We won't forgot that night. The story begins when my aunt and uncle invited us to their farm for a campout. Uncle Norman's farm had a shady pasture with a flat, secluded spot to set up tents. My parents, my younger brother, and I, plus my aunt and uncle and three of their children would all sleep out together. I was thirteen and very excited about camping. What wasn't quite as exciting was realizing that Uncle Norman kept his cows in the same pasture we would be sleeping in. "It … [Read more...] about Camping with the Cows
Family
Christmas Cherry Bells
Yes, I know October is a little early for Christmas cookies. But these Christmas Cherry Bells freeze super well, and Mom and I thought we'd get a head start on the holiday baking tonight. So I took some pictures of the process, and I'll share the recipe here. Christmas Cherry Bells are delicious cookies, although not cheap, thanks to the chopped pecans. So they truly are a "Christmas time only" food at our house. You don't need any special cookie cutters for this recipe. A round biscuit … [Read more...] about Christmas Cherry Bells
The Plays at Penn Johns School
When the night of the school program came and the red gingham curtains parted, our classroom was a theater filled with wit, drama, and far more comedy than we intended. Last week I went with my sister to watch my niece play a bit part in a children's music film, and the experience made Brenda and I recall the plays we acted in at Penn Johns School some twenty years ago. "I wish I could get my hands on the old video of me playing Mrs. Brown." Brenda told us. She, her daughter Angela, and I … [Read more...] about The Plays at Penn Johns School
Pizza, Pottery Works, and Puffing up the Mountain!
The quiet domestic life — the excitement of urban life— a grueling mountain hike— it's not often I get to experience it all in one weekend. Pizza Loaves I spent Saturday morning making one of my favorite recipes, Peppery Pizza Loaves. Mom has a scrapbook cookbook with the recipe clipped from an old issue of Quick Cooking. You can get the recipe from Taste of Home here. The pizza loaves are quick, delicious, and freeze well. I also made a couple of Frosty Chocolate Pies (pie recipe here). … [Read more...] about Pizza, Pottery Works, and Puffing up the Mountain!
Packing at Blessings of Hope
"Let's go volunteer at Blessings of Hope!" My sister Brenda is the family planner (on the left in the above photo) and that's how 19 family members, mostly children, ended up bagging flour together on a Wednesday afternoon earlier this summer. It was great thing to do together as a family, and a fun way to support a local ministry doing an astonishing work. Blessings of Hope has been in my neighborhood for several years, and for a long time I thought it was a food pantry. Blessings of Hope, I … [Read more...] about Packing at Blessings of Hope