All is Quiet on the Home Front

I'm almost speechless.

For the first time in a long time, life is pretty quiet (I use the term loosely in a home with seven precious children) for the Poff Clan. Mountain Man is having a very busy but not crazy-stressful week at work, and the children and I are intensely focused on tackling projects around the house as we get ready for the new school year.

There aren't any broken doors. No sicknesses. No crises.

And we're enjoying it while we thank the LORD.

Tonight we have a special guest coming to visit us for the weekend, and Saturday we have plans to go balloon chasing for the first time ever with some friends. I'm hoping I'll get some great pictures to share.

So, yes, all is well here....we're livin' the good life and a quiet life. :)

Corn Chowder from Mimi's Cafe

Mountain Man and I love Mimi's Cafe! He especially enjoys their soups, corn chowder being one of them. So, I was thrilled to find a recipe for it from their website. Mountain Man rated this 5-1/2 stars out of 5! Enjoy this quick and easy comfort food as the weather starts to get cooler!

Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder

4 T. butter

6 T. chopped onions

3/4 c. diced celery (not finely)

2-1/2 c. hot water

2 c. cubed and peeled potatoes (about 1/2 inch cubes)

1 quart half and half

3 c. frozen corn, thawed

2 T. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 pinch of white pepper

3 T. flour

Melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and celery for 5 minutes in butter until soft but not brown. Add water, potatoes, corn, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are barely tender. Whisk flour into 1 cup of the half and half and then stir into the soup mixture. Add remaining 3 cups of half and half. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until soup thickens to creamy consistency. (we had to simmer about 25 minutes....)

Estudio in E Minor

Little Big Man has officially been taking guitar lessons for less than 4 months. (For a bit before that, Mountain Man was teaching him some basics on the guitar.) We're so proud of him for taking his lessons seriously and working hard. Being a lefty, he's had to adjust to playing right-handed, and we're amazed at how easily he's adapted. Our initial $60.00 investment for a used guitar has been well worth it, and now Little Big Man is saving up for a much nicer, better sounding instrument. Here he is playing Estudio in E Minor (and he says to remind the grandparents he'll sound even better when he gets his new guitar....)

Life in Pictures 9/30/09

~happy girl

~the Bumbo tray is a keeper

~my sweet tea assistant

~sleeping with baby....the sweetest of things

~yep, she got caught in the sprinkles

~time with Daddy

~our first family walk of Autumn.....Little Bit knows the best way to see the world

~Peep was delighted

~handsome Reaches Up

~lovely maidens

Weekly Rewind 9/20-9/27/09

It was a week of praise and celebration.

Mountain Man had three doctor's appointments, and they were all filled with great news!  He's still having the tightness in his chest, which the cardiologist said might take months to heal.  His tests came out great, however, and his visit to the nephrologist (kidney specialist) was postive, too.  The doctor believes there are certain lifestyle factors that are skewing his lab results...such as more muscle mass, higher protein diet, etc.   The visit was a thorough one, and we're encouraged by the news.  We ask that you pray for quick healing of his chest and for continued wisdom for the doctors.

On Saturday, the 26th, we celebrated 22 years of marriage!  What a testimony we are to the grace of God.  When we got married, there were many who didn't think it would last, and I'm sure there were times early in our marriage that we behaved in a manner that reflected such a dire prediction, but God has sustained us and strengthened us. How wonderful to see how God has matured us in our love for one another.  His grace is truly amazing.
Our dear friends, the R. family, offered to watch Peep, so Mountain Man and I were able to enjoy an entire day together.  We spent the day trying new restaurants, relaxing, and talking.

We enjoyed brunch at a cute bakery called Just Muffin Around.  Mountain Man said they served the best omelet he's ever had (no offense taken since I don't make omelets..) and my french toast was wonderful!  For dinner, we ventured into Fat Squirrel Pub and Grille.  It was a great dinner, and we think they serve one of the most unusual appetizers ever.....fried pickles with a side of ranch dressing.  My Beloved absolutely loved them, and I was so generous by letting him eat my share, too. :)

Mountain Man enjoyed a chair massage at a bookstore while I perused the used book aisles.  Ooh, did I find some goodies.  I believe there are three kinds of people when it comes to cookbooks...those who don't have any use for them, those who use them, and those who use them and read them like books (well, maybe there are those who love to read them and never use them..)  I use them and read them!

