Gardening 2010

We've been busy working in the garden this spring. We have added two additional planting boxes. We planted the peas, spinach, radishes, and lettuce.



We have dug out 60 feet of a space to hold 120 blackberry plants.



And the Peach and Nectarine trees are in full, beautiful bloom.

I love the promise of spring.

Daffodils and Wildflowers

Just for those of you who are living in the arctic wastelands... and still seeing cold weather...



The daffodils are blooming...



And Spring is headed your way.

Nate's New 'Do...

Spring has come... and Nate is sporting a new haircut...


Eric doesn't like it, I love it.



What do you think?

Playing with the Flowers

Hope you don't mind my sharing some of my efforts to catch the flowers of spring...

Sunday Soccer in Whoville

Sunday Soccer started back up yesterday... it was electrifying.



The younger children enjoyed the Whoville Park...



And picked flowers.





The older children played until they were sore and very tired.








Only in Whoville would the refs wear a baby instead of striped shirts...



And we played until dark. A fun time was had by all.

If you live in Whoville, come join us next week at 5.

What's Cooking?

I am slowly but surely recovering from the chaos of Sam's birth following so closely upon Bethany's birth which followed closely on Mercys... you get the picture. Anyway-

Now that I have more energy, here's what I am making tonight in order to have this in the morning... I found it here.

Lazy Granola (the name speaks to me!)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
  
• 1/2 cup honey (Carri's Note: I substituted apple sauce for honey... it's cheaper.)
  
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 7 cups oats (I use old fashioned, NOT quick cooking) (Carri's Note: I added more oats so it is less sweet. )
  

1. Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.
3. Pour over oats in a large bowl. Stir until well coated.
4. Spread oats in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. (Since I added the extra oats I will cook for about 15. Last time they were chewier than Eric liked.)
   
5. Take out and stir.
6. Return pan to oven. Turn oven off.
7. Go to bed. Wake up to a delicious, cinnamon-y sent wafting through your kitchen!

I doubled the recipe and in the morning the kids can have chocolate kefir shakes and homemade granola for breakfast. Yummy! The leftovers should fit perfectly in a gallon jar on my counter.

Treasure the Moments

Less than 12 hours after my last post "Moments in Time" was written and posted, another thing happened to make me stop and think about how we spend our time and what we treasure or not. Early in the morning last Friday, a family left our little county to travel to a wedding. An hour later a tractor trailer crossed the median and crashed into them immediately killing all but two little boys.

Naomi Esh was my friend. 6 days earlier we stood in her kitchen watching her husband plow up a new garden plot, talking about our planned vegetables... rejoicing over the recent adoption of another little baby (I had prayed through the more difficult international adoptions of her first two babies), and generally just enjoying a quick visit.

Neither of us had any idea it would be the last time we would talk.

One thing I did know, however, was the way they lived their lives. In simple and humble obedience to the call of Christ. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if she had known Friday would be her last day on earth she would have faced it with courage, knowing it was God's will for her life.

As we sang "It is well with my soul" at church on Sunday morning, I reflected on my friend. And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she had heard our God tell her, "Well done, good and faithful servant." She and the other victims of the crash were spending their first Sabbath worshipping the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

And across Cumberland County I have heard of many people deciding to live lives worthy of the calling they have received in response to this tragedy. I know that if the Esh family had known, they would have voluntarily laid down their lives to help even one person find forgiveness at the cross.

So hug your families a little tighter. Be a bit more patient and loving. For we know not when we will be called home.

This is them singing "Home".