Wedding Vows

I am curious how many of us who have taken our wedding vows were truly thinking about those sacred words and the promises we made to each other . .. the oath we took before God, friends and family on the first day of our lives together as husband and wife.

My husband and I had considered writing our own vows, but we decided to not drift away from the traditional vows since we had already shaken things up a bit...Scott was not going to cut off his mullet (Sorry, mom!) and I was going to enter the sanctuary to the theme of St. Elmo's Fire! Seriously, what was I thinking?

I know for a fact, that as I look back on that extremely hot day in August...I had no idea how our vows would play out over the years, but I do know this...I am so very grateful for the vows we did take. I am thankful that they were more than words exchanged in a ceremony. They were words that would challenge our every human weakness... and to be honest, they were words that would truly shape and define our marriage on a daily basis.

Today, I was looking through old notes from the children. Amongst all of those little notes written with magic markers, dull pencils and glitter crayons, were notes and cards from my honey that clearly documented the journey we have been on for over 19 years. They were filled with every emotion possible... some were fun,others were sensitive, comforting,and full of hope. He reflected on God's goodness to us when we were in the midst of chaos and the list goes on. I was reminded , in a very tangible way, that marriage takes a lot of cultivating and nurturing, more apologies, and a ton of "I LOVE YOUS".

SOOO, tonight as I go to sleep, I am going to bed with a thankful heart. A heart that is thankful for the vows we took...and for the vows we have kept. Grateful for a husband who has loved and cherished me through thick and thin. Grateful for the time and effort he has invested in my life, the lives of our children and the dear ones he has touched on a daily basis.

...Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. There are three things that will endure- faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:7&13


PS. I am NOT a scrapbooker, but does the fact that I have saved every note, card and letter written to me by my honey qualify me for something? Aside from being a packrat? Just wondering???

Little Cakes

I know it is September and we are all about Fall colors, but as long as I have a few pink roses left, I think I can still post a few pastel pictures...besides,PINK is always in.
Everybody...even if they wont admit to it...loves little cakes! Little cakes can be a mini bundt cake, a large cinnamon roll, and my ABSOLUTE favorite...a cupcake... or really anything else that is meant for just one person. Offering a little cake to someone is a great way to encourage each other for whatever and whenever.

This is not complicated in the least bit. All you need to do is save a couple out when you are baking. You can either stick a few in the freezer...depending if it freezes well...or give them out that day. I have found that it only takes a couple of minutes to wrap it in cellophane, put it in a recycled "TO GO" box, or put it on a pretty plate( You can always find these at your local Goodwill). You will feel just as blessed in giving it, as the recipient is in receiving it. GUARANTEED.

...serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:13-14, NIV

Apple Pickin'

 

Every September I am reminded of how thankful I am that the Lord created Seasons for us to enjoy.
As a child, we had just moved from the city of Kaiserslautern out to the little town of Schesslitz. Our new house was much smaller, but it didn't really matter. There was space, lots and lots of space... OUTSIDE. There was a brook that ran down the hill, a castle that we could walk to, bakeries and a bunch of tiny stores. One of my favorite things were the fruit trees in our backyard...it was almost like having our very own orchard.
Late one afternoon, after having played outside "till dark", we were called in for dinner.
As we walked into the house you could smell the applesauce boiling away in our new kitchen. It smelled so good.
Since everything was still packed...except for a few dishes, pots and pans etc. We enjoyed a fine dinner. No fast food in sight or anywhere close for that matter. Even though I am sure things were crazy and chaotic, my mom made sure that we still had sit-down dinners, even if it meant using a sturdy, brown packing box for our table! It didn't seem to bother us a bit, because even though everything else had changed there were a couple of things that stayed exactly the same. Oh and by the way, as if the butter-yellow plates weren't cheery enough...they were inscribed with the words, "WELCOME HOME". It took but one evening to make our house a home…and that is WHY…last summer in the midst of a home remodel, I climbed over dining room chairs, large Rubbermaid storage containers, couches, floor lamps and everything else that was shoved into the garage ( DIDN’T even think about getting a POD!) just to get to a box that had my industrial-sized IKEA potato masher to make homemade jam out on the deck ! I thought that if my mom could make applesauce for us in the midst of a move, I didn’t have an excuse not to make fresh strawberry jam for my family!

