Category: Family

30 Favourite Things #3

teacuppamela.pngOn the first day of my fiftieth year… my husband’s family began arriving for the funeral and memorial service for his grandmother.  It was a bittersweet day as many gathered to honour her — to pay their respects, laugh, cry, look at photographs, reminisce, sift through treasures and memories and to lay to rest a woman who’d spent her whole life toiling for the Lord and for those He brought across her path.

At nearly one-hundred years old — twice my age — she had lived a very full, very rich life.  However, by many standards, “rich” might not have been the first word one would utter when taking a look at her life. But it was rich.  It was, in fact, very much so.  The faces, the tears, the smiles, the recollections all formed a collage of chapters and stories of a woman whose life had had a tremendous impact on many, many others.  Her life was a gift and she allowed it to be used of and poured out by the Lord. It reminded me: tell people what you think while they’re living — say ‘I love you’ while you can.  Live well as long as you have life!!

I thought then (and have done so many, many times in this past year):  so many people came through the door of her home… many left there: changed – many were saved for the Kingdom of God.   Many came in to help — but left: helped.  Many came to give her gifts — but left with more than they could carry — in their hands or in their hearts.  That’s just the kind of woman she was.  I love that I knew her and I love that I had the opportunity to spend time with her.  I love that I had before me a living testimony of the faithfulness of God.  I love that I saw an example of tenacity and strength – even in weakness – even in sickness.

I love that I saw my husband’s loving interest and care for his grandmother and that he has the same twinkle in his eye she had in hers.  I love that she was a woman of faith and a woman of prayer and that many, many had come to her ‘family alter’ for prayer and stayed there until a matter was prayed through.  The same has been said of my husband’s mother’s mother and mother’s grandmother as well.  It was a very bittersweet grief when his other grandmother died 17 years ago… I had that same sinking sadness when this grandma died… knowing that one less person would pray for me by name every day.  What a comfort that is to know someone’s praying for you by name day after day.

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And so… O, what a legacy of faith my husband brings and now passes to his grandchildren.  And I am so thankful to have begun my fiftieth year in that place… in that way.  It was as if to show me:  this is the way, walk ye in it.

I often think of the prayers of mothers and grandmothers… still ascending to the Throne of Grace — it is a charge to keep.  What a blessing to have witnessed the testimony of faith and to have that path so clearly and beautifully demonstrated before me.

“And the smoke of the incense,
which came with the prayers of the saints,
ascended up before God
out of the angel’s hand.”
Revelation 8.4

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Through the Bible in a year

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I’m always amazed (but not surprised) that God works in marvelous ways.   Every now and then (and it happens infinitely more often than I’m aware of), God lets us in on His doings — or lets us see His Hand.  I suppose were we to stop and really consider it, we’d see His Hand much more often than we do.  

Well, so last year (I cannot believe this is already 2009!), my husband was impressed that we should read through the Bible in a year and that we would do so with no particular schedule or daily ‘requirement’ or even length of reading time.  He just thought that we should read each morning during our family breakfast & Bible study.  We’ve had breakfast/Bible study daily for most all our marriage.

quotebegin.gif  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

We were almost giddy the first of December as we opened our Bibles to 1Peter and then on through the month we read as we customarily do for about 20-40 minutes each day.  Much to our delight, on December 30th we opened the Word to 17th chapter of Revelation.  We read, we talked, we prayed, we thanked the LORD for His merciful kindness to us.   Some days long, some days short, some days with guests, and some days with interruptions… the Lord had it all in hand.  We should never doubt in the valleys what He’s shown us on the mountaintops.  He took us by the hand from the beginning to the end of the book.

Now, this might not be such a big deal – for we were in no race, no contest and under no compulsion to even do this — except that Wes had been led of the LORD to just read through the Bible in –one-year– as a family.  Believe me, we’ve attempted to do similar things in our quiet times – reading a prescribed number of chapters a day — two or three in the old and two or three in the new and so on.  We’ve used the check-box sheets and we’ve used other methods of scheduled reading.  I’m not sure how far we would get into the first month, but I recall it being in the first several days that I would get derailed.  So I would just go back to reading — with no real schedule so that I wouldn’t be all flustered and feel guilty — but more, so that I would just do it.

