Zucchini Pineapple

In my constant search for new uses for zucchini and alternate ways to store the abundance of zucchini, I came across a canning recipe for zucchini pineapple.  Intrigued, I had to read on.  Crystal uses this for many of her recipes that call for crushed pineapple, one being her Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe that not only is one my family's favorites, but is very quick and easy to put together.

Zucchini Pineapple

8 quarts grated zucchini (about 6 - 7 overly large zucchini)
2 - 20 oz. cans chunk pineapple
6 cups sugar
3 cups lemon juice



Combine all ingredients into a large stock pot, bringing to a boil, reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle hot mixture into hot pint jars and can in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.





I couldn't resist, so I tasted some before it went into the jars.  It is unbelievable how much the zucchini tastes and maintains the same texture as crushed pineapple.  I cannot wait to try this in all of my recipes that call for crushed pineapple.

Weekends are for harvesting lavender

Lavender smells remind me of freshly cleaned linens blowing in the breeze on the clothesline.  It's the scent that I turn to everytime I want to relax and unwind from the day.  It's the scent that I frequently put in sachets that are secretly tucked away into all of our drawers.

In a small corner of our front garden, our lavender bush sits quietly and blooms beautifully every year producing a beautiful aroma of fragrant buds.

May all your wanderings this weekend be a sweet aroma to Him who created us. . .

Ephesians 5:2     
     Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.   

Celebrating Life

She and her brother wait anxiously on the front porch as the gentlemen set up this monsterous slide for our celebration of their lives.  "Can we keep the slide forever," she asks.  "No, honey," I reply, "the men have to take it back at the end of the day so that someone else can receive the joy you'll get from it today."  The wheels in her little braining turning - I could see that she was figuring out how many times she could slide during the day before the men returned.  The child-like simplicity of life at four!

All of our precious peas due a celebration of their lives, but this year we only have five remaining at home to enjoy this celebration.  Not only do they glorify God in all they do, but they bless their parents every day of their lives.  So we enjoy celebrating once a year with so many wonderful friends.

Secretly a thrill for the General Manager, making his famous ribs and chicken drumsticks are a highlight of the party.  No one leaves hungry and all family members from youngest to oldest get in on the fun.

We pray to thank God for our blessings, not only family, but friends, our home, our food and the beautiful day that we were given.  We find that we simply cannot pray enough thanksgiving for the gifts that we have been blessed with.

Relatively warm days are a rarity here in Northern California, so to watch sunscreen being applied was quite a surprise.

At the end of the day, the gentlemen return to take down the slide, sighs of disappointment murmur in the breeze that has blown in from the ocean nearby.  The clouds are beginning to roll in, letting us know the day is coming to a close.  As some large tears are shed, I wonder, "will Tractor Boy be able to wait until next year for another slide? "

I'm not sure, but I know that the memories that God gave us today will be remembered forever.

Praise his glorious name forever!Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and amen  Psalm 72:19

Road trips are for spending time with family

Our trip to Sparks, Nevada was filled with moments of memories for all.  The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the heat was just right and the mountain peaks above us still had a rather large patch of snow remaining.

It was wonderful finally getting to meet "Uncle Tom" or "UT" as most call him around those parts. We'll have to make sure it's not another 17 years before we see him again.  Everyone enjoyed Uncle Steve's pool.   The ride home was filled with talk of how we could get a pool at our house so that they could keep swimming.  They keep forgetting that our 60 degree weather makes for very cold swimming water.

Our nephew's Eagle Court Ceremony

Grandma with her grandkids

We got home in one piece and everything was well taken care of - even our chickens were excited to see us!

Weekends are for road trips . . . .

We are headed to Sparks, Nevada this weekend to partake in our nephew's Eagle Scout Court Ceremony.  We'll also be able to catch up with our second oldest daughter who recently moved out there to live with her grandparents. 

