Children Outside . . . .

. . . on a beautiful day!



















Good cupcakes, Mom. Thanks! (Chocolate Cherry Cupcake recipe in Our Favorite Recipes)

A nice afternoon spent playing with friends. And did you see the Sun-Bow in the sky? A rainbow ring totally around the sun. Really beautiful!

I have to share a praise: While we were at the park, it dawned on me that husband would be home early this day. Uh-Oh. We didn't totally clean the house before leaving. :-( I really felt like I needed to get home, but the children really wanted to stay and play. So my friend (Thank You, LD!!) agreed to bring the children home when they were through playing. I make it home and less than five minutes later my husband calls and asks if we would like to meet him for dinner out! Thank You LORD ! You see, once husband comes home, he doesn't like to leave it again. So if I had missed that call . . . . . no dinner out!

The children and I all signed a Valentine card for him and put it at his place at the table while he had gotten up. He loved it and we had a wonderful evening.

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

These are super-easy to make and are a delicious surprise! I made these this morning for our Valentine's Treats!

This recipe comes from one of my favorite books when I need something easy, chocolate and crowd pleasing - The Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor.

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350F. You will need to place paper muffin liners into 2 (1 dozen each) muffin tins.

In large bowl, mix with a wooden spoon 1 box of chocolate cake mix (Devil's Food, Milk Chocolate, or Chocolate Fudge), 1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp. pure almond extract. Stir quickly and well to break up the cake mix and thoroughly combine the ingredients. Then stir in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Spoon batter evenly into the 24 prepared muffin liners. Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes - they are done when they spring back when lightly pressed. Cool cupcakes on wire rack. NOTE: you can also use this exact same recipe to make a cake. Grease and flour a tube/Bundt pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes or bake in a 9x13 pan for 30-35 minutes.

The perfect glaze for these is Martha's Chocolate Icing (also in the Cake Mix Doctor book.) In small saucepan, place 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup milk and cook over med-low heat, stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for ONE minute, stirring constantly. (If you don't boil it long enough, it will not set up, if you boil for too long it will turn into a thick fudge-y layer on the cake instead of a melt-in-your-mouth glaze) Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. When chips are melted and glaze is smooth, pour over warm cake or "dip & swirl" the cooled cupcakes.

Because I wanted to pipe the frosting to decorate these just a bit, I used Fluffy Chocolate Frosting. Place 2/3 cup of cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and pour 6 T. of boiling water over it. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the cocoa is together in a soft mass. Add 8 T. butter, at room temperature, and blend with mixer on low speed until well combined. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract to bowl. Mix on low until sugar is incorporated, then increase speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. You may add boiling water or powdered sugar (1 tsp. or 1 T. at a time, respectively) in order to thin or thicken the frosting to your liking.

These really are wonderful all by themselves - and people are surprised when they bite into them and discover - Cherries! This is why it is important to mix batter with a wooden spoon, it leaves larger pieces of the cherries. Using a mixer, the pieces are smaller and not as noticeable in the cupcakes.

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

I Am Resolved

Something my family (except for husband and children :-) may not know about me is that I love hymns. I collect hymnals, picking them up wherever I happen to find them: garage sales, thrift shops or used book stores. I have seven so far. They all have a story.

I got my first one from the church we were attending at the time, when they were updating to newer hymnals. Our oldest son, an Angelman baby who was probably 6 or 7 at the time, got it off the shelf one day, and decided to "read it" - meaning he tore out some of the pages and chewed on the book. I still have it and those torn pages are tucked into the back, a remembrance of days past every time I open it.

A few hymnals I inherited from my Grandma when her things were finally all cleaned out before moving to the full-time assisted living. Among those were hymnals from 1945, 1940 and even one from 1934. (Can you tell that I like old books?)

The oldest one I have so far is a much loved and used copy that I found at the bottom of a box at a yard sale. It is very worn and the end pages have been thumbed through so much that the paper feels almost like velvet. The original cloth cover is barely hanging on by the three large staples that hold the book together, and the title page has fallen out. I am thankful, though, that the previous owner thought to save it and I found it neatly tucked in the center of the hymnal. The date on it is from 1918 and its' original purchase price was 40 cents!



Why do I love hymns? Because music is a powerful medium, able to reach straight to our souls with no need for words. Sadly, so much music today, especially that which is labeled as "Christian," is simply the music of the world repackaged; music that weighs us down and creates disharmony within ourselves, distracts us from higher things, without us even being aware of it. We may be singing words that speak of the LORD and our Savior, Jesus, but the music is speaking a different message to our bodies, and it is the music which leaves the more lasting impression.