And so, that’s why the daily reading and ending up at the end of the book at the end of the month was such a sweet gift from the LORD…  and affirmed to me once again:

quotebegin.gif A man’s heart deviseth his way:
but the LORD directeth his steps.
–proverbs 16.19

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It’s December 18th

teacuppamela.pngI thought I’d better just log-in, write something, share a few thoughts or blog an entry in order to dispel any thoughts that I dropped off the face of the earth.  Or am still coughing.  Or am still sick.  Okay, I’m not sick… but am still coughing.

It’s December 18th and all through the house every creature is stirring — even a mouse!  Little traps are all set with peanut butter and bacon — in hopes that the little creature would soon be achin’ and what to my wandering eye should appear, but more snow, yes, more snow is here!  I went to the window to see the great sight and low and behold more snow fell in the night and the whole world looks to be a beautiful, pure white!

You have to know that I just sat down to type, forgot the story and so cannot continue the rhyme.

So, it’s December 18th… it sure doesn’t look like there’s a big celebration going on — or even planned… but it’s here, it really is.  The pantry is filled with ingredients that, when assembled, will bring great delight… and will conjur up memories of Christmas past and set the tone for the days ahead.  Each recipe I prepare and each “tradition” I don’t forget to keep seems to say to my family: I love you, I love you, still.

I’m trying to be renewed daily in the Spirit of my mind and keep the “what would Jesus do?” thoughts in the forefront of my singing and plans and daydreams and concerns.    I think on each child; I pray for specific concerns particular to each one.  My mind harkens back to days when they were small… such different days than these… in those days I would fall into bed, so exhausted from the work of the day and would sleep soundly — and then wakening to the sounds of a baby’s cry or the pitter-patter of little feet. In those days I could hold them in my arms and cover them with little blankets — now I can only hold them in my heart and cover them in prayer.

I miss those days and find myself thinking:  hmmmmmmmm, nothing and everything prepared me for these days. The LORD is faithful.  I’m thankful He never tells me what’s ahead and yet, all the while, He’s preparing my steps and my heart to accept each new dawn — strengthening my faith day by day.

I stand at the sink and ponder these days, ponder those days and think:  If I could go back to those days — would I?  For I wouldn’t want to miss these days in order to relive those. I attempt to recall what I was doing on any given December 18th of the last 30 years… and I smile at the thought of the early days and decide to not spend much time there — each year seemed to add a chair at the table — and even though now each year seems to take away a chair from the table, I decide to embrace these days – these good old days.

It’s time to go bake a memory.

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Thanksgiving prepping…

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The Thanksgiving preparations are underway at our house… the different breads have been cooked and cubed and are drying in preparation for the dressing in a couple of days.  I made cranberry relish (finely chopped cranberries, oranges and sugar) and it’s in the fridge melding.  Yep, melding… it’s the key to most all good soups and sauces (and people, too).   Next, I have put the bread ‘n butter pickles in the fridge to chill — these are the pickles I made at the end of August… mmm, mmmm, mmm!!  I got the freezer jam out of the freezer and set it in the fridge so that it’ll be ready to serve on Thursday, too.  The chickens are thawing and I’ve gathered the garlic, herbs and onions from the garden — these will go into the chickens I’ll be roasting.

Can you start to see the theme of this year’s Thanksgiving meal?  Yes – as much as possible, we’re using things that grew here on the land or that we raised here.  We didn’t grow Jello — so that Jello pretzel salad I’ll be making didn’t grow here – but the raspberries, which will be part of it, did. ;o)  I am simmering the sweet potatoes right now and they will be baked up in a casserole that our family just loves for Thanksgiving.  Here are some more helpful Thanksgiving hints from our site.

