Busy, Beautiful December

I focus on blessings and positives in this blog, almost as a coping mechanism for the things that are difficult.  A sorrow for us now is that my 95-year-old mother is finally winding down, sleeping more, eating little, no longer reaching for her water cup; a slow fading away.  She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 16 years ago come April.  It has truly been a long goodbye, but there have been many blessings along the way. 

It really is such a blessing that there are so many joys in the midst of our sorrows, and that the Lord's sustaining, comforting presence overshadows the difficulties so that there truly is peace in the midst of pain.

Grandkids, celebrations, and the blessings of our Lord and Savior's birth have characterized this month.  I'll type out our Christmas day menu at the end of this post.

I have a December birthday, but my family didn't let me go without a celebration despite the rush and crush of Christmas activities.  Our daughter (bottom, center) made a beautiful supper for us including that DELICIOUS strawberry cheesecake upper left.  And Farmer John gifted me with a Tilley hat and Muck brand boots--now, if I haven't outgrown my insulated coveralls (!) I really have no excuse for not accompanying him to do winter chores.  

On Christmas day, John and I shared an impromptu dance while we waited in line for our plates at the Christmas brunch buffet hosted by our son and his wife.  John says we've watched too many Hallmark Christmas movies and it is beginning to impact our behavior.  Not necessarily a bad thing!!!  

I'm so in love with our Christmas tree this year that I'm letting it stay until the New Year.  I usually take the tree down the day after Christmas.  

Christmas Brunch Menu

Hot spiced fruit

Cinnamon rolls 

Bacon and link sausages

Sausage gravy and biscuits

Corn pancakes with maple syrup

Afternoon

Hot spiced cider

Dipped pretzels

Party Mix

Cheese balls 

Summer sausage and snack crackers

Evening

Ham and cheese sliders

Chicken salad sandwiches

Vegetable soup

Vegie tray

When Melinda brought out the vegetable tray we were all, like, oh yes, vegetables, we remember those...good idea!!!  

There were ten of us present, and needless to say, we ate well.  

Thank you Lord for the year on the farm, for our family, for our country, for the many blessings we've enjoyed, and yes, even for the sorrows we've endured.  We are so grateful.  Blessed be Your Holy Name!  

The Lord is the strength of his people...Psalm 28:8

November, 2019

My goodness November flew by.  Thanksgiving dinner was a success, thanks to everyone pitching in to bring various side dishes in combination with my complete lack of compunction about freezing things like mashed potatoes and gravy. All I had the to do the day of our event was to coordinate an elaborate thawing process.  For anyone who believes one can't freeze mashed potatoes--Google it! Mine ended up fluffy and perfectly adequate for our needs!  Here's a link to some that are very much like what I did, but I thawed them in a low oven, stirred to fluff, and put into the crockpot on the lowest setting until serving time:

 https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/freezer-mashed-potatoes/

My really controversial move was to bake and freeze the turkey ahead.  I know, I know, I know.  Just don't argue with me on this; I'm getting older, and the last minute hassle (and uncertainty) of carving a turkey fresh out of the oven is too much for me.  One reaches a stage when "good enough" is just fine!   I bought and baked a fresh turkey, carved it, covered it with broth, and froze it right in its serving dish about a week ahead of time.  On Thanksgiving day I placed the frozen dish into a 275 degree oven for about 90 minutes, checking and adjusting the heat as needed.  At serving time I drained the excess broth, and voila!  Moist, yummy turkey.  I promise, it was just as good and perhaps better than turkey I have made the day of the event; it seems as though the gentle heating in broth rehydrates even the white meat which we all know tends to be dry.

So many sweet family times happened during November.  I always feel like placing a caveat on all the golden moments I record here; this is my "counting our blessings" blog.  I don't record sorrows, or offer counsel for others suffering the burdens of a heavy caregiving load, as I do at http://copingandpraying.blogspot.com.  It is an excellent exercise for me to place my focus upon the portions of our days that are pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8).   

It occurs to me that some folks might question whether a frozen-ahead  turkey counts as a golden moment....

But anyway, here are some November memories that accentuate the positive:  

Change happens so fast as the days shorten during November.  This was at the beginning of the month before the leaves on the red maple had turned.  

New hairdo for Mel...

New glasses frames for me...

Moose appears to really appreciate the beauty of this sunset. :-)  

Busy Days

This has been such a busy past few weeks for Farmer John.  He has finished baling hay and hauled most of his big bales home.  With our son's help, he has begun harvesting corn.  And he has been working hard to bring our 300 head or so of cattle home for the winter, as pasture season ends October 15.  Today was cattle moving day.  I woke up at 4:45 and did devotions, then prepared a noon meal for our son's birthday.  The menu included meatloaf, roasted golden potatoes, Italian garlic bread, fruit, and steamed broccoli.  Dessert was Jon's favorite lemon bars.  At the end of this post I'll include an approximation of the way I made the meatloaf today.  I don't think my family is just being polite when they say they like this meat loaf--hope not because I make it pretty often!

