Wednesday Medley and Bits of Life Wednesday

 Quick glimpse of the front porch on a sunny yesterday.


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Thank you to Terri for providing these questions!

1.  The Circleville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival starts today.  All things pumpkin are everywhere. What is your one very favorite pumpkin flavored food or drink?  Do you wish it was available all year or do you only want it in the Fall?

The gluten-free pumpkin muffins I made last week are incredible! An IGer had mentioned the source of the recipe, (www.blessthismessplease.com) so I thought I'd check it out. 

2 c. rolled oats (gluten free if needed)

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 eggs

3/4 c. plain Greek yogurt (not fat-free)

1/3 c. maple syrup

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. sea salt

2 t. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

1 c. mini chocolate chips (semi sweet)

1 c. chopt walnuts

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In the jar of your blender, add the oats. Cover with lid and process until the oats look like flour (1-3 minutes). Pour oats into your KitchenAid mixer bowl or some other mixing bowl. This is supposed to be a blender-only recipe, but when I made my first batch that way, it set up like concrete in the bottom of the blender. I wasn't about to try that a second time!

Into the mixer bowl add pumpkin puree, eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix.

Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Spoon batter into muffin tin.

Bake at 400 degrees for 17 minutes or until muffins spring back slightly when touched.

I love this recipe!

 The neighbor's Jerseys.

Thinking about that yogurt

2.  What product would you seriously stockpile if you found out they weren't going to sell it anymore?

Coffee beans. Can you imagine opening the door of our largest guest room and coffee beans come gushing out? Try. Just try.

North of our farm about 2 miles on 17th Street.
Gorgeous color on the 11th of October.

3.  What is the most interesting thing you have seen online this week?

The most interesting thing I saw online this week was a set of Bruynzeel colored pencils, which I purchased. The color feels so nice and smooth as you're working. (playing). The Banksy (graffiti artist) spoof, was the most interesting thing the week before. 

More neighborhood pics

4.  Is it better to be a "big fish in a small pond" or a "small fish in a big pond"?

A big fish in a small pond is more likely to encourage one's ego and give us a false sense of our own importance. A small fish in a big pond is more likely to make us dependent upon God. From this great distance on the timeline of my life, I'd choose the second option. But as my mother-in-law used to say, "Too soon old; too late smart." 

Here's an interesting article, entitled, 'Your Life Does Not Belong to You.'

I wonder if a gangster or a serial killer holes up here

(in our neighborhood)

5.  My Joe has become obsessed with playing chess on the computer.  Do you play chess?  Are you good at it?

I played chess when I was young, but haven't played it for years. I'm  more likely to play a word game. 

(or maybe HERE)

6.  Tell us something random about your week.

 Yes, that's snow you see

Making its autumn appearance on October 14.
(Daughter-in-law and three of the grandkids)

I thought you'd never ask! :-)  We enjoyed a nice gathering of family and friends for our Early Thanksgiving. Not only did we all get an opportunity to tell each other one thing we were thankful for, and not only did my son bake two apple pies to go along with my two pumpkin pies, and not only did my daughter make a killer gluten-free, dairy-free green bean casserole, and not only did we have too much ham and turkey, and not only did the kids have a blast playing out in the sudden snowfall, 

 

and not only was a group around a game table in the library and from the sound of it having a rip roaring time, BUT our son and his wife, who are expecting the birth of their second baby in February shared a 'gender reveal' with us. I'm showing a video for all of you, but especially for those friends in the UK who would probably be arrested and hauled off to gaol for doing such a thing. LOL

And not only do we have 'open carry' in Wisconsin, but we have 'open shooting,' I guess, as long as it's not at any living thing, including a tree. (Okay, the last part was my rule for the BB gun when our kids were young.) I guess this would be considered target practice.

Some of the gang on the hilltop with their pink or blue balloons, their guess of the baby's gender before the big explosive 'reveal.'

Two of the cousins, both 8 years old

One of the lovely granddaughters

Expectant mom and dad and older 4-year old brother


***

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Hodgepodging an Early Thanksgiving

Looking NE from our front porch
November 4, 2017
Early Thanksgiving Day



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1.  In a rut, in a jam, in the groove, out of synch, off balance, out of touch...which saying best fits some area of your life currently (or recently)? Explain.

I don't see any of the other choices fitting exactly, so I think that 'in a rut' would be the best answer. And that would be in the area of food. I have the same breakfast and perfect turkey sandwich lunch accompanied by lots of green olives every day. I've often said that if they made a good people dog food, I'd probably be one of the first customers. But really, I know what food I can eat that keeps me feeling best. Mr. C. claims that my breakfast isn't really food at all, but I love my protein bar and coffee every single morning, even when traveling. So there. That's my rut and I'm stickin' to it! Don't feel sorry for Mr. C. He's doing his own thing of b&e for breakfast (and he likes puttering around in the kitchen), isn't usually home at lunchtime, and always gets a good, nutritious dinner (that yes, I make for him (whether he likes it or not. LOL))

 Pork Stirfry

with lots of celery, peppers, onion, peapods,

walnuts or cashews, dried cranberries

and even some pork!