Hymns are music, for the most part, where the words and the tune are in perfect harmony, uplifting the mind and the soul. The children and I sing hymns at various times during the day - as a way to quiet things down, to focus on what is true and pure and right, and just as a way to praise our LORD while our hands are busy with chores.

A wonderful resource that I use when we are trying to learn a new hymn is CyberHymnal which lists hymns by Title or by the People who wrote them and plays a Midi of the hymns' tune.

The hymn that I started singing this morning as I was making our treats to take to Park Day was:

I Am Resolved (by Palmer Hartsough and J. H. Fillmore, c. 1924)

I am resolved no longer to linger,
charmed by the world's delight;
Things that are higher,
things that are nobler,
these have allured my sight.

I will hasten to Him,
hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest highest,
I will come to Thee.

I am resolved to go to the Saviour,
leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true one,
He is the just one,
He hath the words of life.

I will hasten to Him,
hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest highest,
I will come to Thee.

I am resolved to follow the Saviour,
faithful and true each day;
Heed what he sayeth,
do what He willeth,
He is the living way.

I will hasten to Him,
hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest highest,
I will come to Thee.

I am resolved to enter the kingdom,
leaving the the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me,
foes may beset me,
still will I enter in.

I will hasten to Him,
hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest highest,
I will come to Thee.

I am resolved, and who will go with me?
Come, friends, without delay,
Taught by the Bible,
led by theSpirit,
we'll walk the heavenly way.

I will hasten to Him,
hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest highest,
I will come to Thee.

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Peanut Butter Muffins - - Yummmmmm

Who wouldn't love to wake up to these?

It was a wonderful morning, I got everything done on my Morning Routine (FLY Lady) including making something yummy for our breakfast. The morning set the tone for the rest of the day and wouldn't you know it, the children got all their schoolwork done, plus chores, a walk and a few little fun extras -- AND we had a good dinner that was cleaned up in time for some great company that came over!! It was a great day! Do you think if I make muffins tomorrow that it will go just as nearly-perfect? (I have to say nearly-perfect because Dear Son 3 always tells me, "No, Mom, nothing is perfect except God.")

Try baking these tomorrow morning and see how your day goes! ;-)

Peanut Butter Muffins

Heat oven to 400F. Get out 1 egg to warm to room temperature. Butter Muffin tin.

In small bowl mix: 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 T. baking powder, 1/2 t. salt

In large bowl: whisk egg until lightly beaten. Whisk in 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, whisking until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. (This is a very important step. It really aerates the batter making very light, melt-in-your-mouth muffins.) Whisk in 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Whisk in 1 1/4 cups milk, 5 T. melted butter, 1 t. vanilla.

With wooden spoon, gently stir in flour mixture, being careful not to overmix. Spoon into buttered muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the tin.

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Birds in the Backyard

We have bird feeders all over the backyard and love watching all of our little sparrows, Black-chinned and White Capped, and our House Finches, American Goldfinches, and Lesser Goldfinches, too! Scrub Jays and Mockingbirds mix things up a bit -- neither of them like to share much. Hummingbirds, especially the little Anna's Hummingbird, are a welcome site feeding on our flowers. (I've never had any success with a hummingibrd feeder but would really love to try again!) There are Mourning Doves that also stop by regularly to add to our enjoyment.



But every now and then a new visitor stops by and stirs things up a bit. The bird above is a Northern Flicker. We don't see him much - he eats bugs and not seed - but he'll show up on the lawn or under the trees about four or five times a year.

I don't have any pictures but last week we had a Yellow-Shafted Northern Flicker. He had a large black patch coming back off his beak, and the children said that when he opened his wings to fly, his underwings were yellow.



These are some of our finches - who have really increased in number since we bought these spiffy feeders!

We still have some of our old 'sock-type' feeders, but they prefer these and only the overflow of birds who don't want to wait their turn will go to the older socks now.

On an average day of feeding, there will be nearly 200 finches in the yard: the new feeders hold 42 and there are always some sitting on top waiting for a perch to open, there are sometimes up to 40 on the ground under the feeders cleaning up what may have been dropped or missed, a dozen or more on the older feeders, and an hundred or so sitting in the nearest tree. It is so relaxing and interesting to sit and watch them -- there is a constant stream from feeders to tree, tree to ground, tree to feeders.

Now the funny thing is that all of these lovely little birds that we feed and enjoy so much are in turn part of a food chain. And that it is an encouragement to see hawks or predatory birds at your feeding site because that means you have a good, regular supply of food!



We've been excited several times now by hawks visiting our yard. We'll be sitting at the table watching the birds (being distracted from schoolwork :-) and WHOOSH!! all of the birds are GONE! It is amazing!