First Day Of Autumn

 

Oma’s Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350
Stir together:
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Add:
2/3 cup softened unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Mix on high for 2 minutes
Pour into greased 9 X 13 Pan
Sprinkle with cinnamon topping
Bake @ 350 for 50 minutes or until set in middle and golden brown

For cinnamon topping combine the following:
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup coconut or oats

Celebrate

I love to celebrate...anything and everything.
Growing up as a missionary child, I learned at a young age the importance of making others around you feel important. It is not about pulling out all of the stops...Although at times that is fun... and it isn't about spending a lot of money. It IS about the little, everyday occurances that happen.

It is about calling a friend you haven't seen for awhile, picking up a friend's child so that she can have a bit of quiet time, clipping a rose from your garden and offering it to a neighbor, doubling a recipe and taking it to someone who is having a rough week, etc.

In our family we have celebrated good grades ( YES, even a spouse's good grades!), finding something that was lost, a potty-trained child, no more highchairs, our children sleeping through the night- thought that was NEVER going to happen, the end of morning sickness...you get the idea...it is fun to find the mundain and make a very BIG deal out of it.

This last June, we got back from our trip to Mexico. We didn't get back until after midnight, but I will tell you, what we found in our home was the sweetest idea EVER! My mom and sis had gathered some flowers from our yard and had them in a vase on our dining room table, a small table lamp was turned on and she had several little notes sitting on the island..."Scott, Happy Father's Day", "Welcome Home" and "Midnight Snack - Milk in Refrigerator". We felt so loved, taken care of and missed. Not only did we have coffee cake that night, but we didn't have to rush to the store for fresh milk the next morning. Everytime I have coffeecake it reminds me to CELEBRATE the mundain and how little it takes to make those around us feel like they DO matter...even if it is a simple post it note! Coffeecake recipe to come!

Typography

I have to admit I am completely obsessed with fonts. A font can really make or break a project. Let's just say you are planning a baby shower and you are making your invitations, you wouldn't want a frilly formal font (maybe you would) but if you found a small, sweet little font wouldn't you use it?
I found this great site that features a free font every Friday! Yay! What a great idea...just one more reason to LOVE and look forward to the end of the week. Enjoy!

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/articles/CK_Rough_Script

Summer's Bounty

Summer's Bounty is quickly dissipating. This might just be the last full blooms until next years spring. It is fine, because the fresh, chilly air has a wonderful smell all it's own, and though it doesn't produce beautiful blooms, it is a smell that boosts my mood all day long!

Focaccia Bread

Autumn signifies change. The lazy days of summer are coming to a screetching halt, the beginning of a new school year is a couple days away and it is time to hone things in. I love baking bread all year long, but there is something about freshly baked bread in the Fall. It is the fragrant smell of yumminess combined with chimney fires, piles of leaves and shorter days that makes everything just that much more delightful!

Focaccia Bread




Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

3 cups bread flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sea salt

olive oil

rosemary

salt and pepper to taste OR Herbes de Provence


Directions:

In a measuring cup, add yeast to warm water.

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour and salt. Add yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon
until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover dough and let rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours

Pour dough onto Silpat

Spread out with oiled hands and dimple using your knuckles.

Brush with olive oil and add chopped rosemary, salt, pepper etc.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This may also be made on a well-oiled baking pan for crispier bread.

These can also be made in individual pans as well.
The ones pictured I made in a "twinkie" pan.

Shared with: Stone gable, comfy in the kitchen