2. What is it about somebody else's style of work (coworker/employee/shared volunteer project/household chore) that makes you crazy? Why?

I don't have that issue, fortunately. Mr. C. and I get along quite well and have most of the kinks worked out - admittedly, it took nearly 48 years! ;-)

3. What's a tradition that always makes you feel at home?

Having the family here for an early Thanksgiving is one, and celebrating Advent is another.

4. A favorite song with a girl's name in the title or lyrics? Any reason why this is a particular favorite?

In that category, this is my favorite.
I love [good] sacred choral music.

Of course there's 'Maria' from West Side Story; a few by the Beatles, among them 'Michelle;' 'Sweet Caroline ' by Neil Diamond, 'Ba-ba-ba-ba Barbara Ann' by the Beach Boys. But I could live without any of them. Not sure I could live without my John Rutter playlist. I enjoyed playing one of my Rutter playlists as a backdrop to our Early Thanksgiving.

5. Share a favorite quote, verse, or saying relating to gratitude or thanksgiving.

Psalm 147 was in my Bible reading this morning, and it just happens to fit this question. So here is an excerpt:

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.  The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground. 

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; 
make melody to our God on the lyre.

He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. 

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

I've shown you this before, but it's one of my favorites.

 Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Yes, it snowed on Saturday, our Early Thanksgiving Day.
That's Wisconsin for ya.

These two escaped to an upstairs bedroom
Tommy & Smokey

Even with two takes, there are a few who didn't make it into the photos.
I think there were 25 of us.

THE (VERY TRADITIONAL) MENU

Turkey and Stuffing
Ham
Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Dinner Rolls
Butternut Squash
Green Salad
Pumpkin and Lemon Pies
Pickles & Olives
Cranberry Sauce

I love all of these scenes. It makes a mom/grandma happy to have all of the family spending a couple days and nights together, even if the weather wasn't the best.

 The annual bonfire
A night too early for Guy Fawkes
(The snow on Saturday was followed by a melting drizzle.) 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

 

***

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Hodgepodging the End of Autumn

My lone fall decoration


Join Joyce and the Gang
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Thank you to Joyce who always
provides this fun Hodgepodge for us!

1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn't have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?

Halloween is pretty uneventful at our house. I have one fall decoration (see photo above), not Halloween, didn't carve pumpkins, but I did pick the squash that was in the garden and brought it in so that it wouldn't freeze. Does that count? No costume, no Halloween-themed treat. We did get some bags of candy, which undoubtedly will be eaten this weekend rather than tonight (It's Halloween night as I write this, and usually no one shows up. I wonder why. Out in the middle of nowhere, long driveway, bats and lightning...), when the family is all here for our Early Thanksgiving.

An ancient photo of our third son (now 29 years old)

as we celebrated Reformation Day 

He was way cuter than Martin Luther.

The most ghostly photo I have in my files

Shaughan Seymour on a London ghost walk

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate

Right now I'm waiting for ambition :-) The family is coming here for an Early Thanksgiving this weekend, and I have a lot to get done. And I know, waiting for ambition is not the most profitable way to go about it. I think I'll have a coffee and cookie and most likely things will improve.

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.

I wish I were more generous. I'm working on it. With lots of daily prayer. And practice. I used to pray for patience, but it didn't happen fast enough. ;-) I do think our prayers are answered, probably never as fast as we want or necessarily in the way we want. Praying for God's will to be done is a lot different than praying that our will be done and God set his stamp of approval on it.

Our wonderful Dragon Wing Begonias

hung on until the bitter end,

which came just a few nights ago.

They gave us almost five months of lush beauty.

I reminded Mr. C. of this fact because they're

also the most expensive plant we buy in late May.

But they're worth every penny.

(I'd rather you didn't ask his opinion on this)

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone? What was the last paint job completed at your house? What room most needs painting now? How do you feel about wallpaper?

I'm a do-it-myselfer, which means that the last paint job completed at our house is in my distant memory. Almost every room in our house could use fresh paint. How I feel about wallpaper?? Don't believe it when you read that you can size your walls and later the wallpaper will peel off when you go to replace it. That is a LIE!!  I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about the wallpaper in our bedroom/bathroom, and if I could be certain that trends of the mid 1980s would return sometime soon, I'd probably do nothing (although it's hideous). I know that wallpaper will come off a speck at a time with great effort, so I'm tempted to paint over it. Or maybe wallpaper (shudder!!!) over it with something less obnoxious. Does anyone paint over wallpaper?