I thought I’d include a video in case you’ve never roasted a chicken *and* to show you how I am planning to prepare our chicken so that it will have a ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving taste!!  This will be the second time in thirty years that we haven’t made a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Strange.  Strange but good.  We’re doing this for many reasons – but one thing we’ve learned about making foods for Thanksgiving is long-term planning and part of this year’s long-term planning included making sure I set aside the foods we’d need for this day (and that meant canning, freezing, drying or purchasing them) but I forgot one of the main ingredients.  Yes.  The turkey.When we were in our grand chicken experiment – and all the things we had to learn along the way in raising chickens – we weren’t thinking: turkey.We were thinking: chicken and chicken tractors and waterers and all that stuff. And that was enough.  At the time.  Now, it’s Thanksgiving and I’m wondering why weren’t we thinking: t-u-r-k-e-y?

Tomorrow I’ll roast the pumpkins, puree and prepare them for pumpkin pies.  The wheat we ordered from Eastern Washington will be ground into flour… and apples from  papa’s tree will be sliced for the pies. We’ll probably only have one walnut and one hazelnut pie — using nuts from the trees here.  The squirrels sure beat us to most all the nuts this year and we weren’t gathering them as we ought to have done as they fell to the ground.  Sure reminds me of the Proverb… consider the ant…

I pray the LORD will remind me to live *in* each season preparing for the next… occupying in the moment in light of the next moment… ever mindful that actions always have consequences.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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a conversation

  teacuppamela So, tell me about you.  And thus began a very long conversation.  Have you ever asked someone that?  I mean asked them and really meant to be asking the question bcz you really wanted to know — and not for information’s sake but for love – that’s all, just for love.  Well, that’s how my conversation with my cousin began. 

Just for love, that’s all. I loathe actions done for anything else. That’s been a character quality that has brought me both great peace and great anguish.  Great peace bcz I’m a what-you-see-is-what-you-get person.  Great anguish bcz what you see is not necessarily what you see — tell you why.  When you see a seemingly confident person, chances are very good that what you see is not what’s really going on.  O, you may see happy – but happy is learned, happy is a decision… you may see confidence – you may think you see a self assured person, but underneath is a very un-self-assured person.  That’s not to say that seemingly self-assured person is not confident in what they are saying – but that the person is very confident in what they’re saying but not confident being the person saying it.  So, that’s me.  Glad by choice – and not necessarily confident, but confident in what I’m saying – confident bcz God is and has been faithful and I trust in Him.

I guess it’s why I lean so heavily on the “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” verse and feel it so strongly.  It’s another reason why I tell you that line from time to time: I have no mouth and yet I must scream (good line, probably not a good book).  And… that is why two words are so totally profound to me.  Those two words are:  But God.

My cousin and I share life changing events that occurred at the same time  nearly 40 years ago.  Neither of us – probably not fully even to this day – realized how life altering those events would be.  I don’t think any of us — at the time — grasp the significance of what will later become defining moments of our lives.  It was the great collision of my life — which I believe God allowed for my good and His glory.  It was an intersection of my life and my cousin’s life.   And we talked at length about it the other night… and I cried for hours following that conversation.

In that month of August there were two deaths – the death for my cousin was the horrific suicide death of his father. It was a very sad time – crazy emotional.  The other death?  For me – was the death of innocence as I was molested by the man my mother was married to at the time and. is. not. now.  Death that occurs in sexual abuse is like a shooting at point-blank range – only you never see the weapon, the wound, the trail of blood, there is no coroner summoned… and no funeral.  It’s just a quiet death. On the outside.  But I didn’t know at the time that my uncle’s death was not the only death that happened that month.  The reality of the second death that month would be drawn out for three years and then — years later — would be recognized for what it really was.  That collision in the intersection was life changing for me.

There were a lot of people in that intersection that month — it’s taken me years to look at that mental photograph and see all the faces – and longer for me to see the lives behind the faces and what that collision meant.  To us all.  And problem with blogging is – for people like me – that there’s so much to say and it’s been important for me to say it all — but I have to continually gauge the appropriateness of the telling — that’s what’s more important.  All along, this blog’s been a tool to help people see they’re not alone – it’s a place I share what God’s done with what the enemy intended evil and a place for other women to see there is freedom at the foot of the Cross.

