Last year about this time...

I was scrounging around Whole Foods and Earth Fare and any other likely place for this:

I didn't find it until today, at World Market.

So, Alysa, in memory of you, I drank Bundaburg.

It's just like Red Rock, but not as hot... lol...

Miss you, my dear friend.

Posted via web from marielenora's posterous

Homeward Bound...

Growing up ten minutes from the curvy roads of the SC mountains (yeah, you peeps in the northwest, go ahead and laugh) makes me a mountain girl at heart. I simply love them. So my family, in conjunction with all our loves for the mountains, go to the Smokies every year. We camp in Cades Cove, hike around, bike the loop, cook on a camp stove and by the camp fire (breakfast tastes a hundred times better outdoors), and generally have a good time. Well, a mostly good time. Sharon's right--we planned too much this year. You can see her assessment here.

So, here's my assessment:

What Worked:

• Having the whole family around. In the past, Will and Beth and the boys couldn't join us... it was great to have them along!
  
• Campsite cooking. I love cooking outside, and this year, as normal, it was tons of fun. (Of course, with a sturdy cook box, two coolers, and a decent camp stove, it's like having your own personal outdoor kitchen... )
  
• Borrowing a bike rack from a friend--and getting Daddy to adjust my gear shift, and my seat back. I now love my bike even more... lol...
  

• The bike rack was also great, since Daddy's ancient bike ended up breaking, and his homemade bike rack couldn't hold any more than three bikes at a time
  .
  
• Visiting the Little Pigeon River... so the babies could play in the shallows, and we could meet up with Ben, who'd gone fishing. He caught some beautiful rainbow trout, and he cooked them over the fire. Will was amazed at their fresh flavor. Beth was umm... amazed...by watching someone gut fish for her first time... lol!
  
  
  
  
  
  --Becca and myself with the munchkins...
  
  
  
  
• Stopping by the un-highest point in the Smokies... ! I'd always thought the overlook right off of the road was Clingman's Dome. Apparently, I've actually never been to it, since Becca noticed the sign that said "Clingman's Dome-7 miles" right after the overlook. I'll remedy that next year, though.
  
  --Becca and I pretending to hike the Appalachian Trail...
  
  
  
  
• Going to the Aquarium of the Smokies wasn't my first choice of activities. I'd been there before, and, well, that was our worst day last year. But this year, after biking the loop that morning, it was a nice reprieve. And I got some priceless pictures...
  
  
  
  
  Renee entranced.... ...and Renee as a psycedelic fairy princess...
  
  
  
• The alternate route to the Smokies, avoiding Gatlinburg. The only problem was when we happened upon a driver. from. a. flat. state. with. no. curvy. roads.
  
  
• The cool coffee house in Cherokee. I've always thought of Cherokee as a pretty red-neck tourist spot, but this place had great coffee, just when Becca and I needed it...
  
  
  

It also had a drum circle in the back, which Becca and I didn't need...lol...I guess that's where the culture comes in.

What didn't work:

• Small creatures in the middle of the night. Ditto with jokes in the middle of the night. (I'm not sure I can do anything about Daddy's snoring...) I guess I'm a light sleeper... and it takes a night for my Thermarest to fully unwind and "cush".
  
  
• Planning too much. We felt rushed.
  
  
• I'm not quite as passionate on this topic as Sharon is, but long hikes with babies are a hard thing to do. Especially if he's an EC baby--and, well... anyway...
  
  
• Not enough pictures... lol... my camera was not attached to my wrist the whole time. A lot of my pictures, I wouldn't have had without Daddy taking over the camera. I've not looked at what's on his camera yet...
  
  **edit--now I have, and they're on my picasa**
  

So, there you have it! Next year should be even better.

--Some, but not all, pictures, are on my Picasa site... and Sharon has more on hers.

Annual June Meetings...

My church's annual June Meetings are just around the corner, June 20-24.

Go to the ToTL website to see the details.


Come with great expectation. For if you don't expect anything, you won't receive anything.
You'll just receive as you expect.
--Bro. Branham

God Bless!

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If you've ever wanted to learn how to cook...

Here is a great article, just for you.

I really like NPR's kitchen window, but because it doesn't play on my NPR station--as far as I know--I read the blog instead.

