February 2023

 

I am so thankful for texting.  Daughter-in-law Nicole texted me photos frequently this month to document Baby K's growth.  We love our granddaughters.  Blessed.  

Various members of the Rausch family had Covid and other viruses this month and so we didn't gather for Daniel's 15th birthday. We are proud of D.  He is an accomplished cook and is one of the top students in his class at school.  We love our grandsons.  Blessed!! :-). 

Although Daniel wants to grow taller he has outgrown his mom by several inches already.  

We took a beautiful walk on the hill on February 20, and I had no migraine after!  I have had to avoid sunlight because of chronic migraine since my last Covid booster a year ago.  

John bought a new root plow this month.  He is proud of it!  

We felt upset when it was announced that a billion dollar chip plant is going in right across from Jonathan's land along highway 50, just west of the highway 75 junction. So, God has closed the door to Jon and Nic building a house at that site. We are praying about the impact this will have for our schools and community and are trusting the Lord for the outcomes; even for blessing.  

Our friend and longtime neighborn, Phil George, passed away at age 101 on February 12.  He carried the flag in the Fourth of July parade for many years. I took the photo above in about 2019.  

Old Photos

 My cousin, Janet Hill, who lives in Colorado (younger daughter of Mom's brother Uncle Clark and Aunt Ruth), sent a number of old photos to me in February.  I'd never seen any of them and the brilliance of the Kodachrome slides was amazing.  The clarity of some of these photos made the events and people captured on film more than a half century ago seem more recent.  

Once in awhile I find an old photo of my mother and see her as being almost movie star pretty.  The photo above is one of those.  I recognize my dad's pointing finger here, probably accusing her of being a lay-a-bed. I remember the leather strap and buckle of his watch. I recognize the green of the sofa that sat in the utility room at Grandma's house and remember that tile between the closet and the hot water heater. My cousin, Pam, recognized the fabric of the quilt and spotted another like it folded on the chair behind Dad. The photographer (Uncle Clark, probably) was standing in the doorway to the living room.  Funny how minor details of old photos can bring back such vivid memories.  

Above: My cousins, Janet (left) and Joyce Hill.  Janet had comments about her sister's perm.  I find her hairdo amazing in light of the fact that as a teenager she had gorgeous, long, straight and thick honey lit brown hair.   

That very healthy and not real happy baby in the photo above is me!  The gal holding me is "red headed Judy."  She was Grandpa Fred's granddaughter and my mother's half-cousin.  Her mom was Goldie (Hill) Barbour, Grandpa Fred's daughter by his first wife, Letha.  

Above left to right: my grandma Opal Hill, Cousin Joe (another of Goldie and Virgil Barbour's kids), baby me, and Shep.  I know the dog's name because all Grandma and Grandpa's dogs were called "Shep."

My grandpa Fred L. Hill on his tractor.  

My beautiful Aunt Ruth and Uncle Freddy Lee Hill.  He changed his name to Fred L. later in life.  Always "Freddy Lee" to Grandma Opal.  He had beautiful blue eyes.  Outgoing, liked people, charmed kids and dogs, could whistle any tune.  Loved my Uncle Fred--and so did most everyone else!  

Grandma Opal and my cousin, Janet, fishing down at Union Ford.  I think Grandma was holding up an empty fish stringer as a joke.  

January 2023

 

We became grandparents for the fifth time in January.  Our daughter-in-law had cholestasis of pregnancy and so many many prayers surrounded the last weeks of gestation and our lovely Kathryn Rose Born's birth.  She is beautiful and perfect and her momma came through fine as well.  Thank You, Lord!  

At left, Rebekah is proclaiming truth to her mother:  "I am the angel, Gabriel, and you shall have a daughter!!!"  

As I sent out prayer requests to various people, one friend texted me and said, "Linda, on Jon and Nic's Christmas card I noticed there is a perfect shape of a dove on the sonogram photo..."  And sure enough, the blessed sign of the Holy Spirit shows clearly and provided reassurance of the Lord's protective power over Kathryn and her mother.  

Jon and Nic chose a mountain and forest animal theme for the pretty nursery they decorated for Kathryn.  Note that the paper plates say, "BORN to move mountains..."  :-). 

One of the last photos of Jonathan, Nicole, and Rebekah as a family of three.  

We loved spending time with Rebekah while her Mom and Dad were busy at the hospital bringing Kathryn into the world.  On the morning of the 26th there was a beautiful sunrise.  When we picked Bekah up after school she said, "Grammy, I kept those colors in my head all day long."  And when we got home she used colored pencils to recreate the morning's scene.  

On the morning of Kathryn's birth, it snowed! Rebekah looked out the window and saw a bright cardinal, and hurried for her colored pencils to draw the picture at left from life.  The devotion in 100 Days that Melinda and I landed on the morning of Kathryn's birth coincidentally included the meaningful snippet above.  

Left: One of their first photos as a family of four!  And the first photo of Grammy and Poppy with grandchild #5.  Welcome to the world precious Kathryn Rose! 