The longer I live, the more I see that people like me have this huge need to know and be known – it’s but a part of that refusal to keep dark secrets hidden.   And there’s a –huge– difference between discreetly honouring confidences and hiding dark secrets, lies and indiscretions.

 

boys.

So,I forgot that on election night our boys had a soccer (I know, Timothy:  futbol!!) game and Sam was playing and in a close and exciting match there was a bit of fancy footwork and an ensuing fall… and he came up with a broken finger.  I attempted to call Wes so that he could take Sam to the ER – but Wes was with Hannah at the obedience school for her new dog (yes, that’s another long story!).  Well… in the midst of groaning over the very sore hand and the groaning over the election results – Wes returned home to take Samuel in to the ER – and to add to the excitement of the evening, in a play after Samuel fell – Stephen (playing goalie) was kicked in the hand and so – just for an added dimension, Wes took him along to the ER, too.  It was a bit of comic relief as several of the kids came over after the soccer game to celebrate Stephen’s birthday — yes, that was in there, too… anyway, they were eating ice cream cake and comparing injury play-by-play’s.

I know I’m sure going to miss these days someday…  Someday, I’ll be sitting here at my desk looking back… I know I’ll miss these days.

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TEOTWAWKI – and a fun activity

teacuppamela.pngI always get a little nervous when my husband smiles a certain smile and says he has a fun family activity.

On Sunday night we were talking with friends about all the amazing things going on in our nation, in the government, the political climate and in the financial institutions in our nation and around the world — read: end times; and Wes said he thought he might like for our family to try this fun activity.  I knew where this was going — not bcz I had seen the covers of different books Wes has recently been reading and not bcz I saw a couple of websites he was reading.  No… no, I knew we were in for some real family fun when I heard him speak and saw the sparkle in his eye.  He shared with the friends what we might do.  Hmmmm… I thought; and then I wondered if that would be a weekend where our home would be the ‘host home’ for our house-church?  Would that be a weekend where I had a retreat planned?  O, I’m kidding. ;o)   My mind raced about what we might do and how we might carry out this fun activity.  But it wouldn’t be a game if it was for real – if it was for real, all this joking aside, we’d be pretty astonished.

So, a teotwawki survival weekend is survival or disaster practice.  Now, doesn’t that sound like fun?  Now, not being a conspiracy theorist or a survial anything afficianado, the idea of gathering all the family together some friday afternoon and telling them we’re going to intentionally turn off all electricity (and/or other power sources) *and* water and see how much fun we can have for the weekend doesn’t seem all that great to me and I don’t even want to do it — but as these last couple of days have passed, I’m rethinking that… and am wondering if it might not be that bad of an idea after all — and that we actually should do it.   O, and TEOTWAWKI, translated is: the end of the world as we know it.

So, curious, I deceded to take a look at a few sites when we got home Sunday night.  This is my year for adventure, so I’m thinking we might try this — now, mind you, we did nothing for “Y2K” preparedness – well, save the fact that we didn’t have a large savings in the bank. O, but that wasn’t intentional.  So, I guess we didn’t do anything to prepare for the “unknown” except stay up and live through the passing of minutes before and after 12:00 midnight 12/31 – 1/1/00… I guess we clapped and then yawned and went to bed.   I’m not a hiker (well, not seriously – though, as you know, I *did* climb Mt. Pilchuck) and we’re not “campers” — though we have been camping; and I’m not one for “roughing it” — though we have roughed it.  a lot. sometimes.  We’ve only done so out of necessity – not intentionally.  So, this “weekend experiment…” I wonder if Wes will want to try this fun activity before or after the list of lists is printed and (some?) items gathered?  Sort of “cold turkey” or after a trip to Starbucks the grocery store.