Did you notice the Book Lover's Cookbook?  I haven't looked thoroughly through it, yet, but the title alone had me sold on it!  I'll let you know what I think of it.  The other great finds included a lovely hardback Victoria magazine cookbook.  Now, most of the recipes are ones that I won't dare try at this stage in my life, but the pictures and quotes inspire me to make my family want to come to the table.  And since I love to make a variety of breakfasts for my family,  the Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham (think Fanny Farmer cookbook) was a perfect fit.  Mountain Man actually accused me of treating him to a chair massage just so I could go book shopping.  Can you imagine?

We also had a wonderful time just talking.  If you want a great book to spark deeper conversations in your marriage, I highly recommend A Homework Manual for Biblical Living Vol. 2 by Wayne Mack.  For less than $10.00 it provides wonderful questions and forms to help husbands and wives strengthen their marriages.  It's described as useful for solving problems, but I think it's just as great for preventing them, too. 

We ended the day with dessert and coffee and another bookstore. :)  Our deepest thanks, too, to our dear friends for taking such wonderful care of Peep!

And the Winner is......

Congratulations, Catherine P. !  Your gifts will soon be on the way!  Enjoy!

Love,
The Poff Clan

Girl Time, Chocolate Play Dough, and Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Though the rain changed the plans for the Mountain Men a bit (no overnighters...just day events), the ladies of the house still had lots of girl time. We enjoyed "hot cocoa and scones " time, shopping, and watched a movie. We also managed to make some chocolate playdough as well as some yummy apple cinnamon muffins. You can eat the muffins but just play with the playdough!

Chocolate Play Dough
1-1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. salt
1/2 T. cream of tartar
1-1/2 T. oil
1 c. water

~Mix dry ingredients together in medium sized pot. Add oil and water and stir together while cooking over low heat until a ball of dough forms. Remove dough from pot and knead by hand until smooth and evenly colored. Store in airtight container. (can you guess what we'll be making for Little Friends for Christmas?)

Apple Cinnamon Muffins
(not too sweet and full of apple flavor...we used Granny Smith apples)
2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
2 T. butter, melted and cooled
2 T. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. buttermilk
1-1/2 c. diced apples

~Topping
3 T. coarse sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tins with paper cups (we just greased ours). Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and egg. Whisk in melted butter, vegetable oil and vanilla. Working in two or three additions, alternately stir in flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with an addition of flour and mixing only until no streaks of flour remain visible in the batter. Stir in diced apple. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups, filling each to the top, or slightly over. In a small bowl, stir together coarse sugar and additional ground cinnamon. Sprinkle generously over muffins.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until done.
(I combined my ingredients in my mixer instead of whisking, and since I didn't have coarse sugar, I just topped the muffins with regular cinnamon sugar.) Recipe from baking bites.
Enjoy!

Summer in 30 Days: The Movie "Up" and Ice Cream Trough Dessert

The Mountain Men were supposed to head out Thursday for their annual rendezvous. However, God blessed us with so much rain that the mud changed their plans a bit. So, we decided to take advantage of having the entire day together and do another of our summer activities.

We first surprised everyone with a trip to the dollar theater (why do I feel as though I must disinfect myself with Lysol after leaving there?) to see the movie "Up." It was wonderful (at least that is what I'm told...Peep and I spent a bit of time outside the theater people watching).

What's the big deal about going to a movie? Well, to put in perspective how rarely we take our children to the movies, while we were there Boo asked if we were at the zoo. (I'll leave any conclusions about just what that means for you to make for yourselves.) So, anyway, because it's something we hardly ever do, the children thought it was quite the treat.

We ended the day with an Ice Cream Trough Dessert. After seeing this great idea here, I knew the children would love it.

Take a planter box and line it with ice cubes. Then cover the cubes securely with plastic wrap. (sorry...didn't take a picture of that step.)

Fill it with the cake, brownie, etc. of your choice. I used chocolate cake.Top with ice cream.

and some whipped cream and sprinkles. (or whatever toppings you love)

Then, enjoy the smiles, squeals of delight, and words of praise like those from my Boo ..."Mommy, you done a great job!"
This is SUPER easy, but remember, it makes enough for a crowd.:)

Reaches Up Recites Psalm 19