron around it flat, or fashion it at the bottom and pull, then iron it in. Proceed all the way up around the collar.
4) Continue sliding the shirt over (toward you) and, with your free hand pulling it taut, go over the right side of the back and along the seam.
5) Slide the shirt over toward the front right panel, and starting around the sleeve seam, go over the base of the collar and head down around the buttons.
6) Hang the shirt over the ironing board by the shoulder so that one shoulder area can easily be ironed easily
7) Repeat with other shoulder.
8) Spread out a sleeve, lining up the seam and iron down to the cuff and around that area, doing both sides.
9) Repeat with other sleeve.
10) Last, but not least, straighten out the collar and iron it, pulling it taut with your free hand.

And remember to tell him how good that shirt looks on him!

I'm not Smiling

Actually I have to smile at her determination not to smile.
As soon as she sees the camera, it's game over.
No smiles.
I soo wish you could see her cute dimples.
One of these days.
But you do see those beautiful dark eyes that look like mirrors. Eyes that say, "I will smile when I want to smile," with a pinched mouth.

But on this day, when I held her . . .
she leaned her face against mine and just rested it.
It's the most amazing feeling.
She's content, my Lacey girl.

And Two Shall Become One

This past weekend we attended a wedding -

a mysterious, beautiful merging of two lives.

A girl from a family of girls

to a boy from a family of boys.

A girl who can light up a room with her smile

to a boy with a nasty, manly scar.

A girl who can make you soar to heaven on her violin

to a boy who soars down mountains on his skis.

A girl who exudes grace and beauty

to a boy with dare devilish courage.

What is this . . . this love . . . that would pledge
for richer or poorer
in sickness, in health
for better or worse
till death do us part?

Her face will light up when she sees he's come home.
He will carve swing seats out of mahogany wood.
She will climb mountains as long as he's with her.
He will surprise her with tickets to the opera.
She will find beauty in his courage
and he will find strength in her grace.

It's a love story, old - yet new

pure, inspiring and true.

The young gaze on with a wistful sigh

while the old remember the reasons why

they made their promises long ago.

And there is love.

From the Patch into the Pot

Seeing local strawberries in the store hit me by surprise this week. I think they are early, but there is one thing I've learned, you get them when you see them. The season is so short and then we are back to California strawberries. I'm glad we can enjoy those year round, but there is nothing like using berries from the local fields for jam. Have you tried it?

I'll give you a small recipe to try:

Prepare ahead:
Wash 8 - 250 ml (1 cup) size jars and put them in the oven at 250 F.
Put the rubber lids in a pot with water and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and let them sit in the hot water. You can also use recycled jars with rubber in the lid, heating those lids.

Ingredients:

6 cups berries, crushed
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp Certo Light or 3 Tbsp regular (pectin)
1 tsp butter

Method:

1. Wash and stem about 4 - 5 lbs strawberries.
2. Put them through the blender, just until barely crushed.
3. Measure out 6 very full cups berries and put them in a large stainless steel pot.
4. Measure out 4 1/4 cups sugar and set aside.
5. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with the pectin and stir it into the strawberries.
6. On almost your highest heat setting, bring strawberries to a good boil, stirring the whole time.
7. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add the 4 1/4 cups sugar and continue stirring until it comes to a boil again. Do not turn down the temp, unless it splatters a lot. On even heat it should not splatter. Add 1 tsp butter to keep the foam down.
8. When it come to a rolling boil, a boil that you cannot stir down, set your timer for two minutes and keep stirring.
9. Turn off the heat and move pot (if not using gas element) and continue stirring for two minutes. Pour into hot jars, using a metal funnel, and seal with lids.
10. At this time the jam will be quite runny, but as you allow it to cool and then put in the fridge it will come to a nice spreading consistency.
11. Store in fridge or freezer for optimum freshness.
    
    * for more detailed instructions check here
    
    

Has it Really Been Ten Years?

I am posting a day early, in lieu of the fourteen hour time difference. It’s a day to remember and celebrate.

I look back on this day ten years ago,
the day I looked into your blue eyes and
embraced all your dreams with you . . .
remembering my feelings on my wedding day
and desiring for you to know
that I know how you feel.

We remember this day

when you took a last run around the park with your dad.

He picked a flower for you, which you added to your bouquet.

And then he walked you down the isle

. . . to the man who was waiting for you,

beholding you with tears in his eyes.

It was memorable, this day

you became husband and wife.

You gained a family and we gained a son.

We’ve watched your love grow and blossom,

prayed with you and for you as you’ve made decisions.

We welcomed our first grandchildren,

said our good-byes and hellos . . .

interspersed with care packages and long distance calls.
Today as you celebrate another milestone, we give thanks

for all the blessings of being your mom and dad.

Happy Anniversary, Chris and Julene!

More on Roses

My rose pruning boy has grown up and learned some more tricks along the way. Last summer he told me that you can plan the direction of the next shoot by where you make your cut. I thought this information could prove to be useful.
Now, I really must be desperate for something to write about, when I begin to talk about dead-heading roses, but here it is. I find this an interesting concept, this pruning, not only to get more, but to direct.

So here are my two bits:
1) You will notice that the leaves right under the rose are three-leafed sets. You want to go down to a five-leafed set and make a clean angled cut right above one of those.

2) You can chose the direction of the new growth by where you make that cut. For a regular bush you probably want the new shoots to go outward, so you chose a five-leafed set that goes outward and make your cut just a bit above that. On my bush where I want to keep the new shoots going toward the trellis, I will choose to make my cuts just above the five-leafed set pointing toward the trellis.

That's about all I know. Oh, fertilizing helps and every once in a while we dump soap water on the bushes. Now, if someone can let me know how to avoid growing those extra long shoots, I'm open to more advice.

And might I add, the scent of the first roses of the season just never ceases to amaze me. If possible, stop and smell a rose today.

Risking his Life

Back in the day when he could not afford to buy me roses, he came to the side door asking for scissors. I gave him the (dull) kitchen shears, but my eye followed him. When I saw what great lengths he was going to, just to brighten my day, I had to get the camera. I wonder, would I remember this if I had not done so?

Along the Trail

This past week I've passed these goslings a number of times. I wonder what kind of tricks this mother goose has up her . . . wing, to keep them so well behaved. You never see them bickering or running all over the park. Sometimes several families sit close to each other, but one does not have to guess which ones belong together.

" How good and pleasant it is when bothers/sisters live together in unity." Psalm 133:1