 Me in my painting duds

I don't dare disclose to you how long ago this photo was taken!

You might hate peppered red, but I love it in our library.

That board on the wall, by the way, is where we hang our huge set of roll-down world history maps.

 Most of that red wall is covered by white bookshelves now.

5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October?

I've been grateful for many things in the month of October. Family, for sure. And then the opportunity to worship the Lord of the Universe in various cathedrals in England. They always put me in mind of how small I am and how great God is, and inspire awe for our risen King.

 Southwark Cathedral, London

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

 Our nearest village (2 mi)

Photo from October of 2013

 And now I'd better get busy and declutter, clean, tidy, and get the food preparation underway. I'm definitely looking forward to the family being here for Early Thanksgiving!

 ***

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You might enjoy the video of Tommy. :-)

Photo taken last March

I miss this stage.

Now they're both acting like teenagers.

Hodgepodging Our Early Thanksgiving

The Hayride
Mr. C. taking us on the scenic route
through the neighborhood.

WARNING:  This post is full of family photos from our Early Thanksgiving last weekend.


***

Join Joyce and the Gang
for

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we write the answers.
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and join in!

1. What would you say is your strongest sense?

Common. No, really - evidenced by hosting our family Thanksgiving in warm and beautiful October instead of cold and dreary November.

Pumpkin carving in the backyard

2. Do you believe in the idea of a 'sixth sense'? Why or why not?

I believe that a 'sixth sense' or intuition can be developed through experience and paying attention. I have a lot of experience, but I'm not sure how good I am at paying attention. I'll just blame my dad. He passed on the ability to be preoccupied in almost any situation. I mean really, there's just always so much to be thinking about!

And in the dark of night...

3. When do you most feel like a slave to time? Explain.

I work better under pressure, so I don't really mind being a slave to time, and maybe the most recent example would be making Thanksgiving dinner, getting two pumpkin and two apple pies made in 2 1/2 hours. It's also a challenge to try to get a whole dinner to be ready at the same time, a skill that comes from years of experience. I won't mention that the turkey looked like it had been rubbed with Coppertone and set out in the sun for way too long. Sometimes we learn from experience, and other times we just gain more experience. :-)

Photo by Courtney

(sorry. small file, can't enlarge)

4. Have you ever worked in a restaurant? How would you rate the experience? If you could own a restaurant what kind would it be?

Years ago I worked in something like a restaurant, and on a scale of 1-10, I would rate it a 3. It was kind of fun except for unreasonable or strange customers. If I could own a restaurant, it would be one without customers. Or maybe the customers would all be my grandkids.

Trying to make Tuppence pose for the photo

5. Ever traced your family tree? Share something interesting you learned there.

My family tree includes my maternal grandpa, who came to America from Denmark when he was 19 years old. He came here with $5 in his pocket, which presumably meant he could get a train ticket from New York to the midwest and maybe a meal to eat along the way. That was a very long time ago, obviously. Anyway, I know that information because of the ship manifest that our daughter found online. There was his name, his age, and how much money he had with him. So not all Danes were harassing the British. Some harassed the Illinoisians.

Trying to coax Audrey out from hiding

6. What did your childhood bedroom look like?

I'm thinking it was a mess. And yet, how could it have been a mess? My sister and I shared a room (smallish by today's standards), we had one medium-size closet for the two of us, and I know our clothes would have taken up hardly any room in the closet. We had maybe two pair of shoes each, and there were not piles of junk sitting around, nor did our parents have to rent a storage unit. Life was simpler then, at least for a kid, except when my sister got really possessive of her side of the bed and put a string down the middle of the bed with the ultimatum that I not intrude into her space at night, even if I was freezing to death - which I nearly did - many times, I'm sure. Sibling love.

Picasso - with diaper

7. Anyone who knows me knows I love_watching British mysteries.

Contemplating a big career

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 The bonfire

It was fun getting back to our Early Thanksgiving, held mid October, now that our daughter and son-in-law have moved to Wisconsin from their decade of exile in Texas. People started arriving Friday evening and although Friday morning was beautiful, by Saturday morning it looked like some of our fun would have to be canceled. Fortunately, the day was misty, not a drenching rain, and all day Sunday was gorgeous. It is the perfect time of year to have the family together for Thanksgiving, and this year only a few were unable to attend. It was a great weekend. And all day Monday I felt like I had jetlag. 

I'm thankful for this big family.

 The oaks at peak of color

 Mr. C. and grandson

 The neighbor's barn

This post is also linked to:

Theresa's Good Fences
Jemma's  Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Eileen's Saturday's Critters

Tom's Barn Collective

*** 

CHRISTMAS SOAPS

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

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Natural Vegan Soap 

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch


and at


Our ETSY Shop

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning