Saturday, December 29, 2012
Sharing Two Recipes
There has been some disagreement among my siblings as to whether or not I have the recipe written down correctly, but I still remember clearly the day that I asked Gramma to teach me how to make her rolls and I jotted everything down as we went along.
They are a bit finicky. They really like a nice warm place to rise or they just don’t. But even our flatter results have had the right taste at least – that wonderful memory filled taste.
Gramma Gartman’s Rolls
Ingredients:
1/4 lb margarine
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 c scalded milk
1 c warm milk
2 pkg (4 1/2 t) yeast softened in 1/2 c warm water
5 c (or so) flour
Directions:
Start by scalding the 1 c of milk in a small saucepan and putting the other cup of milk along with the stick of margarine into a bowl to melt in the microwave. Let both cool to room temperature. Soften the yeast in the warm water and allow to bloom. (I usually do this while the milk is still warm and allow it to sit until the milk has cooled enough to continue with the recipe.) Add the scalded milk, the milk and melted margarine mixture, the sugar, and the egg and mix well. Then add the flour one cup at a time (I usually find it takes more like six cups.) until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until smooth and elastic. Let rise in a warm place for one hour. Punch down. Roll or pat out to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into 2 inch squares. Place on greased baking sheet and let rise in a warm place again. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Our family loves these with soup or with spaghetti or all by themselves with butter or jam. Yum!
(The second recipe is in the picture. It is another of Gramma’s recipes.) Enjoy!
Hush, Be Still
“Hush, Be Still” is a song that I wrote for a friend of mine while she was going through a time with a lot of anxiety. She mentioned one day that one of her favorite passages was, Ps.131:1-2 ” My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” This song is based on that passage. The Lord speaks and the soul responds.
Hush, Be Still – by Heidi Kaether copyright 2011
Hush, be still. I am always here.
Peace, be still. Trust and do not fear.
Let the cares of the world all fade away.
Rest, My little one, in Me.
Take My thoughts in exchange for yours.
There’s no need for you to worry so.
Trust My heart, for you know I am in control.
Rest, My little one, in Me.
In silence, I will wait for You.
Let me dwell in the shelter of Your wings.
Lord, when my heart is overwhelmed,
You are the Rock to which I will cling.
Sleep, My child, in My arms tonight.
Cease to strive. This is not your fight.
Just believe that all will turn out right.
Rest, My little one, in Me.
Like a weaned child in her mother’s arms.
I have stilled and quieted my soul.
All those thoughts that are too hard for me,
Lord, I leave them in Your control.
Hush, be still. I am always here.
Peace, be still. Trust and do not fear.
Let the cares of the world all fade away.
Rest, My little one.
Hush, My little one.
Rest, My little one, in Me.
Mason Jar Chandelier
Mason jar chandeliers are becoming quite popular. I first ran into them on pinterest (of course) and saw many of this type.
I liked it a lot, but I liked these better:
and
AND THEN I FOUND THIS!
SWOON!
Ok, so I knew what I wanted to try to make. I started watching Craig’s List for a chandelier that was the right shape.
I found this one…
The ad written for it was hilarious.
“Awful chandelier must go. It’s been replaced with something much more tasteful.
Builder threw this piece of junk in when the house was built 10 years ago. We can’t BELIEVE the prior owners never replaced it. But then again their taste was white, off-white and beige – when they really wanted to spice things up.
Get it soon before it goes to re-store and uglies up someone else’s dining room.
This ugly light works perfectly and is in perfect condition, although ugly.
Hopefully you have bad taste, will like this chandelier, and come give me a few bucks for it.”
Truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it?!
So I bought that “ugly” chandelier and brought it home to de-uglify it.
I left the light shades off (those may go to Good Will)
and painted the whole thing copper.
I then began the process of what my daughter called “re-uglifying” it. LOL I chose two green paints, one an ivy green and one a turquoise. I didn’t have a sponge, so decided to sacrifice an old washcloth, which I wadded up and used to dab paint onto the chandelier
first the ivy green
and then the turquoise.
I let that dry and mixed some light blue paint with water to make a wash.