Looking Back, December 2022

 

On the 2nd we had quality time with Isaac and Logan during Daniel's basketball game.  D made 4 points!  

On Saturday evening the 3rd, all the kids were here to celebrate Bekah and Nicole's birthdays.  We had vegetable soup and a charcuterie tray!  

On the 4th I was still ordering more Christmas gifts.  Every day I say I am going to scale back, and every year, I don't.  

On the 6th, Daniel came down with Influenza A and a red ear.  I made and delivered my usual: herb-infused, prayed-over, chicken soup with homemade noodles.  

We spent the evening of the 9th with our dear friends, Jim and Myrna, and exchanged Christmas gifts with them.  

On the 15th, Nicole was very sick with the flu and Rebekah had it as well.  Nic was very sick which was worrisome and we prayed hard for her and for Kathryn.  By the 17th Jonathan had also tested positive for influenza.  

Throughout the month I made and froze food for our Christmas celebrations including brown sugar bacon, ham sliders, soup for Christmas night, homemade meatballs with sauce.  Other food listed this month were two meatloaves, baked sirloin, hamburger for freezer, (I use this for weeknight meals such as spaghetti, sloppy joe, or chili), and a batch of cheesey potatoes for a funeral dinner.  Our regular Christmas morning brunch menu was, as always:  

Corn pancakes with maple syrup

Cinnamon rolls 

Bacon and sausage

Biscuits and gravy

Hot spiced fruit

Coffee and juice

Afternoon

Christmas cookies and treats

Cheeseballs, summer sausage and crackers

Sugared cranberries

Punch

Evening

Chicken noodle or Vegetable soup

Bread sticks & crackers

Charcuterie tray

Vegie tray

Treats from the snack table

This was a beautiful, scary, and blessed year.  My exhaustion was from being low thyroid, not from something worse. My eye seems to be gradually improving. No one has had lasting ill effects from Covid or influenza. Baby Kathryn was born healthy and safe.  The Lord has been with us through many frights (including a tornado and a hurricane for Nicole and Jonathan respectively, while each was on a business trip far from home) and has brought us safely through.  

This favorite quote by Matthew Henry seems right for our 2022 and for our future:  

The Lord shall prevent the evil thou fearest, and sanctify, remove, or lighten the evil thou feelest. He will preserve the soul, that it be not defiled by sin, and disturbed by affliction; he will preserve it from perishing eternally. He will keep thee in life and death; going out to thy labor in the morning of thy days, and coming home to thy rest when the evening of old age calls thee in. It is a protection for life.

Matthew Henry 

Looking Back November 2022

 

 

I worked really hard to change the decor from October to November.....

At left, Rebekah is dressed as Fancy Nancy and on her way to school (everyone was to dress as their favorite book character).  The Garnett Borns were busy in November finishing Rebekah's beautiful new sea-themed room (get a load of the closet shelves and drawers custom built by Jonathan).

Grandpa Johnnie's 96th birthday, November 26, 2022

When I go for walks I must protect my face and be careful not to get overheated because of rosacea and ocular rosacea and a bunch of other weird things with my eyes.  So, I look like the invisible woman.  

Atypically for me I did not take photos of our Thanksgiving food or table.  We had a pleasant day but missed the rest of the family (Covid strikes again).  

Isaac donned this Santa hat sometime in November and to my knowledge, did not remove it until mid-January.  

We got our flu shots on November 3. I chose to get the "under 65" dose because of my overreaction to some vaccinations.  

Grandson, Daniel came down with Covid November 7.  I made chicken noodle soup and homemade bread for him.  

Son Jonathan flew to Orlando on a business trip on November 6.  While he was there a hurricane approached his location (ironically it was hurricane Nicole...).   He got out just ahead of the hurricane and arrived home to find his wife, Nicole, very sick with a stomach virus.  And then the very next day, the 10th, Jonathan closed on a major purchase. They kept my prayer list active this month!

On the 11th I ande a big pot of stew and took supper to the Rausch family.  

On the 14th I had a well checkup and blood tests found I was low thyroid and high cholesterol.  I upped my dose of Thyroid meds which ought to help the cholesterol reading also; here's hoping.  It took awhile for the higher dose to help but by the beginning of December, the debilitating exhaustion had lifted.  

The Rausch family recovered from Covid in time for Thanksgiving but the Garnett Borns were going down one at a time with that stomach virus.  So it was a nice but quiet Thanksgiving.  

On the 25th I put up not one, but TWO Christmas trees.  

We attended a 96th birthday celebration for Johnnie on November 26th; Irma and Amy hosted a breakfast for him.  Sweet photo ops.  

Toward the end of the month I was wrapping presents and filling the freezer for December gatherings.  