The first time he hung around for a bit, going from the fence on one side of the yard to the other. Another time, there were no birds at all and we looked in the trees to see if they were up there - only to find this fellow sitting about midway up the tree just as calm as can be.

DS2 identified him as a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. As far as we can tell, he wasn't successful, unless he had already eaten his catch and was simply digesting when we noticed him. LOL!



The quiet observers to all of this are our three girls; from the top Dottie, Sammie, and Maya. No longer spring chickens, nor pullets, they are settling into their second year and provide us not only with semi-regular eggs, but a lesson in responsibility and companions for DD.

If you don't "Feed the Birds" a simple search on Google for bird feeding, or birds backyard should give you some information on birds for your area and what kinds of things they like to eat.

I would encourage you to give bird-feeding a try. It has been something that has enriched our family and enhanced our learning for years now -- and when we don't seem to make it out to see the birds, we always know that at least a few of them will come and see us!

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Marbles

Am I losing mine? I don't think so . . . at least I hope I'm not.

However, I've had it up to Here! (note: see me reaching way up in the air while standing on my tippie-toes) with marbles, and Legos, and stray Playmobile pieces, and (insert name of any micro toy here that comes with a million pieces)!

Now mind you, I'm not against marbles. I actually enjoy getting down on the floor and playing a game of marbles with the children, and I love when they get out their Klutz Marbles book and try something new!

What gets me is everytime I sweep or vacuum, or open the door to the bedroom, or {{shudder}} clean under the couch cushions, I find marbles. They are everywhere and they seem to multiply. Really I don't know what's worse, the marbles or the dog hair that insidiously winds it's way into the carpet so that I literally have to bend over in front of the vacuum and pull them out one by one by one! (We have a lovely dark blue floral carpet under our dining table - unfortunately we have two white dogs who love to lay there!)

There are times I want to dump all of the marbles into the garbage can and never see another one again! But, thankfully, the LORD stops me and whispers into my ear about how fleeting time is and how very soon all the marbles will be truly gone and the house quiet. Yes, thank you, Father. You are right.

So, on goes the apron with the pockets to collect those marbles one more time.

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Homemaking Meme

Okay - I'm a bit simple. I had to Google what "meme" meant. I knew what it was just from seeing it around, but I had to know what it really means. In my owns words, it's just a little question/answer fun that gets copied and passed around and answered and passed and so on and so forth.

Great! Now that we're all clear on that, I'll complete this fun little homemaking meme!

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like?
YES! Aprons are wonderful and I wear mine frequently! The one I wear the most (and I need to make a new one because it is showing signs of wear) is a simple button at the back of the neck and tie in back kind with full coverage in front - because I'm a very messy cook, just ask my children!

Baking – Favorite thing to bake
Cakes! Or melt-in-your-mouth biscuits!

Clothesline – Y/N?
No :-( But we have plans for one if husband approves!

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Nope.

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day
Clean the kitchen.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
Yes, a great big chest freezer that we inherited from my mom when she downsized.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Yes.

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Homemaking in the sense of cleaning? Getting out spots and the like? Then it would be my Mom or the internet. Homemaking in the sense of decorating, what colors go with what, making our house a "Home"? Then it would have to be our wonderful public library and again the internet.



Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
I really dread it but husband has to have a clean, pressed shirt everyday and daughter's dresses (and some of mine) just wouldn't be any good without it. It's definitely "don't care for it but love the results."

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
No, I don't have room for one!

Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme
This is only temporary because I have painting on my mind but . . . my kitchen is white with lace cafe curtains at the three large windows which look out into the backyard. Oak cabinets with white and blue floral pulls, cream tile, Pergo floor and chickens on every spare surface, along with some teacups and saucers that I inherited from my Grandmas.

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
When I'm done cleaning the house, no more laundry, everything in it's place.

Mop – Y/N?
No.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
By hand.

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
My oven doesn't have a window - but it wouldn't matter anyway, I'd still have to open the door and see it for my own eyes!

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Anything and everything except for artichoke hearts and anchovies!

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Sit down and read our little local paper, watch the birds or check e-mails.

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
Yes, a Gold Medal antiqu-ey type box, stuffed full.

Style of house – What style is your house?
Small Suburban Modern ;-)

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Yes, but only on special days.

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Semi-organized, but would love to have a few baskets under there just to keep things in their own place!

Vacuum – How many times per week?
With our two little dogs, we HAVE to vacuum at least three times a week, sometimes more.

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Between 7 and 12

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
No, I have a general Routine outline that I go by but I'm not relly the cross it off the list kind of person unless it has to do with schoolwork - but we won't go there.

Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
Yes, the children and I do it all.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Making sure my kitchen is all rinsed off and wiped down and ready for tomorrow.

Now, how about you?

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Our First Scotties!

Introducing . . . . . . . . .