The only preparation I have for surviving teotwawki is – uh, one thing — and it’s not tangible, but it’s for real — it’s none other than oil in my lamp.  Oil in my lamp is my only hope…

“My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
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We ♥ Aebleskivers

teacuppamela.pngI’ve been thinking that we need to think on other things… you know… Philippians 4.8:  “…whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are good, whatsoever things are of good report, whatsoever things are tasty; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Well, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do today… think on *good things* instead of dwelling in the valley of dimness & despair.

It’s cold outside today.  Samuel swept the chimney, the boys filled the porch with stacks of wood and there’s a fire in the woodstove.  Wood is the source of heat for this home and a fire in the stove sort of means, for our family, that the winter season has officially begun. I know it’s truly not winter yet, but this is what we call winter — the cold, wet days where swimmingpools are sort of a distant summer memory — as if there are only two seasons: summer and winter.

Hmmm, there was a point to all that — O, yes… so I’ve been thinking on lovely things — thinking on what my family might enjoy, what would say: “I ♥ you” to them — something they’d really go for right about now.  Yes… aebleskivers.  So, tomorrow morning — though it’s no one’s birthday, we’re having aebleskivers for breakfast.  Below I have posted a youtube video of Aebleskiver preparation in Solvang.

When I was a little girl, one of my very most favourite treats was to go next door and watch my friend’s mama make aebleskivers.  I loved watching her as she quickly worked with a knitting needle to flip the aebleskivers over and over in the special pan.  I loved that they had that tradition and more, that they shared it with us.  Another very favourite memory was going to visit the restaruant where we ordered Aebleskivers in Solvang.  I thought the raspberry jam was so delicious — and the presentation so lovely!!  See?  thinking on things that are lovely?? 

Well, that was a long time ago, my friend’s mama has gone to be with the Lord and the making of memories there has long passed.  However… we’ve started writing these memories into our own family’s story and, for our children, there’s nothing quite like a breakfast of aebleskivers. I love to prepare and serve them… there’s just something about making them that makes me smile.  I love that I learned to flip the aebleskivers with a knitting needle and that one of the blessings we discovered when we moved to this old farmhouse was the long row of raspberry canes (that has since become three rows) and that I learned make raspberry freezer jam that tastes just about like the sweetest summer day ever.

aebleskivers

I don’t use a “mix” for Aebleskivers.  Here’s my recipe (pasting in from our website)

pamela’s aebleskivers

2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2+ cups buttermilk
3 eggs (separated)
3 Tablespoons melted butter

oil or butter/oil mixture for coating the aebleskiver pan.

Powdered Sugar
Raspberry Jam and/or Real Maple Syrup

Mix the flour, soda, baking powder, salt together with a fork. Set aside.  Blend egg yolk and buttermilk.  In a mixing bowl, whip egg whites still stiff.  Gently blend the dry and milk mixture and melted butter and then fold in the whipped egg whites.

Heat the aebleskiver (able-skeever) pan (a cast iron pan that has molded, rounded “cups” that hold the batter and help form the aebleskiver “pancake” balls).   When the pan is hot, you will “paint” each aebleskiver cup with oil.  (I use a ½ & ½ mixture of oil/butter)  When the pan is hot, fill each cup with batter and immediately start “turning” the aebleskivers with a knitting needle.  Quickly turning quarter turns at a time until all sides are cooked and the center is cooked through.  This is tricky the first couple of “pan-fulls” and then you’ll get the hang of it.  Then pluck the aebleskiver balls out of  the pan with the knitting needle.  Set on a plate and dust with powdered sugar and then serve with raspberry jam or maple syrup.  Repeat process each time of coating the pan-cups with oil and making the aebleskivers.  A typical serving size is 3 aebleskivers (the equivalent of 3 or so pancakes).  I triple this recipe for our family of 11 and make even more when the older sons are home!


It’s a funny thing to have to have a knitting needle to cook in the kitchen… but it’s necessary for the easy turning of the aebleskivers.  Anything else is too cumbersome.  I use a # 6 knitting needle.

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