Food prepped this month (I see I need to branch out with my soup varieties--I seem to stick pretty close to the basics):  

• Stew
• Chicken noodle soup
• homemade bread
• Thanksgiving food--turkey, sausage/cranberry stuffing, and mashed potatoes were made ahead and frozen.  If you cover the sliced turkey with broth and thaw it gently, it is better after having been frozen than it was straight out of the oven.  It is a little like brining/marinating after the meat is cooked rather than before.  Moist and tender.  
• Vegetable soup
• Breadsticks
• "Grammy" cupcakes--egg and dairy free, double chocolate, somehow they are moist and yummy (recipe follows).  
• Mel's birthday peach cobbler

****

Dairy and Egg Free Cupcakes

 Chocolate, Spice, or Lemon 

 

·      1 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour

·      1 cup brown sugar or granulated sugar (for lemon, use granulated)

·      ¼ cup cocoa (for lemon or spice, substitute ¼ c. vanilla instant pudding)

·      1 teaspoon baking soda

·      ½ teaspoon salt

·      1 cup water (for lemon, use 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, then enough water to make 1 cup)

·      1/3 cup vegetable oil

·      1 teaspoon white vinegar (omit for lemon)

·      ½ teaspoon vanilla (omit for lemon, add ½ teaspoon lemon zest)

·      ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips (omit in lemon or spice)

·      For spice only: add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

 

Frosting ingredients are approximate.  

 

Chocolate frosting:  

½ cup earth balance or less, softened

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

Enough water to make spreading consistency, whip with electric mixer until fluffy.  

 

Spice frosting:  

½ cup earth balance or less, softened

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon maple flavoring

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

Enough water to make spreading consistency, whip with electric mixer until fluffy.  

 

 

Lemon glaze:  

¼ cup. instant vanilla pudding, dry mix

Juice from 1 lemon

About 2 cups powdered sugar

About ½ cup Earth Balance, melted

About 2 Tbsp. H20, stir by hand to bring to thick glaze consistency.  

Looking Back October 2022

 

Blast from the past--three year old Daniel in one of my all time favorite October photos.  

On October 1 I made a huge pot of stew to share and John worked on the brakes of the truck we call "The Trilobyte" (because when we bought it, used, there was a sticker of a fossil on the back window that I said was a trilobyte).  

We watched the Chief's game with the Rausch family on the 2nd, and that was an experience!  So much fun--the boys jumped up and played football at every commercial break, and there were touchdown dances!  

John began hauling cattle to the Emporia sale on October 4th.  

October 15th was cattle moving day.  I had the kids here for chili and cinnamon rolls. I had a migraine aura and then a headache and so couldn't participate in the cattle drive.  

I made a Pioneer woman gift basket for the UMW auction.,  

The little boys were here for lunch on the 26th.  

Had my annual physical in Topeka on the 27th.  

We celebrated Isaac and Jonathan's birthdays on October 22 with the very last roast in the freezer until we butcher in March.  

Jon and Nic here for lunch on the 29th on their way to see Lyle Lyle Crocodile!  

I made chili and cinnamon rolls and took to Brian and Melinda's for Halloween.  Jon and Nic did Trunk or Treat at their church with truly amazing costumes (see above).  

October food, in part:  

• Stew
• Apple pie
• Meatloaf
• 2 batches cookies
• 2 batches of chili
• Cinnamon swirl bread
• Cinnamon rolls
• Homemade pizza
• 5 pounds of seasoned hamburger for the freezer
• Made cookies
• 2 gallons (!) of vegetable soup 
• 2 loaves homemade bread

Looking Back, September 2023

 

A favorite flashback photo of Nicole with Rebekah in her K-State cheer uniform, above right.  

The Fillmores had gatherings at the beginning of this month.  John attended alone as I'm no longer up to date with Covid vaccinations because of my response to the booster last April.  The Rausch family went down with another round of colds and so I sent meatloaf, melon, rolls and cookies for supper for them on the 6th.  

Our new grandchild is a baby girl named Kathryn Rose, due in February.  I made her Christmas stocking on the 15th!  

We had a family supper here on the 10th and Bekah spent the afternoon on the 14th.  Nicole flew to L.A. via a Phoneix layover on the 20th.  Everyone but Nic was here to celebrate Brian's birthday on the 24th.  Jon and Bekah spent the night and attended church with Bri & Mel.  Nic arrived home from CA on the afternoon of the 24th.  

Daniel didn't have school on the 26th and so I had Mel and the boys out for spaghetti and meatballs.  Gorgeous fall morning; 47 degrees out when I got up.  

On the 28th we learned of multiple health problems for our kids including cataracts and high cholesterol, and that Nicole has placenta previa.  Prayers begin going up!  

My eye remained painful and exhaustion was constant (it improved in November with adjustment of thyroid meds).  

John finished combining corn on September 29.  I had my last appointment with Dr. Rettig on September 30.  The vitreous has detached further, but the back of my eye is A.O.K.  

Some of the food made for the freezer and for family meals this month:  

• Homemade ketchup
• Homemade pizza
• Salisbury steaks
• Froze and ate lots of pesto
• Brisket
• Meatballs
• Browned 2 lbs seasoned hamburger for freezer (I actually boil it with chopped onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  A higher amount of the fat drains away with the water, and the seasonings add flavor.  We can't tell the difference from skillet-browned).  
• Meatloaf
• Brisket
• Potato casserole
• 1 peach pie
• 1 cherry pie
• Birthday cake for Brian