Cookies

During the last couple weeks, I've been in a cookie baking mode. For starters, there was chocolate chip cookies, the dough of which is nearly unrivaled when eaten raw:

Oh, and I bake nearly all my cookies on stoneware. They make the perfect cookie! I'm sure there are other pans that do a good job, too, but I've been so content with my stoneware that I haven't tried anything else.

These are a new recipe- cappuccino crinkles (recipe to follow). Lovely!

And then another old favorite, snickerdoodles. Talk about cinnamon buttery bliss!

~Cappuccino Crinkles~

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 T. instant coffee crystals

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used about 1/2 tsp)

2 egg whites

1/3 cup vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, cocoa, coffee crystals, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat until combined, scraping bowl if needed.

2. Beat in egg whites and yogurt till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Use a wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour if needed.

3. Place sugar in a small bowl. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons into the sugar and roll into balls. Roll in sugar again. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Raw Foods Diet Attempt

You may remember that in an earlier post I mentioned trying a raw foods diet. I had been feeling kind of "blah" lately and knew I needed more living foods in my diet, plus I was inspired by my amazing friend Rachel D. She has experience with raw foods diets and their wonderful benefits.

I wanted to last a whole week.

It was more like 4 days.

Before you laugh hysterically, let me whine a little. It was hard! Nothing cooked, nothing remotely processed. Fresh everything. And this by a girl who lives on Bacon and Butter. I ate a lot of spinach salads, including the one above.

But I'm very happy I tried it and my energy level increased by leaps and bounds, even in that short time! Since then, I've continued to eat more raw and be more balanced in my eating habits.

Maybe next time I'll make it to 5 days!

Meet Fred

My children introduced me to this special young man. Hi, Fred!

By a Mountain Stream in Colorado

During our trip to Colorado in late August, we loved driving the winding mountains roads and then stopping to explore rocks and water...

Of course Drew had to throw the rocks IN the water!

This is for you, Mara!

Found at a shop in Estes Park, Colorado.

Caleb's 7th Birthday Party

In September, we had a casual birthday party for Caleb at his favorite park, with friends and family.
He requested chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with chocolate ice-cream!

And the moment he has been waiting for for over a year....his very own BB gun from Daddy!

Just the Way it is

Grandma was in a calm mood today, and we had another nice visit. Her and I have always got along well-I'm thankful she hasn't had any friction or confusion in relation to me, especially since I see her so much! She loves the kids, and never complains about Hosanna and Caleb.

Drew-well, she alternately adores him and calls him the "genius child", or is aghast at his behavior and declares that she has never seen such a temper! "My boy"-as she calls Daddy-"never did that!"

I wonder.

Lately I have been trying to bring them something from my kitchen each time I stop by. Grandma doesn't bake anymore, and I think the routine of grocery store donuts gets a little old. They have an insane sweet tooth, but at their age I figure they deserve to eat anything they want. :) So the latest parade of desserts has been gooey butter cake, chocolate sheet cake, cinnamon rolls (those were made by Candace) and this morning, a coffee cake with coffee frosting. I have now been promoted to Supreme Angel in their eyes-it's amazing what a few desserts can do.

On Tuesdays, I've been in the habit of bringing lunch, usually sandwiches, and seeing if I can get Grandma to eat a whole sandwich verses her usual half. (She always has room for dessert, however!) Today I forgot the sandwich fixings and before Grandpa left he insisted on paying for MacDonald's burgers. Later, I watched in amusement as Grandma ate about 1/3 of hers, gave a few bites to the dog, and saved the rest for "later".

About every 3 minutes she asks if I'd like coffee. Well, I do love coffee but her version of it scares me. Sometimes I will say "yes", so she will stop asking when she sees me holding a cup in my hand. At some point I sneakily dump it down the drain.

Her and Grandpa love Pepsi and that's the only soda they always have on hand. It's another thing Grandma constantly asks me about-"Would you care for some Pepsi, dear?" I used to hate the stuff, but lately I'm giving in a little, again to keep her from asking, and acquiring a taste for it. Ugh! My grandparents seem to think I never eat and drink enough, and look at me with baleful eyes when I refuse their offerings.

