Valentine's Day 2010

This Mama loves to make Valentine's Day a special day at our home.  Whistler helped out this year as she made her first candy molds.  I was so proud of her because, using a toothpick to paint in the details, the task was a tiresome one.  Not one complaint, though, and she did such a beautiful job.

She also made these lovely bookmarks for her friends....

Everyone woke up to a beautiful table and a delicious breakfast...sausage and cheese frittatas, heart-shaped buttermilk biscuits, and strawberry-orange smoothies.

There were special treats waiting on each person's plate.

Floating candles and flower petals made the table quite inviting...

The happy faces were the best gifts of all.

We hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day remembering the amazing love of God and the blessings of family and friends.

Love,

Everyday Pancakes

Here's a yummy recipe for everyday pancakes.  I double the recipe for our clan and have a few left over to freeze and heat in the toaster another time.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

 ~ Martha Stewart Living, January 2001

What She'll Dance and Climb For

Peep danced and climbed for what?

Ahh, yes,her first taste of ice cream....because we'd all dance and climb for it, right?

Grieg's Peer Gynt~Lego Style

We study several composers throughout each school year. Currently we're listening to Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt, which is composed of several very familiar tunes. I'm sure Grieg never would have imagined his compositions being played out by tiny plastic figures!

Enjoy!

Why You Should Always Read the Fine Print (Even When There Isn't Any)

Last week we needed someone to watch Peep while we had appointments in town.  Thankfully, some very trusted friends (hmmmm...) agreed, and we delivered Peep to them knowing she was in such great hands.

After finishing our first appointment, I called to check on Peep and find out if we needed to get her then or if it was okay to finish the rest of our errands.  I was assured by the Matriarch that Peep was just fine, and we could pick her up that evening.

We finished up the rest of our errands and called again to let everyone know we were on the way.

Then, they dropped a bombshell.  It seems there was some fine print we didn't know about when we put dear Peep into their very capable hands.  It seems like a plot had been brewing all along, and we were completely in the dark.

We were informed of the "policy."  This policy that was suddenly in writing and pasted to the front window...the policy that wasn't and then was.

Yes, we definitely exceeded the four-hour policy.  What could we do but show up at their house and beg and plead for the return of dear Peep?

I must say this wasn't your usual kidnapping job...not that I really know what that would be like.  However, I'm assuming it wouldn't involve the kidnappers friends welcoming the victims other friends into their home and even offering a glass of water and some pain medicine. (Yes, I think the news brought on a headache for Mountain Man).

Peep was obviously loved and adored as the three kidnapping dashing knights of the home kept her happily entertained.   The atmosphere was far from that of a dungeon....there were lovely candles burning, smiling faces, and friendly conversation.

I'll skip to the ending because the promises we had to make to get Peep back are simply too painful to recount.   What's important is that we did, and we learned to always, always read the fine print.....even when it doesn't exist.

Love,

Everyday Waffles

Waffles and pancakes aren't just for weekends, you know!  We love making them during the week, but of course, to do that, the recipe has to be very basic.  Here's our basic waffle recipe which freezes well, too.  Just pop them in the toaster, and you have better-than-Eggo waffles.  I'll post our basic pancake recipe later in the week. 

Everyday Waffles

1-3/4 cups flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
2 eggs
1-3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. oil or melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients and add to dry, stirring just until moistened.

Cook on pre-heated waffle until they test done. (Ours has a green light that comes on when the waffles are done.)

Serve with butter and powdered sugar, butter and maple syrup, or all three! :)

~recipe from Crystal Paine
~we double this recipe for our family

Enjoy!

Spurgeon on Reading the Bible

"But what poor reading some of you give to your Bibles. I do not want to say anything which is too severe because it is not strictly true—let your own consciences speak, but still, I make bold to enquire,—Do not many of you read the Bible in a very hurried way—just a little bit, and off you go? Do you not soon forget what you have read, and lose what little effect it seemed to have? How few of you are resolved to get at its soul, its juice, its life, its essence, and to drink in its meaning. Well, if you do not do that, I tell you again your reading is miserable reading, dead reading, unprofitable reading; it is not reading at all, the name would be misapplied. May the blessed Spirit give you repentance touching this thing."

Music Mentor

Little Bit is still the first to grab a hymnal when she sees me sit down at the piano.  She "sings" with all her might and does it so joyfully.  What so many of us take for granted, being able to sing praises to the LORD, Little Bit sincerely delights in, even though she doesn't fully understand exactly what she's doing. 

The other night, we caught her teaching her baby sister what she knows.

Notes from the Reading Chair~A Bibliophile's Nightmare

I finished up Beyond Stateliest Marble by Douglas Wilson over a week ago.....at least I thought I did.

First of all, this is one of my favorite reads thus far this year.  I really enjoyed this book, and it was the one I would choose first over the others in my current pile.  I was fascinated by what I didn't know about the Puritans, and I found Anne Bradstreet to be so interesting that I've added the other biographies mentioned by the author to my wish-list.

The objections to this book in some of the reviews on Amazon were related to Pastor Wilson's commentary woven throughout the text.  He was not looking at the Puritans and Anne Bradstreet through the lens of polictical correctness or feminism.  This frustrated some of the reviewers. 

Pastor Wilson even comments on such error....

"...these politically correct days, we are not only embarrassed by what the Bible teaches, we want to shut down any testimony that comes from those ages when this was not the case.  But history happened the way it did and not some other way.  One of the most irritating characteristics of many modern writers is their inability to keep their currect ideological crusades out of their reading (and rewriting) of history."

"We see a Puritan woman gladly honoring her husband, and we want her to get some therapy for her theological repressions."

After finishing the book and searching the back for the bibliography, I was quite frustrated.  I wanted to know where these great references came from.  I wanted to read these books!

Then, I did what I should have done before I ever started this book.  I read the table of contents only to find that my book was missing the last three chapters as well as the notes and the bibliography!  Horror of horrors.....that's one of the worst crimes a publisher can commit against it's readers.

So, my review is based on most of the book, and I'll be waiting for the UPS man to bring me a complete copy of this treasure. 

But what I can say is this..read this book.  Be inspired by learning something completely new about an often maligned group of the people...the Puritans.  Be inspired by a woman who has been mischaracterized by feminist ideology, but who was such a gracious example of Godly womanhood, delighting foremost in her roles as a wife and mother. 

And most importantly, check your book out before you read and make sure you've got the real thing!

Happy Reading!