Day Two Fall Fruits Festival: Pumpkins

On day Two of the Fall Fruits Festival, the celebration is PUMPKINS! Go over to Stop and Smell the Chocolates for more great recipes. This recipe came from a lovely lady named Bonnie - my kids gobble them up like crazy!

Pumpkin Cookies

Cream together 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar.

Add:

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin puree (from can or freshly made)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Add nuts if desired. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Test like a cake with a toothpick.

Icing

Melt 3 tbsp butter, add 4 tbsp milk and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and cool. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Drizzle icing over cooled cookies. Enjoy!

Autumn Pear Mini Muffins

Today we're celebrating PEARS in the Fall Fruits Festival. My contribution, Autumn Pear Mini Muffins, are in the oven right now! I realized that pears weren't a common ingredient in any of my recipes, so I searched for several to try. These mini muffins were on the Family Fun website and were simple to make. I added mini chocolate chips to the second batch of muffins and think they add more yumminess to the subtle pear flavor. I wonder if the flavors will intensify the next day, so in the name of "have to know," I will set a few aside to have for breakfast tomorrow morning.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 16 oz. can of pears, drained and finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degress. Line the muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

2. In a large bowl, blend the buttermilk, oil, egg and brown sugar. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until combined. Fold in the pears. Fill the cups 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Fall Fruits Festival

Doesn't this sound lovely? This is the description of the Festival on Stop and Smell the Chocolates: Each day will be about a different fruit - of course, one is chocolate, which I have made an honorary fruit - LOL! I will have a recipe to share and you can link up old or new posts/recipes for the fruit of the day - every day of the week! Here's the schedule to help you plan your "fruity" posts:

Monday ~ Pears

Tuesday ~ Pumpkin

Wednesday ~ Apples

Thursday ~ Cranberries

Friday ~ Chocolate (!)

I am looking forward to collecting new recipes and sharing some of my favorites!

10 Things I Love About Homeschool

My friend over at One Christian Mom asked for others to share a list of their favorite things about homeschooling. Here's mine:

1. Learning what each child's strengths and interests are and being able to customize our studies to enhance these

2. Spending every day, almost all day with these incredible gifts from God - it's not always easy & we do have outside activities too, but we do love being together as family

3. Being able to make adjustments to our day and our studies based on what's going on, family needs, pausing & going deeper into a subject that interests us

4. Though we have a basic schedule we keep, not having to race out of the house every morning is wonderful!

5. Homeschooling has opened my eyes to the educational opportunities all around and in ways other than sitting at a table or in a textbook.

6. I view homeschooling as training my children for life versus just giving them an education in the required subjects - this has transformed how I do everything!

7. Being in a community of other parents & families with similar values

8. Being more aware of the things going in my children's lives since we're together versus being apart for hours every day - I don't always know what's going on but our cultivated closeness helps with the open communication

9. The opportunity to expose our children to various cultures & languages at an early age (Sean speaks Spanish to the kids & they're learning Japanese too, which I speak)

10. I really love that we are living our values in this way.

Does A New Season Start Today?

Yes, I know Fall actually started a few weeks ago. The season I am referring to is a possible new season of life for us. Just like the gradual shift of hot, sticky summer days to the crisp coolness of Autumn, I don't expect the changes to be dramatic. Initially. But hopefully after today we will have direction. A firm commitment. A regular income.

It's been nine months since Sean's job had a "work force reduction." As the newest kid on the block, he wasn't surprised. And God had gone before us to prepare a place to wait out the storm. He has been so faithful to us, providing for our needs, giving us strength, hope and joy in the midst of a challenging time.

We've lived and learned a lot during this leaner time. Our family has grown closer, and we seem to value things more. Who could complain about that?

An extra $5.00 to spend is a delicious luxury full of anticipation and lots of planning. I don't want that to go away, the appreciation of even small splurges. A cup of coffee (Starbucks!) A new craft project at Michaels. An outfit or two either on clearance or at the 50% day at the thrift store. I've been a frugalistic frugalista forever and shop regularly at discount & thrift stores. The difference these days has been the frequency and the more careful perusal of what we really need versus what we just want.

Like I stated above, God has really provided for us during this time - we've had food, shelter, money enough to pay our bills, and I am so grateful for His faithfulness to His promises. Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. The One Who sees the need ahead of time and makes provision. It may not come in the way we imagined, but it does come!

The difficulties during this time have mostly been with people who don't understand. (Unless you walk through a situation like this, it IS hard to understand what it's like. My level of compassion has increased as my empathy increased for others - understanding that comes from experience.) This occurred several years ago during another lean time but is fairly representative of what has happened even in recent times. I remember being at a thrift store with a friend and choosing between outfits. She questioned why I was putting some items back - why I don't just buy that $2.00 dress at the thrift store since it's only $2.00, what's $2.00? I explained that I only had $10.00 to spend and needed to make the best choices. For a moment I thought she understood until she replied that she tries to do the same but since it's a thrift store, she just withdraws the extra if she finds more that she wanted to buy. Why don't I just use my bank card if I didn't have enough cash? Then my daughter found a beautiful specialty doll that she wanted desperately that was $10.00. Kind of expensive for a thrift store but it'd cost a lot more elsewhere. I knelt down and gently explained that we couldn't get the doll. Touched by her attachment, her little brother implored me to get that doll for her. With silent tears, I even called Mr. Nice Guy to ask if there was any way, but it was the doll or gas money. The three of us held each other and cried, then put the doll back. God still provided for us as she was blessed by another beautiful, specialty doll soon after by her loving aunt.

The beautiful times far outweigh the challenges. Because God is good. He is with us always and His Word is true.

Today Mr. Nice Guy took a plane to a very important meeting out of state. I am still waiting to hear how everything went, but only God could have orchestrated the events that led to today. The opportunity for Mr. Nice Guy is incredible and would utilize his experience, creativity and giftings as a storyteller and filmmaker. More details to follow. Regardless of today's outcome, I have peace knowing God is watching over us.

Friend Making Monday

I'm joining Amber's Friend Making Monday post. The questions for this week are: What are your hobbies? What do you wish you knew how to do?

I love reading and can devour books! I guess you could call it a "talent," the ability to read quickly.

I am a photographer and enjoy experimenting with my camera and Photoshop to create artistic portraits and landscapes. I am working on incorporating more of this type of imagery in my business since it's more true to who I am as a photographer versus taking more traditional kinds of pictures.

Working with my hands to make things or transform something hideous into something lovely absolutely delights me!!! Reading all the fairy tales in my childhood may have left a permanent frog-to-prince mark on me, but I love make-overs of every kind.

My other hobbies include writing, scrapbooking, and drawing.

I would like to learn how to knit and crochet, carpentry, and sing better.

Some of my creative projects are featured in my design/creative outlet blog The House of Beauty & Culture - check it out!

Enough about me, how about you? Link back to the Amber's post and join the get-to-know-you party!

Life Lesson from Math

A Friday morning epiphany.

Mr. Nice Guy has taken over teaching math to the kids. R.E.L.I.E.F., pouring out of me. He's gifted in math and science. After analyzing various methods, he chose one based on how math is taught in Japan. QB seems to have an affinity for math, and we wanted a curriculum that really grounded the kids in understanding math concepts.

Mr. Nice Guy observed our school day a few weeks ago and had a puzzled look on his face as I taught the math lesson. I burst into tears, explaining how I only knew what was explained on the page - beyond that, I was blank. The same look on the kids' faces. As I taught math. Though I did well in school, taking all the advanced courses, I was a good memorizer when it came to math. Passing the classes was my objective - beyond that the concepts meant little to me. (I excel in Language Arts, Social Studies/History and the Arts. I stink at Math. I'm OK with that.)

This morning, as he was waxing eloquent in math class, passionately breaking down the lesson into bite-sized morsels and making sure our offspring could swallow them with understanding, Mr. Nice Guy said something that jolted me. I almost spilled my coffee.

"It's not about the answer. It's about the process."

I've always been "the right answer" type of girl. Point A to Point B. Black & white. There's always a right or wrong. That's what matters. Or so I thought.

From one of favorite sermons: "Life is about the journey, not the destination. Don't forget the thrill of the climb." But too often I do forget or think the climb is not thrilling at all. "Enough already - let's just get there, " I grumble. But our lives ARE about the journey. Big things and little things, what matters is the PROCESS. So often we think, "When this happens, when I achieve this, etc., then I will be happy."

Gobs of money, time and attention for the wedding day, which is an important day, but what about preparing for the marriage? What about the process of the relationship which reveals who you both really are and is the hardest challenge and biggest blessing in the whole world? My sweetest memories of my wedding have so little to do with the ceremony or reception. Those were great moments, but the most meaningful ones include...

... My sister throwing me a wonderful bridal shower in response to one that left me in tears (one that made me feel like I was being punished for getting married ahead of some of my friends), and including Mr. Nice Guy in it. He helped me unwrap the gifts and pass them around - he was so cute and oohed & awed like a real trooper!

... Reading the cards we received together and talking about the history of our relationships with the senders. I still have all of our cards and enjoy reading them over and over.

... Mr. Nice Guy rolling up his sleeves and helping to clean up after our reception along with his family because our ushers and helpers bailed. The Victorian mansion we rented out had strict rules, and my prince wouldn't let me do anything but wait in my going away outfit as they took care of everything. That revealed the true character of the man I married and helps me through the bumpy times when we aren't so happy with one another :-)

Graduations, births, milestones in our lives are all worthy of celebrating to be sure. But the real value of all of those is the process. Drinking in knowledge, time spent studying, marveling at the life growing within, preparations, prayers, lots and lots of growth both figuratively and literally.

I sensed God telling me that even the search for a new job has less to do with the outcome and more to do with us in the process. How will we respond and live during the season of the unknown? How will we handle the disappointments and changes? What kind of children will we be when things are more challenging financially, what kind of life partners will we be, what kind of parents will we be??? The answers are discovered in the months of waiting. And if the answers aren't satisfactory, there is always room for change! We can choose to live a different response. The final outcome we celebrate (hurray!) is made up of the choices we make throughout the process. Adjustments to the steering wheel while we drive on this road of life, through valleys and across mountaintops, are necessary and important!