I gave the whole chandelier a light coating with the blue wash. (I did end up going back later and adding more copper and re-doing the wash as I felt I’d gone a bit overboard in the turquoise.) Now the chandelier had that old copper verdigris look that I liked so much in the inspiration picture.
I tried and tried to think of a way to make it work with the mason jars facing up, like in the picture. But the pictured chandelier was made for candles. Using it for light bulbs meant I’d need to find a way to make a hole in the bottom, and I couldn’t find a good safe way to do that. I even called my uncle who does stained glass to ask him for advice, but the best he could come up with meant going out and buying new tools. So, we rethought it.
One of my sons came up with the idea of gluing mason jar rings into each light sconce, which we did with five minute epoxy. Genius! (We’ll be using the curly flourescent bulbs so there shouldn’t be too much heat generated, but we’ll watch it at first to be sure.)
I purchased crystals from here and put it all together.
I’m just waiting for my husband to rewire it and it will take up its duties in our kitchen!
and saw many of this type.
SWOON!
Ok, so I knew what I wanted to try to make. I started watching Craig’s List for a chandelier that was the right shape.
I found this one…
“Awful chandelier must go. It’s been replaced with something much more tasteful.
Builder threw this piece of junk in when the house was built 10 years ago. We can’t BELIEVE the prior owners never replaced it. But then again their taste was white, off-white and beige – when they really wanted to spice things up.
Get it soon before it goes to re-store and uglies up someone else’s dining room.
This ugly light works perfectly and is in perfect condition, although ugly.
Hopefully you have bad taste, will like this chandelier, and come give me a few bucks for it.”
Truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it?!
So I bought that “ugly” chandelier and brought it home to de-uglify it.
I tried and tried to think of a way to make it work with the mason jars facing up, like in the picture. But the pictured chandelier was made for candles. Using it for light bulbs meant I’d need to find a way to make a hole in the bottom, and I couldn’t find a good safe way to do that. I even called my uncle who does stained glass to ask him for advice, but the best he could come up with meant going out and buying new tools. So, we rethought it.
I’m just waiting for my husband to rewire it and it will take up its duties in our kitchen!
Birthday Cake Compromise
What do you do for a birthday cake when a 7 year old little girl shares a birthday with an 18 year old big brother? That is the question I pondered this past November 1st. Manda wanted a castle cake. Terran didn’t really care but I didn’t feel right about having pink and purple fairytale spires for him. LOL So, this is what I finally came up with…
I used a square cake topped with a dome shaped cake baked in our Pampered Chef classic batter bowl. It is surrounded by cupcakes and cakes baked in ice cream cones, frosted and topped with more ice cream cones. Then I washed some of the boys’ lego figures in soapy water and used them to decorate the castle. There’s a pretty major battle going on, complete with opposing dragons!
The best part was they both liked their cake.
The best part was they both liked their cake.
Thoughts on Thankfulness – Book Reviews
Thankfulness.
Eucharisteo.
A word that has shaped the last couple years of my life. I’ve often marveled at the way God will orchestrate events to reinforce what He is teaching me, book after book, conversation after conversation. I love the way He does that!
In the months after our daughter, Savannah died, I would run errands all by myself whenever I could so that I could cry without bothering anyone. I would listen to the radio and pray and pray and cry out to the Lord. Often, I’d time my errands so that I could listen to Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s program “Revive Our Hearts”. She did a series on thankfulness that really spoke to me where I was. I wanted to get her book about it, but wasn’t able to at that time.
Fast forward to about a year ago – Ann Voskamp’s lovely book, “One Thousand Gifts” came out and I devoured it without coming up for air until it was finished. Her writing is so poetic, so full of emotion. I cried as I read about her sister’s death, as I ran with her under the intoxicating moon, as she struggled with how to teach her sons what God was teaching her, as she discovered God’s role not only as Father, teacher, friend… but even as husband. I wanted to share her book with everyone I knew. Mostly, I wanted that kind of thankful worshipful faith life.
I started writing down my thanks – what Ann calls a gift list – all the gifts God was giving me. Remembering them. Hanging onto them.