I couldn't help but laugh at her description of Joy of Cooking. I looove that cookbook, and if you've ever looked at my copy, you can tell it's been cooked out of.
It. is. not. new.

Whether you're a seasoned cook, or a newbie, the article's a great reminder of all things simple and good in cooking.

Summer is here...

Which means I'm getting Sleep!

And cleaning out!

And organizing!

--and generally all that fun stuff that I never seemed to have time to do during school.

--Finishing my mother's day present:



Mama picked out the upholstery to reupholster these chairs that she'd already repainted. She's an amazing woman... she helped me reupholster them, even though it was my present to her. My dad's staple gun is one tough cookie.

And enjoying the front porch:



(This one's for you, Sharon--so you can see what it looks like.)

And, as promised, the gardenias are blooming:

---

We had a wonderful service last night. My pastor was out of town, so we listened to the tape The Unity of One God in the One Church. It was heaven-sent manna:

THE.UNITY.OF.ONE.GOD.IN.THE.ONE.CHURCH_ JEFF.IN V-16 N-8 SUNDAY_ 58-1221E

112 Did you ever notice wheat growing? If you see wheat stand up and just shaking itself like that, remember, there's no head in it. It's empty. A full head always bows. And a man that's full, and filled with God's goodness and His mercy, He bows his head in humility. "He that will humble himself, God will exalt. He that exalts himself, shall be made abased."

Friends, it's time that men and women woke up to the facts, that we want to be one. Jesus prayed that we might be one, just as God and Him were One. And God was in Him. And we are One with Christ if we let Christ come in. But it's the only way we can do, is to let Him take the control room in our heart, then we become One.

...

THE.UNITY.OF.ONE.GOD.IN.THE.ONE.CHURCH_ JEFF.IN V-16 N-8 SUNDAY_ 58-1221E

83 You are filled with something. You might be filled with doubt. Your poor hearts may be running over with doubt. I hope not. Your hearts may be full of frets and worry. And it might be that your hearts are full of trouble. And it might be that you're full of religion, intellectual, fine perfumed theology, belonging to the great churches that's been in existence for years, setting back just as confidence as you can be. Brother, let me say to you; you might bring members to that church until you get old and die, and you'll never do nothing but build another tower to Babel. Certainly.

You can be full of foolishness; you can be full of nonsense; you can be full of anything; but you can't stay empty. The Bible says you can't.

...

THE.UNITY.OF.ONE.GOD.IN.THE.ONE.CHURCH_ JEFF.IN V-16 N-8 SUNDAY_ 58-1221E

95 There's what God wants you filled with. He wants you filled with the Holy Ghost, and then you'll be united, what to? A church? No, sir. You'll be united, what to? A creed? No, sir. You'll be united to God. And you and Him will be one, as He and the Father is One. And God's Holy Spirit will live in you. And the same works that the Holy Spirit performed when It was here in the Christ, Jesus, shall be performed in you, for He said He'd do it. Then we are one. Jesus prayed for that.

...

THE.UNITY.OF.ONE.GOD.IN.THE.ONE.CHURCH_ JEFF.IN V-16 N-8 SUNDAY_ 58-1221E

142 And that's right, friends. Riches is not measured out by dollars. Riches is not measured out by big names and popularity. Riches is when the Kingdom of God has come into the human heart, changed his emotions, and made him a new creature in Christ Jesus, and give him Eternal Life. That's the richest thing on earth. Let us pray.

And while our heads is bowed. Are you poor tonight in this world's goods? You don't even know how you're going to pay the coal bill or the oil bill, or whatevermore? You may be that way; I hope you're not. But if it's so that you are that way, you can leave this building tonight the happiest poor man there is on the earth. You can live here with--leave here tonight with riches that no money could ever buy. You can unite your heart with Christ Jesus, and He can come into your soul and take the control room. And no matter what comes or goes, you'll be happy the rest of your days...

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Untitled

The sun is streaming through the window in the kitchen as I write this post. It seems like the promise of summer. A summer that starts in two short days. Tomorrow, students will stream out of school, released for 2 1/2 months, driving their parents crazy, rather than their teachers.

And then, it's back to the drawing board again.