Gotta love it all!

Fine Linen Drama

If you live in the Rolla, Missouri area and have not had the opportunity to attend one of Fine Linen Drama's productions, let me encourage you to attend the upcoming performance of "12 Angry Men"--as with all Fine Linen does, you will be dazzled!
Check out their website:

"Theatre by families... for families"


During the beginning years, my siblings enjoyed being a part of Fine Linen's cast. Tom even played one small role in "Shenandoah". Now, it is exciting to see all the new and talented individuals who have joined to make this the best and most fun drama group I have witnessed!

Tuesdays with Grandma

I enjoyed watching Caleb and Drew throwing the frisbee at Grandma's house today.

We've been spending every Tuesday with Grandma, roughly between 11:00am and 3:30pm, while Grandpa is out bowling and running errands. Grandma's dementia has required some extra attention, and a good opportunity for the children and I to spend time with her.

I bring a simple lunch, making sure that both Grandma and the two year old eat properly before digging into dessert. :)

This morning was rushed, as I tried to get some school work done (somewhat successful) and the house cleaned (unsuccessful). The boys seemed to have no other goal than to try my patience! I was about ready to go outside and scream, to be honest. Once we arrived at Grandma's house, however, we all settled down and had a good time together-each of the kids cuddling on my lap while Grandma fluttered around providing drinks, taking the dog in and out, and looking through old pictures. The boys were able to run off energy outside.

Relationships are more important than anything else! More important than education, a clean house, how I am feeling at the moment...Tuesdays are a good day for me to remember that, and focus on relationships.

Time...Like an Ever Rolling Stream...

I have hardly had the mental space to sit down and collect my thoughts for a blog!

Whew, I'm sure many of you know how that is. :)

The quick update is: Tom's fine, I'm fine, the kids are fine, we're all healthy, we had a good summer, school is back in full swing, my house is currently disorganized, and today is Caleb's 7th birthday.

Last weekend we enjoyed spending time with my family at Turkey Hill Ranch's Labor Day family camp. It was great! Mom and I didn't have to cook (and helping with dishes in a camp kitchen is fun, plus you get to meet new people) and there were so many family-friendly activities to choose from that we stayed plenty busy. Tom, Seth, and Dad 's volleyball team won the competition. Keturah, Esther, Naomi and I enjoyed paddle-boating on the lake. The younger children loved the horse rides and swimming in the pool, among other fun stuff. To top it off, we were all blessed and encouraged at the chapel services...and sometimes, laughed until we cried!

Today is a beautifully sunny day-perfect for celebrating a birthday. Caleb has enjoyed picking out his menu-for the third year in a row, we're having spaghetti for dinner!

I'm on day three of a "raw foods diet". I'd like to stick to raw foods for a week (a first for me!), but I may add in some lean meat. No, I'm not going crazy. I still love bacon and fudge brownies. More on all that later. :)

We're planning on going camping later this month-I can't believe the summer has almost flown by and we haven't gone yet! The kids-even Drew-were thrilled with our camping experiences last year. Other than that, we don't have any major travel plans. There is a possibility the kids and I will go to Indy in October. We recently spent a week in Colorado, and fell in love with the mountains. Again, more on that later.

As some of you know, today has been a reflective day for me. I'm looking back, remembering, and looking forward, knowing God is good through it all.

Happy September!

Breakfast for Dinner

A week ago, this is what we had for dinner~breakfast! Tator-tots, tomato bacon tart, cinnamon rolls (from a can!), and scrambled eggs.
Tom was in St. Louis, so the kids were thrilled to invite their Uncle Andy, Aunt Amy, & Cousin Ryley to join us.

Baking Day: Bread and Cookies

A couple Mondays ago, I used my Bosch mixer to whip out 5 loaves of bread. And since the oven was on, it seemed appropriate to make some chocolate chip cookies as well.
Still trying to get in the routine of baking every Monday!