Everyone here is a little excited to go, even the littles who thought they'd be helpful by getting themselves packed.   We are looking forward to the time spent together as a family as we haven't taken a trip all together for two years now.

Have a blessed weekend!

Hold the Mayo Please

Soon potatoes will be harvested here in Northern California; providing a wonderfully tasty staple throughout the winter months.  We as a family love to make some very yummy recipes with potatoes such as Corn and Red Pepper Kielbasa Soup, Pot Roast with roasted potatoes, Beef Stew and Chicken and Dumplings.  But it was this recipe that stole the hearts and stomachs of everyone who attended our 5th Annual Bibby Birthday Bash this last weekend .

French Potato Salad

2 lbs Small Red Potatoes

2 TBSP Dry White Wine

3 TBSP Champagne Vinegar

2 TBSP Chicken Stock/Broth

1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

6 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 c Green Onions

1 TBSP Fresh Dill, minced

1 TBSP Parsley, minced

2 tsp. Basil

Boil a large pot of water; cook potatoes until cooked through - about 20 minutes.

Let cool and cut potatoe in half into a large bowl.  Add wine and chicken stock; let the liquids absorb after tossing.

Meanwhile combine vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil while wisking.  Add the vinegar mix, onions, herbs and toss well.

I'm looking forward to trying this over the winter months.  I especially like that it doesn't contain mayonnaise - - the majority of our family balks at the thought of mayonnaise in a recipe.  Be sure to let me know if you enjoy this recipe.

Zoo Chatter

Perhaps it was the quietness of the day,

perhaps it was the sheer laughter of delight coming from within the littles as they ran from cage to cage, bursting with the news of the newest animal or bird they found,

but maybe, just maybe it was the animals speaking to us as we roamed through the zoo.  The beauty of God's creation all around us.  The awe and wonder of it all. . . so many unique animals with a myriad of traits, some so mystifying that scientists are left baffled.



















As we slip into the car to pick up the sisters who were rehearsing for a dance recital,

I look back at the flag that welcomes all into the zoo and I'm reminded over again, God's creation is GOOD.  It is all around us, the beauty of it shining a light over this dark world.

  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
  And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
  And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
  And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
  And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:20 - 25

Peace in a chaotic life

It starts early in the morning, the bickering between each of these five children God has entrusted me to raise.  Even before I've had a moment to wrap my head around getting up or out of bed, the fuzz still clouding my eyes from staying up too late again. 



I listen to the pleas,  "Mommy, he took my toy,  Mommy, she won't let me have any covers," and they continue endlessly.   I cannot disappear under the covers and wish the behavior to disappear.  I mumble something about needing more sleep and I wonder if I hide in the bathroom long enough, just until the bickering is done - would that work.    But, they always find me, somehow. . . someway their little internal tracking devices find me.


Should this be a reminder to me that even God can find us in our deepest, darkest hiding places - no closet is off limits to the Holy Spirit who indwells inside of us.

So, how do I find "Peace," that quiet moment when time and space seem to stand still and my eyes are open to the whole world around me. . . When through all the clouds and murky waters I find inner, calm, peace in this chaotic life that God has chosen for me?

Peace certainly doesn't happen with that first cup of tea, or for me, the first cup of soda, loaded with extra caffeine.  It doesn't happen either when I tune a deaf ear to the growing character issues that need to be dealt with in our house.

“Peace is the deliberate adjustment of my life to the will of God.”

Peace comes when God's strength,  The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:11, overtakes my weaknesses.  Peace comes when I remember that my life is PEACE with God in it!

So, I close my eyes, sit in my favorite spot of the morning, say a quick prayer, take one step at a time, correct the unruly behavior and yield my will to God's will.  These children are my responsibility - not a distraction - one to be ignored - but rather all else is the distraction around me to the peace that God wants me to experience in raising these little ones.  Why else would Job tell us, “Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you. "  Job 22:21



The sun peaks out from behind the clouds and I realize that while I don't have everything figured out, the chaos has passed for the time being and I will make it - I will experience ultimate peace one day - the day that I return to be with the Lord.  God speaks to my heart today and for the time being I am being molded and guided along this journey.  So for today, I can count my way through the many gifts received that give me peace beyond understanding.

# 209 - 228

* reading moments with daughters
* the boy throwing rocks at a laundry pole and laughing hysterically for no reason
* coupon savings that add up to a huge stockpile
* more teenagers to raise
* a cat taking a morning bath in the bird bath
* new flowers planted in hopes of beautiful blooms for next year
* weeding the same beds over again. . .  how stubborn those weeds are just like our sin
* two bright yellow skirts sewn in hopes that the sun would take notice
* new rhubarb plants for next year
* focused on knowing God and infusing that into my children
* homeschool field trips
* his hand reaching for mine in the dark
* happy, contented little girl waiting for sisters at ballet, sandwiched between two bean bag chairs reading a book
* peaceful music playing in the background
* little boy good-bye's to Daddy
* breath to blow over hot muffins
* shoes by the kitchen sink to put by the back door one more time

The boy got to ride the FIRE TRUCK

Last year the boy watched as his sisters rode on the fire trucks from our local fire department - he was too little. . . .   Last year the horns and sirens made him cry. . . .  Last year the boy could barely walk two feet in front of himself without falling


BUT



This YEAR the boy got to ride the "Fire Twuck!"







This year the boy was sitting next to his sisters on the fire trucks. . . . .  this year the boy was NOT too little. . . . .   this year the horn and siren scared him still - but only on one of the engines. . . . . 

This year the boy could walk and very well I might add - he was very anxious to get to the General Manager to help him out with the BBQ at town square.


This YEAR the boy got to ride the "Fire Twuck!"  Memories that will last forever.

Learning the lessons of animals

No manuals come with animals. . .  No manuals come with humans, but somehow we muddle through in raising both.



In the midst of all of the busyiness of summer days we had to learn a hard lesson with two of our animals.  Shadow and Jingles, Hannah's rabbits for 4-H, we got them when they were just weeks old.  She carried them home in her lap, stroking their soft, black fur, envisioning many special moments with her new bunnies.  She began rising early to care for them, feeding, watering and cleaning a cage - she was truly dedicated to her work, always rising without delay.  Her care became more involved when she found out she had not two girls bunnies, but a buck and a doe.  She watched them grown, practiced her showmanship routine and anxiously awaited the upcoming county fair where she would get to show them for the first time.

Tragedy struck shortly after she got their ears tagged for showing - Shadow became sick quickly and died.  No one in the house knew what happened, until a week later, Jingles experienced the same sickness.  Jingles was brought inside the house, hydrated and feed with a syringe for several days.  Seeing improvement, she took him outside on a beautiful sunny day to play in the grass.  Everyone thought Jingles was on the mend, until last evening when he took a turn for the worse and died in the night.  GI Stasis is the culprit for both of their deaths.  Learning lessons the hard way is not always comforting, but does it not say in  Psalm 23:      Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.   
Hearts are broken, tears have been shed over and over.  What a mess we've made, but we need to chose to take today in its stride. . . to learn from our mistakes. . .  to see the fingerprints of God in the midst of this mess.    All life is fragile, both human and animal. . .   Job 1:21 the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Weekends are for picnics

Best friends are made at picnics



Swinging high in the sky happens at picnics



Hopping on one leg can sometimes happen at picnics



Hamming it up on the swings is always possible at picnics



Once a year awards always happen at the Year End Picnic for our home school group.  Even though it wasn't sunny, we were blessed with no rain (which is amazing here in Northern Cal.).  We enjoy this picnic as our final fairwell to the school year and the beginning of a rather too quick summer vacation.  Good food, fellowship and fun times always accompany this picnic.

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.