This time of year is always a bit hard. Not from the perspective that school's ending, but that my mistakes of the year seem to stand in black-and-white relief. And, while I resolve to do better, be better next year, I also realize my humanity--and how that in itself inhibits me from doing and being all I wish.

I signed my contract with some trepidation this year. I prayed over it; agonized over it. And at one point, declared I wasn't coming back to teaching. (Of course, that was while I was taking two graduate-level courses and was extremely stressed out.) But the problem with changing jobs is that you have to figure out your next step--what you're going to do. And that sort of next step is not easy for me. So I signed my contract for next year in faith that the Lord would lead me out, if I needed an out. And I'm trusting that He'll lead me through.

But for now, my mother's roses are in bloom. And then the gardenias will soon perfume the air. And I've got the summer to look forward to. And a God to serve and praise.

And He leads me beside still waters--somewhere in the valley below

And He draws me aside to be tested and tried; in the valley He restoreth my soul

I'm late for my update...

Heheh-- a little more than late. These past weeks have been really busy.

According to my Google countdown, SC schools have 16 days 'til PACT.

And according to my other Google countdown, I have 33 days 'til the end of school.

And I'm really looking forward to the summer.

And I'm praying for my students to do well on PACT.

I'm scared for them, as ususal.

---

But-- to update on everything else going on--

Those of you that I saw or met or met up with in Jeffersonville this Easter...
It was great seeing you and meeting you!

(More pictures of that trip-- or rather, I should say, the few I took-- are on my picasa site.)

It was a great trip, and the Services were wonderful.
My only regret was having to come back and teach on the Monday after Easter Sunday.
That was rough.

Today, I made a forray into baking Soaked Wheat Bread.
Maybe it was just me, but.
I. was. not. impressed.
I'm sure it didn't help I'd forgot the salt, and didn't see the fact that I could use olive oil instead of coconut oil (blech in bread) until too late. I had a bumbly morning in the kitchen. But... Sharon, remember what I said about something healthy having to taste good for me to do it? But I'll give it another try--with the salt and the olive oil, of course--Lol!

I'm slightly ashamed to admit this one, but I am becoming crunchy.

I have made my forays into GOOT.
I would have missed a day--if not more--of school without it.
So-- I guess that proves that if you're willing to stink, you can survive despite the terrible sinus infection that's trying to plague your life out.



And that's why I need to bid you all farewell.
I need to go to sleep!

God Bless!

Saturday Mornings...

...are some of my favorite times of the week. This is why:

1. I get to cook.

This recipe is from NPR's Kitchen Window, and I tried it as originally written--almost . It's very good, but I think I'm gonna tweak it a bit, and if it turns out, I'll post my changes.

2. Who could resist this child--even if you'd planned to sleep late and her sweet voice wakes you up at 7 AM?

3. Grandaddy knows how to entertain. Especially sweet Lucases.

4. Mama and baby. Sweetness.

5. It's becoming Spring in the South, and my mother's daffodils are here:

6. And the sweet baby with elephant hair finally has cut his first tooth!

(You can see a picture of it on my picasa site... as well as more photos...)

Happy weekend!

THIS is for eating... the other is for PASTE...

Go Mark Bittman!

Today, I must share with you my highly controversial views on bread...

By directing you to the NYT food page.

Please, PLEASE--do not fail to take a look at the video. It's priceless.

(grin)

I will leave with you a parting shot quote, which we heard about a month ago at a tape service at my church:

WITHOUT.MONEY.OR.WITHOUT.PRICE_ JEFF.IN V-16 N-4 SUNDAY_ 59-0802
96 Notice, every night they didn't have to wonder about bread. Their bread was brought to them every night, freshly.
We go today to get a loaf of bread. If you're a beggar, and you walk over here to the store, and say, "I wanted to desire a loaf of bread."
He would say, "Show me, first, your quarter. I must have twenty-five cents for this loaf of bread."
And what have you got when you get it? Just a little off of cater, but you've got the lowest that the wheat can produce. They take all the--the vitamin out of it, all the bran, and give it to the hog. Mix up a bunch of paste that holds the bran together, and sifts it out, and makes a loaf of bread, made up with dirty filthy hands, many times. You see what you find in your bread, sometime: lumps of hairs, and immoral things, and rat pieces, and everything else that falls into those bakeries. Sinful people, with venereal diseases and everything mixing into it. If you'd see it made up, you wouldn't even eat it. And yet you pay your twenty-five cents or you don't get it.