1. Sweet lavender scented baby neck fresh from the bath and ready for nuzzling.
2. Heavy chocolate floating on the breeze inexorably filling every corner of the house with anticipation of brownies.
3. Four year old not even upset at the fact that she can’t join the biggers in sledding because she got to make said brownies!
4. Sun shining through the window making a square on the floor that you can stand in and feel the warm soaking up into your toes.
5. bolts and piles of paisely, plaid, florals, wool and cotton, just waiting to be made into beautiful things.
6. Relaxing into the harmonic intervals as my children sing hyms in four part harmony around the dining room table.
7. Precious things – a cup, a locket, a chest – full of memories, of history, of lives lived and the love in them.
8. Groaning, aching in prayer for dear friends and family in pain and in need, cooperating in some small way in God’s plan for thier lives.
9.Saints who have gone before, telling, speaking, writing, teaching,reaching back a hand to help those who come after find the way.
10. Sleepy milk-drunk sighs.
11. Hot water pouring down, washing away the dirt and loosening the muscles – like God’s grace-rain, not only washing the outside, but also loosening up the faith muscles on the inside.
12. New blanket of snow so bright and clean, every branch and bough with it’s own little bit of fluff.
13. Surgeons who know how to cut away the bad so that the good can heal, both the physical and the spiritual ones.
14. Big brothers, nearly grown, still willing to play with their four year old little sister with her “plastic toys”.
15. Black stone enscribed with name, always close right outside the window, constant comforting reminder of resurrection glory.
16. Reading God’s Word ’round the table, each in turn, on Sunday morning.
17. Pantry shelves laden with jars in jeweled colors canned in Gramma’s kettle.
18. Tiny ridge of white on little pink gum.
19. More snow keeping us home for a quiet relaxed homeschooling day.
20. Little pot belly pumping out heat, room warm and cozy, little one on lap with a book to share.
21. The servants – washing machine, dryer, crock pot, working busily away to keep the house on track.
Lovely, lovely gifts from God.
And then, after about a year for that message of thankfulness to seep into my heart and become somewhat a part of who I am, a friend let me borrow Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s book “Choosing Gratitude” too.
It is a very different book from Ann’s in style, but very similar in message. I loved it too. I really loved how she included a 30 series of devotions that helped make the lesson more tangible. God was bringing me a little farther, a little deeper – taking me from the high of emotion in “One Thousand Gifts” and grounding me in studying it out in His word through “Choosing Gratitude”.
61. A little girl’s excitement as she figures out how to spell her brother’s name all by herself.
62. More grass reaching for sky Even though the snow will most likely return and cover it again, it never stops reaching.
63. Birds at the feeder twittering happily
64. Sun on honey mustard walls filling the room with warmth
65. Sepia toned photograph of my father as a young boy, and trying to decide which of my children look most like him
66. The clink of ice in a glass of water
67. Mysteriously beautiful fog constantly shifting and changing
68. Children’s enjoyment of puddles
69. Bag of potatoes from one of our neighbors waiting by the door when we got home today
70: sky of easter egg blue peeking between clouds
71. Friendly post office lady – always a joy.
72. Big round bales of hay in a rown in the fields, each with its fluffy white hat
73. Slippery clay growing and changing like a living thing within my hands, becoming the thing I planned it to be.
74. Mastering Gramma’s rolls
75. Wil’s love for and excitement to see his “Jub Jub” (Jeremi)
God is so good, so very good to me! Lord make thankfulness the default setting of my life!
Eucharisteo.
A word that has shaped the last couple years of my life. I’ve often marveled at the way God will orchestrate events to reinforce what He is teaching me, book after book, conversation after conversation. I love the way He does that!
In the months after our daughter, Savannah died, I would run errands all by myself whenever I could so that I could cry without bothering anyone. I would listen to the radio and pray and pray and cry out to the Lord. Often, I’d time my errands so that I could listen to Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s program “Revive Our Hearts”. She did a series on thankfulness that really spoke to me where I was. I wanted to get her book about it, but wasn’t able to at that time.