I wasn't able to ride along on the cattle drive this year because of a rosacea breakout--I have to avoid the sun and wind when this happens.  But daughter Melinda sent photos so I could share in the day anyhow--and the troops will all gather here tonight for pizza!

Rebekah surveys the pasture of cattle from the sunroof of the parked  truck.  

We call Farmer John "the cow whisperer."  He casually strolls out and calls them a couple of times, and they follow.  

These three were eating popcorn on the ride to the pasture.  

When the truck stopped Rebekah and Isaac peered out the back window to see how Poppy gets all those cattle to cooperate with him.  Our "twins" will soon be 4 years old.  

Rebekah had Logan pinned here "I was squishing him!"  

Son-in-law, Brian, grandson, Daniel, and nephew John Lee encourage the cattle along.  

Logan read the littles a book to keep them entertained.  

Grandson Daniel, 11,  walked the entire 3 miles and was a real help this year.  

And here is a collage of photos from day before yesterday, when Melinda and her boys and I climbed the hill across the road from our house and played on the hay bales stacked there.  Loved this time together.

~~~~

Grammy's Meatloaf
(All ingredients approximate!)

For the loaf:

2 lbs lean ground beef
Ketchup (about a cup)
Italian seasoned bread crumbs (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 cup applesauce instead of an egg (for allergic kids)
2 Tablespoons dehydrated minced onion
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

For the topping:
Ketchup (about 2 cups)
Low sodium soy sauce (2 or 3 tablespoons)
Brown sugar (about a half cup...or so...)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, skip it if you only have the bottled stuff
1 or 2 cloves minced garlic

Form into a loaf, pour topping over, bake at 350 until safe internal temperature for beef, about an hour.  Watch to be sure the sweet topping doesn't start to scorch around the edges, add a little hot water if this happens (if your beef is very lean this is more likely).  Best to use a smallish pan so the topping pools around the loaf.   

I made the Pioneer Woman's lemon bars.  They are tart and delicious.  Be sure to refrigerate them for several hours before serving and don't forget to butter the pan really well, or use plenty of nonstick cooking spray.  Here's a link to this recipe:  

https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/lemon-bars/

Two Weeks Into September

I've often said I don't understand how anyone can survive building a new house.  I've recently painted the kitchen cupboards, chairs, and walls, and the decisions about paint color and which pulls to choose for the drawers were hard for me!  This is not to speak of the agony I went through choosing new laminate for the countertops and island.  "It's just stuff" I kept telling myself.  But I waffled more during this remodel than at any other point in our 45 years of marriage because there is the overwhelming feeling that I won't be doing it again.  We remodel on the average of every 15 years or so, and next time around I'll be 80.  I don't see going through all this at that point in time, but who knows!

At my caregiving blog I've written about some of the struggles we are facing now, but this is my "Count Your Blessings" blog!  The Lord is gracious to provide us respite in these little things that bring joy.

Here are before and after photos of the countertops:

I like my new light fixture.  I couldn't find anything I liked and finally realized I was looking for a cross between farmhouse style and Rivendell -- which definitely does not exist in any lighting catalog.  I think I probably ended up with shabby chic--but I love it.  

And here are some fall decorations that I've put out piecemeal this week.  I am wishing for fall temperatures to go with the decor!

Painting by my mom, Anna Ruth.  She loved this little owl.  Don't you love the little vintage pumpkins?  They are handmade by my cousin's daughter.  Find her Etsy store at MyVintageNestbyApril https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyVintageNestByApril

I don't think I've ever used this coffeepot that I received as a wedding gift for its intended purpose.   It matches the pottery pattern I chose back then and still love.  

And, of course I have to include photos of the grandkids.

These two were making play pizzas and graciously offered me a bowl of black olives.  

We didn't realize how much our oldest grandson resembles his grandfather until I found this photo of Farmer John at the same age Daniel is now.  The meme that Daniel found online suits him to a tee--it says, "Since I didn't get my Hogwarts letter,  I'm going to the Shire, and making a shield, unless I feel The Force, or find a wardrobe.

And here's the girl with the golden curls...

August, Late in the Afternoon...

I went for a walk about 5 or so this evening, and shadows were lengthening.  I tried in vain to capture the beauty with photos, but the digitized version provided just a dim copy of what my eyes could see.  

Sunlight glittered from cottonwood leaves as though they were mirrored liquid.  Dragonflies swooped and soared across the road in front of me, catching motes of light and reflecting sunbeam-filtered prisms from their wings.  The light itself seemed living and moving, ahead of me, around me.  The air was heavy with a scent of lush green from an August during which heavy rain and leaf-crushing hail have fallen.  Yes, I found joy in this walk.