So, if you were looking for a reason to jump on the bandwagon and start baking your own bread... here's a good one!

Sharon also commented on this quote, which you can find here...

God Bless!

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Signs of a Promise

I was working late last Tuesday, doing things that needed to get done. A storm had begun that afternoon, and started to dissipate at about six. As I was working, one of the custodians stopped by my room, and asked if I'd seen the rainbow. I hadn't, and as I looked outside my window, the promise that God gave Noah was shining in the sunset. At the time, the rainbow was so strong that it was a complete bow, with the afterglow of another one behind it. As I ran out to my car to grab my camera the rainbow had already started to disappear, so my pictures of it aren't nearly as good as what I first saw. But I thought I'd share anyway:

I.KNOW_ JEFF.IN EASTER.MESSAGE.BOOK SUNDAY_ 60-0417S
43 And why does God let troubles come? God harnesses trouble, puts bits in its mouth, and makes it obey Him, and those troubles bring us into a closer fellowship with God.
There had been no rainbow until the flood came. But after Noah was pressed into that condition that he was in, to float forty days and nights in a storm and the little ark pitching up and down in the water, it was after the flood was over that he saw the rainbow for its first time, the covenant of hope, the covenant of promise. After he'd went through the tribulation, then he saw the promise.
That's the way you see the promise, after you've gone through the tribulation. I've liked that poem, or psalm:
Must I be carried home to Heaven on a flowerly bed of ease,
While others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?
We ask for comfort and peace; God gives us the best He could give us: trials and tribulations. That's better than comfort and peace. Our comforts is just beyond the river.

I.KNOW_ JEFF.IN EASTER.MESSAGE.BOOK SUNDAY_ 60-0417S
47 It wasn't until the Hebrew children was forced into the fiery furnace, on one of their most outstanding trials, that they seen One like the Son of God stand among them. Their troubles produced the Son of God standing among them in the breezes to wave away the heat wave. But not until they went into the fire did that Comforter appear.
It was Daniel who had purposed in his heart that he'd not defile himself with the things of the world, and was forced through a trial, whether he'd pray to God or go to a lions' den. But it was after the heat was put on, and he was throwed into a lions' den, that after that, he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the midst of him, keeping away, that great Pillar of Fire standing between him and the lions. And the lions could not get him, because he'd went through the trials and temptations and troubles. He knew that his God was able to deliver him from that.

I.KNOW_ JEFF.IN EASTER.MESSAGE.BOOK SUNDAY_ 60-0417S
49 It was Abraham, after he'd seen the ground get barren, and the drought come, and Lot separate himself and go down to live deliciously into the world; it was after he had heard the whines and cries of--of his herdsmen, with no grass for his cattle, but he maintained in the land that God gave him and told him to sojourn in. And as on that day, after he'd been tried till his--his patience was at the end; it was on that day that when after the trial was over, he spoke face to face with Elohim under the oak that day. It was after he'd suffered his trials, after he'd went through the troubles that he'd been through, that God appeared to him in the form of a Man, and set there and told him he was married and his wife's name was Sarah, and said she laughed at Him in the tent behind. It was there that Abraham called Him Elohim. It was after the trial and tribulation.

I.KNOW_ JEFF.IN EASTER.MESSAGE.BOOK SUNDAY_ 60-0417S
50 Oh, if the Church could only wake to Itself today, to find that after the troubles, and trials, and laughs, and made fun of, the things the church has been through, the Pentecostal church, that we see God in our midst, doing great signs and wonders.
After the toils and troubles of day,
After it's all passed,
Then we shall see Jesus at last.
He will be waiting for me,
Jesus so fair and true,
On His beautiful throne,
He will welcome us Home
After the day is through. (While it's day, let us labor.)

God Bless.

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Happy Birthday to you....

Alysa!
February 5
Age: 23

Yup-- I know. It's not February 5, 2006--American Time.

But it is, Aussie time.

So, party on!

Happy Birthday to one faith-filled, faithful friend.

God Bless You!

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Thank you, Lord, for the Snow...