Fast forward to about a year ago – Ann Voskamp’s lovely book, “One Thousand Gifts” came out and I devoured it without coming up for air until it was finished. Her writing is so poetic, so full of emotion. I cried as I read about her sister’s death, as I ran with her under the intoxicating moon, as she struggled with how to teach her sons what God was teaching her, as she discovered God’s role not only as Father, teacher, friend… but even as husband. I wanted to share her book with everyone I knew. Mostly, I wanted that kind of thankful worshipful faith life.
I started writing down my thanks – what Ann calls a gift list – all the gifts God was giving me. Remembering them. Hanging onto them.
1. Sweet lavender scented baby neck fresh from the bath and ready for nuzzling.
2. Heavy chocolate floating on the breeze inexorably filling every corner of the house with anticipation of brownies.
3. Four year old not even upset at the fact that she can’t join the biggers in sledding because she got to make said brownies!
4. Sun shining through the window making a square on the floor that you can stand in and feel the warm soaking up into your toes.
5. bolts and piles of paisely, plaid, florals, wool and cotton, just waiting to be made into beautiful things.
6. Relaxing into the harmonic intervals as my children sing hyms in four part harmony around the dining room table.
7. Precious things – a cup, a locket, a chest – full of memories, of history, of lives lived and the love in them.
8. Groaning, aching in prayer for dear friends and family in pain and in need, cooperating in some small way in God’s plan for thier lives.
9.Saints who have gone before, telling, speaking, writing, teaching,reaching back a hand to help those who come after find the way.
10. Sleepy milk-drunk sighs.
11. Hot water pouring down, washing away the dirt and loosening the muscles – like God’s grace-rain, not only washing the outside, but also loosening up the faith muscles on the inside.
12. New blanket of snow so bright and clean, every branch and bough with it’s own little bit of fluff.
13. Surgeons who know how to cut away the bad so that the good can heal, both the physical and the spiritual ones.
14. Big brothers, nearly grown, still willing to play with their four year old little sister with her “plastic toys”.
15. Black stone enscribed with name, always close right outside the window, constant comforting reminder of resurrection glory.
16. Reading God’s Word ’round the table, each in turn, on Sunday morning.
17. Pantry shelves laden with jars in jeweled colors canned in Gramma’s kettle.
18. Tiny ridge of white on little pink gum.
19. More snow keeping us home for a quiet relaxed homeschooling day.
20. Little pot belly pumping out heat, room warm and cozy, little one on lap with a book to share.
21. The servants – washing machine, dryer, crock pot, working busily away to keep the house on track.
Lovely, lovely gifts from God.
And then, after about a year for that message of thankfulness to seep into my heart and become somewhat a part of who I am, a friend let me borrow Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s book “Choosing Gratitude” too.
It is a very different book from Ann’s in style, but very similar in message. I loved it too. I really loved how she included a 30 series of devotions that helped make the lesson more tangible. God was bringing me a little farther, a little deeper – taking me from the high of emotion in “One Thousand Gifts” and grounding me in studying it out in His word through “Choosing Gratitude”.
61. A little girl’s excitement as she figures out how to spell her brother’s name all by herself.
62. More grass reaching for sky
Even though the snow will most likely return and cover it again, it never stops reaching.63. Birds at the feeder twittering happily
64. Sun on honey mustard walls filling the room with warmth
65. Sepia toned photograph of my father as a young boy, and trying to decide which of my children look most like him
66. The clink of ice in a glass of water
67. Mysteriously beautiful fog constantly shifting and changing
68. Children’s enjoyment of puddles
69. Bag of potatoes from one of our neighbors waiting by the door when we got home today
70: sky of easter egg blue peeking between clouds
71. Friendly post office lady – always a joy.
72. Big round bales of hay in a rown in the fields, each with its fluffy white hat
73. Slippery clay growing and changing like a living thing within my hands, becoming the thing I planned it to be.
74. Mastering Gramma’s rolls
75. Wil’s love for and excitement to see his “Jub Jub” (Jeremi)
God is so good, so very good to me! Lord make thankfulness the default setting of my life!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
