Out of Practice

I have realized I am out of practice on giving thanks.

How sad is that?!? 

Here's a new start to an old discipline.

155. 24 of the last 28 days it's rained. Today is almost sunny.

156. Our son, on a mission trip to Denver CO.

157. BBQs with refugees

158. Cold glasses of lemonade while waiting for a bus

159. Helping a church move

160. Soccer with homeless kids

161. Praying on the street

162. Practical expressions of the love of Jesus.

163. He comes home TODAY! I might even hug him, if I can take him by surprise...

164. Old friendships that pick right up where they left off,

165. multiplied with kids,

166. laughs old and new

167. parting with hugs.

168. This girl who sings, "What a mighty, mighty Savior You are!" from the heart,

169. With dancing!

170. Seeing God in nature.

171. That God made it for us.

A.MA.ZING!

Pasta Pancakes

Someone just gave me this recipe and I thought they were good, but could totally be improved with some creativity. It's dressed up spaghetti, which makes it really affordable.

Here's the basic recipe:

Pasta Pancakes
1 box angel hair pasta
1 C diced ham
3 eggs
1/3 C milk
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, + more for garnish if desired
Fresh ground pepper
1+ C. tomato sauce.spaghetti sauce - your choice
4+ tsp oil, divided

1) Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

2) In large bowl, beat eggs & milk. Add everything else, except the oil, and toss together.

3) Heat 1 tsp. oil in 6 inch fry pan. Add about 1 C. of the pasta mixture to the pan kind of pressing down to make a pancake shape. (toss again each time before putting noodles in pan to ensure they are well coated)

4) Cook on each side about 3 minutes until lightly brown and firming up - they should be 'flip-able'.

5) Repeat until all pasta is cooked. Keep cooked pancakes in oven on warm until you are ready to serve them.

6) While you cook the pancakes, heat the tomato sauce. Pour over pancakes, sprinkle with cheese, and serve!

These were pretty good, but I think next time I'll make them with a more exotic cheese and add some veggies like sauteed onions,  mushrooms, spinach and maybe pepperoni instead of ham. I think you could add just about anything that you like. Oh, and whole wheat pasta or maybe soba... You could even make these to order if you have picky eaters, raid your fridge and see what you can come up with. Let me know if you try them!

vkcj

The conversation at our house last night:

Grace: Look Mom! I spelled vakudja!
Me: What?
G: Va-kud-ja. You know, vakudja.
Me: What does that even mean?
G: I don't know, but I spelled it right there. Look!

I think she's ready for kindergarten!

And a note to parents, to teach your child to navigate on the computer, open up the 'Paint' program in Microsoft (if that's the platform you use), and let your child go to town creating. You can also load a picture there and let them color over it. Fun!

They'll be learning without realizing it! 

Dancing Queen

Grace had her first dance recital last Friday. Following are some of the 100+ photos from the day.

("Look at how cute my kid is!" Alert!)

Hair done - check!

(She hated it and cried in the car,

was OK when we got to the auditorium,

and then wanted it washed out as soon as we got home.)

Waiting for the recital to start.

(iPhones are lifesavers.)

All the pretty girls back stage.

 

 Big finale...

Yeah!

"Was that it?"

Finally, relaxing at home.

What a long, emotional, fun day!

Synchronization

 I saw this on 'OMG Facts' and am intrigued.

If you walk and talk with someone, eventually you will synchronize your steps with each other.

Interpersonal synchronization of stepping happens when people walk side-by-side. Little is known about this, but it has practical uses in therapy. In 2009, this phenomenon was the subject of a study to help impaired people in rehabilitation. Subjects were paired together to walk on treadmills side-by-side. The result? People started walking faster to keep up with their partners.

So I googled it. You know not everything on the internet is true, right? But it's definitely true if you verify it from another source, so always do that, OK? And 'Science Direct' (doesn't that sound official?) says there is 'preliminary empirical evidence for uninstructed, or spontaneous, synchronization between walking partners'. So it's true!

And I can't help but think about this with my 'spiritual eyes' and I wonder, if I walk with Jesus and talk with Him, won't I start to walk like Him? Jesus said He could only do what the Father was doing, and then He said to follow Him - He wants us to be instep with what He's doing!

New personal goal: work toward synchronization in this walk with Jesus.

Those Caramels...

I found a bag of 'Those caramels in the red plaid box that can only be found in Canada' that I wrote about here at a country store in Mahtowa MN. So good, and individually wrapped so I don't need a pocket knife like Grampa did. I bought them for me, had two, and last night had to hide the last three because evidently, everyone else in the house likes them. too.

Sorry for the blurry photo. They say toffee, but also caramels on the little pictures of the candies and the sticker says 'Imported exclusively from Canada' or something like that. If you see them, buy them, they are delicious-o! I was so happy to find these.

Brandy Slush Season

I remember being served these while I played in the kiddie pool at my great aunt & uncles house in the 70s. I was 5 or 6? It was the seventies, I probably slept on my tummy through my whole infancy, I never wore a seat belt or sat in a car seat, I spent many nights sitting on a bar stool at the American Legion where my mom tended bar a couple nights a week, and I drank brandy slushes in the summer. Not saying that I'm advocating for any of that, just sayin'. Now Micheal and I make them a few times a year when it gets hot out. They are a great hot weather drink. I thought I'd share the recipe. Please note you should make this at least 24 hours before you want to serve it to ensure it is frozen.

Brandy Slush

4 tea bags
2 C sugar
1 lg. can frozen orange juice, thawed
1 lg. can frozen lemonade, thawed
2 C brandy
Club soda or tonic water, chilled (we like club soda best)

1) In large pot, boil 7 C water. Add sugar and simmer for 2 minutes until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2) To a separate pot, boil 2 C water, remove from heat and add 4 tea bags. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, squeeze out tea bags.

 3) When the above mixtures are cooled, add all liquids (EXCEPT club soda) to an ice cream bucket that has a tight sealing lid and mix well. Place in freezer and stir mixture about halfway through freezing time (8-12 hours). The brandy will keep the mixture from freezing solid.

4) Stir again before serving. Fill about 1/2+ of your cup with the slush mixture and the rest with club soda. Stir.

5) And enjoy! They are delicious! (Keeps indefinitely in your freezer, just don't run out of club soda!)