I'm so glad God knows our limits, and can take care of us when we can't take care of ourselves.

Today, this is what I woke up to:

Good 'ole Southern snow. Which will make all lot of you northerners (if you read this) laugh. I know. But unlike you guys that start to hate snow by February, since February and March are just about the only times we get it, we love it. And the hot chocolate and sweet-attack brigade officially begins. (Except that it had already unofficially started at my house. Or never stopped. I noticed today that the Ghirardelli Sweet Chocolate can was almost half-gone. We have chocolate mommy-mice in my family.)

The snow's no longer on the roads, but it's still on the ground, and it now consists of an icy slush that will freeze over and make my cat miserable. (Whew! What a sentence!) The word thus far is a 2-hour delay for tomorrow. But I'm so thankful for my mid-week day off. I needed it.

God Bless y'all.

He's my Lord,
There is no other one
Who can calm the storms of life like my Lord:
He'll give rest to the weary; give new life to the hopeless,
There's no doubt about it; He's my Lord.

Thank You, Sharon!

Well, and Monica (who just had twins!), and her sister, Irina!

I tried my hand at pizza tonight, and this was the result:

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I differed from the original recipe just a smidge:

• Ahem. The original recipe forgot to mention that you need to mix the reserved flour, flax, and yeast together, and then pour the liquid over that. Then you use the remaining flour to make the dough. (I pretty much used all the flour--it was the perfect amount!
  
  
• Instead of baking it as originally stated, I put the baking stone in the oven, and then preheated it to convection 475, and cooked it for 7-8 minutes. (I think I might experiment with convection 500 next time, if the oven will do it. I'm really not sure how hot this oven will get...)

I've been terribly busy lately. It's a combination of going through ADEPT, taking two classes (yes, I am crazy), and all the other stuff that regularly consumes my life. But God is good--all the time.

God Bless y'all!

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For the Fam...

This is how Momma and Daddy's anniversary present looks:

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Happy New Year, All!

Though I like Bro. Branham's way of saying it better...

THE.CONTEST_ JEFF.IN V-10 N-7 MONDAY_ 62-1231

64 And now, beginning the new year, I want to say, not "Happy New Year" to you; I want to say this to you, "God bless you." And if He does that, that's all you'll have need of for the coming year. And I trust that He will.

And I'm by His grace, we're going to try this next year, if He shall spare me, spare you, by His grace I hope I am a better pastor next year than I have been this year, hope I be a better servant to Christ. I'll try hard to try to live closer, more truer to bring the Message just as He gives me; I shall bring It to you the best that I can, withhold nothing that He would want me to give you. I'll do all that I know how. And I know you feel the same way. You--you feel like that we all want to work together now, for the evening Lights are certainly getting dim, and the sun's far setting. The earth's cooling off; we know that. Spiritually speaking, the church is cooling off and the revival is over. We don't know what comes next, but we will trust God for that, whatever it is...

Elaine Beth...

She sits in the drizzling rain, knee-high in mud.
Oldest clothes on, stocking cap

and large straw hat both crowning her head.

Wet and dirty,

Tired but content.
She gardens, and time stands still.
Surrounding humanity moves on, racing.

Calling out from the porch,
She turns at the sound of my voice.

Caught under the spell of her world,
Her own personal Eden.

The glory shines around her.

Mountain Girls for the Seashore

I'm a mountain girl at heart. I've grown up near them, and love their steadyness and continuity. But there comes a time when the seashore calls your heart--a little. And it seems that, so far, it's only called me to one spot in particular: Cumberland Island. It's a bit of Eden on the Atlantic with coastal forest combined with the seashore.


Becca and I have tried to make it a tradition to go there every year around Christmas break, and this year, for the first time, we'll be camping with just us two. The plan is to camp for two days, then go back to civilization for a bit before heading home. the only thing I'm really gonna miss is Ben and Sharon... the last time we were there camping, they were there too. But, then, that was the trip of the imfamous boat troubles--and the late afternoon kayak sprees--(grin). And that hardly compares to the first year, with our tent-pole troubles, and Sharon's and my rolling luggage. The lady-Ranger loved us, though. I think she thought we were plucky. And I have to say, we were.

We'll leave the mountains for the rest of the year.

Christmas is for the coast.

Pic's are up...

From almost a year ago.

That's the reason I needed a digital camera... eek.

But here's some hilights:

First: the entry about the trip.

Now: Some pictures:

The island has it all. From beach, to forest.





...and marsh, of course.



Fence into Dungeness...

I love this pic of Becca on the beach.



..The obligatory foot picture.
From when I fogot my tennis shoes, and Becca and I were both Dansko-shod.


I can't believe it's almost time to go again.

This time, I think we're gonna camp, and then go stay at a Bed and Breakfast.
And we'll probably drive half the night, too.

And no, we're not gonna foget the tent poles.

Or bring rolling luggage.

Becca has her pack--and I'll find--something.




God Bless!

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AppleWine Pork Chops...

I'm not sure I can really claim this as my recipe-- because it's a pretty familiar theme.
But, seeing as Daddy liked it last night, I figured it was post-worthy....

For 3 People:

4 pork chops
Salt and pepper
Montreal Chicken Seasoning, by McCormick
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 Apples
1 onion
again, salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. apple juice/cider

Heat 2 pans: one, a saute pan; the other, a heavy-bottomed frying pan (preferably cast iron.. )
Place 1 T. oil in the saute pan, and 1 1/2 T. in the frying/cast iron pan.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and Montreal seasonings on pork chops and rub in the mixture.
Cut apples and onions into thin slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Montreal seasoning, drop into the saute pan, and begin sauteing.
Meanwhile, check to see if frying pan is searing temperature (a splash of water should evaporate in 2 seconds). When the pan is ready, place pork chops in pan, leaving, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes. Then, turn to the other side, and do the same. Pork chops will not be fully cooked.
Once finished searing chops, remove them from pan, keeping the temperature high. Pour the wine into the pan, and scape the bottom of the pan to "deglaze" it. Place chops back into the pan, along with the apple-onion mixture.
Cook, covered for 5-10 minutes, until wine is almost fully evaporated. Then, pour apple cider over chops, and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes, homemade bread--whatever...

Lol!

God Bless y'all...

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As Promised...

Saturday, I started out with just a coupla goals:

• Open my wheat grinder (That I had for a week, and still not been able to play with...)
• Learn how to use it (Pretty easy if you know what you're doing...)
• Bake bread (Also not too hard, provided you know what you're doing...)
  

First--opening the box and reading the instructions.
Then, time to clean the grinder... which basically meant using it for the first time.
I put the wheat in the hopper:

Turned it on...

And flour went everywhere.



Hmmm.... They'd forgot to mention to make sure the bottom basket was shoved in all the way!
(Or else, I was skimming it too quickly...lol... also a possibility...)

After I cleaned up the mess... It was time for coffee.



And time to make more flour, to make bread.




Now, Bread has 4 essential ingredients: Flour, salt, yeast, and liquid. That's really all you need.
This recipe had more than that, but that's not too important...

So, I'm mixing away, talking to Heather on the phone, having a great time with Mama's 6-quart Professional KitchenAid mixer, and the bread's looking good. Really good.



As you can see, the dough hook's doing its job, and I hardly had to get my hands messy,
with the mixer doing all the work!

And then, I noticed something laying on the counter. The packet of yeast.
(Sigh) So much for not getting into it...



I mixed the yeast with a bit of warm water and honey, poured in the flour to make a sponge, and then hand- kneaded the two doughs together. So-- now you know what to do if this happens to you! --Lol...

A couple of hours later, this is what it looked like:



Shaped:




And ready for the second rising. Except one problem: I had to go to the "Family Fall Birthday" party at my aunt's house. 1 1/2 hours away. And I knew it was gonna be late when I got back.

But, thankfully, I really like to read cookbooks, and I remembered from somewhere:
If you stick bread in the fridge during a rise, it won't kill the yeast, but it will slow it down...

Good news.

So, after I got back at 1 AM, (and Sharon, who'd gotten home an hour earlier than me, had pulled the loaves out of the fridge, ) I stuck them in the oven on the "proof" setting for a little longer:



And then. Time to slash the tops. Which seriously reminds me of popping a balloon:



For obvious reasons. Poor bread.

Thankfully, the oven does wonders:



And the slashing pretty much did it's job.

The final result:

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