Our first little Scotty Dogs! We went to JoAnn's yesterday and bought some felt with 'visions of grandeur' floating in our heads after seeing all the amazing felt creations on this site.

Most of the time though, reality is our friend and in this case we chose to listen to reality and start simple. The pattern that Jennie B. has on her site couldn't be much easier - especially if you chose to do the 2-piece version which is simply sewing a front and back dog piece together with a bit of fluff inside. (To print the pattern, just click on the Scotty Dog Pattern graphic, which will open a new page that you can print. Be warned, when I printed mine, it cut off the tip of the head gusset, but it was easily hand drawn in when I cut out the pattern for use.)



Daughter did a wonderful job on her brown Scotty and so did Dear Son 3 on his cream Scotty. Since this was the first time sewing for both of them, they deserve much praise not only for their terrific little dogs, but for perservering through the little difficulties as well, such as tangled floss, knots on the wrong side, losing a needle, losing a head gusset and needing a new one, and Mom getting just a bit impatient and doing her best to NOT (lose her head).





My little Lilac Scotty went together fairly well, although I can certainly tell that I haven't done real hand-sewing for some time. In this instance, mending, sewing on buttons and stitching down facings as I make Daughter's dresses just doesn't count! As you can see below, this poor little guy is slightly askew - not tall and straight like Jennie B's!



I guess I'll either have to keep trying or switch to something with simple straight seams!

If you make a Scotty to add to your family, please share him/her with us! If you send me a photo I'll put it up for all to see and "Oooohh" over. ;-)

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

After the Rain

We've had rain for the past few days.



It's nice to keep busy inside with reading and sewing projects. And Dear Daughter LOVES the rain. She gathers her coat and umbrella along with her big brothers' boots and just walks and splashes and plays outside until I make her come in. It's a really sweet picture, the kind you want to remember. And fortunately for her, our backyard has a low spot. A heavy or consistent rain will create a puddle that lasts for days. It's a little piece of heaven for her. ;-)



But it's also wonderful to see the sun shining again. The sky is sooooooo blue today and the clouds so beautifully white and frothy. You can't help but smile when you look up at it.

Now I just need the self-discipline to finish those projects that were started while it was raining . . . .

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)

Remembering . . . .

Every once in a while we need to stop and just take a few moments to remember the past, the changes we've gone through, the places we've been, the trials and joys we faced. I think it really helps me appreciate where I am now in my life so much more.

Well, today was just such a day for DearSon2. I could hear it in his voice and see it in his face - he needed a time to remember. So after dinner was cleaned up, we got out the old home movies and watched each child's special tape. Oh, to see those precious faces so little and hear those sweet voices again. First birthdays, playing in the tub, singing songs, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a walking, talking grandma holding and caring for them who is now largely confined to her chair and limited to the simplest of answers because of Alzheimers. To see them running on beaches, collecting feathers, jumping on beds, riding a bike for the first time. And all of the laughter as we watch and remember. It feeds the soul to remember those times of being together and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were . . . and are . . . loved.

Even more important is taking the time to remember the LORD's faithfulness in our lives.

Paul says in Philippians that he is "forgetting what is behind" in order to press on toward the mark to win the prize of Christ Jesus. And how true that is - how many things do I need to forget? My many personal failings over the years, the unkind word of a loved one spoken in haste, the unkind tone that I used in haste, the selfishness, the lack of concern for a dear one, and so much more. All of this hinders me from reaching forth, from going forward. It keeps me stuck where I am with no real hope of ever changing the things that are.



How vital it is, though, to remember. Remember the word of life planted within me. Remember how the LORD's chastisement, mixed with patience and grace, have caused me to grow in so many ways. Remember the seas he has helped me to cross when my eyes could see no possible way across or around. Remember the faithful sisters-in-Christ that he has placed in my path, either in person, through a book or over the internet, that have opened my eyes to areas that the LORD would desire me to grow in, and fruits that need a little more fertilizer in my life in order that the harvest may be more abundant.

In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible the Israelites were continually commanded to remember. Remember the LORD's faithfulness. Remember the LORD's mercy. Build an altar here and set a stone there in order that they would remember. And most importantly, they must remember to tell their children so that the generations to come would remember the faithfulness and mighty deeds of the LORD their God. Yes, we must remember.

"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth." 1 Chronicles 16: 8-12

So after the movies were all watched the children were all given a kiss and an hug that lasted just a little bit longer than usual and was maybe a little bit tighter than usual. The "Good Nights" and "I Love You's" had just a little more meaning, too. But the sweetest part of all was DS2 poking his head around the corner with the light back in his eyes as he said, "Thank you, Mom."

(Originally published @ henandchicks.typepad.com)