Winter Weekend Fun

Not much to say tonight, except *here's what we've been doing all weekend*:






It's been an awesome weekend! I hope yours has been as well.

This Is My Kind of Global Warming!

We are actually having *real* winter here in the South this year! And this weekend is turning out quite differently than planned.

First of all I took my kiddos to a birthday party for a friend. We left the house in a light wintry mix of snow and ice. We drove back home in a quite heavy wintry mix and solid sheets of ice on large bridges. Driving in winter weather in the South is always an adventure. LOL

I think our whole regional area might own 3 snowplows. And we don't salt the roads, we sand them. So mostly everyone just makes a huge grocery store run and stays home during winter weather. It's safer that way:)

Vince and I were supposed to take the kiddos over to my parents' house for them to spend the night, then we were going to come back and spend a romantic evening in. But that didn't happen. The snow was coming down even harder at my parents' house than at ours.

So I bundled up the kiddos and sent them out to enjoy the snow. I brewed myself some Constant Comment tea and enjoyed watching them play their little hearts out. They were adorable!

I decided to whip up some chili and my sweet hubby agreed to get out and go to the store for me to get a few kitchen essentials. When he came back he said the shelves at the store were looking pretty bare. heehee

So we are snuggled in for the night, maybe most of the weekend. We're supposed to be heading to Oklahoma City on Sunday, but that remains to be seen. They have even more snow and ice than we do.
Meanwhile, I am loving watching the soft snow fall to the ground and pile up like marshmallow fluff.

Cold Night=Warm Cookies

It's a cold and icy night here in Arkansas. I thought that called for some warm, freshly baked cookies! Snickerdoodles seemed like the right choice. I wish I could share some with you:)

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

After a rather tiresome and long day with my kiddos yesterday, I was encouraged and re-focused this morning in my daily Bible reading.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?"
He called a little child and had him stand among them.
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and
become like little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself
like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name
welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones
who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a
large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in
the depths of the sea."

Matthew 18:1-6 NIV

What an awesome responsibility we have as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers...

Happy Birthday, Hotel Lutetia!

(the front of the hotel~photo from Hotel Lutetia)

I recently learned (from a favorite blog o'mine, Paris Daily Photo) that the hotel where Vince and I honeymooned is having a birthday. I just have to share this little treasure with you.

(the lobby~photo from Hotel Lutetia)

Vince and I got married in April of 1997 and he surprised me with a honeymoon in Paris, France. I know, I know...April in Paris! Yes, he was that romantic!! He planned the whole thing~I didn't even know where we were going until just a few weeks before the wedding. I was SO EXCITED!! And it was a wonderful trip and maybe I will share more about it soon (we do have an anniversary coming up).

(The St. Germaine Lounge~photo from Hotel Lutetia)

Today though I just have to show you the Hotel Lutetia on the Left Bank. Vince (& his travel agent) definitely picked a jewel of a hotel for us to stay in for our honeymoon. The Lutetia was the first Art Deco hotel built in Paris and is one of the few luxury hotels on the Left Bank. It just exudes Old World glamour!!

It has quite a history, too. Charles de Gualle honeymooned here, as did Josephine Baker. Several artists and writers have made it their home, including Matisse and Picasso. It also played a significant role during the occupation of Paris and the Liberation of Paris during the time of World War II.

(The Brasserie Lutetia~photo from Hotel Lutetia)

Along with our room package came this incredible breakfast buffet. I mean, I start drooling when I just think about it. It included fresh croissants and a multitude of other fresh breads, Madelines, all kinds of cheeses, eggs, bacon, broiled tomatoes, waffles, caramel creme, fresh fruits, delicious pastries, fresh juices and, of course, rich French coffee. (I imagine that you're drooling now, right?).

(a guest room~photo from Hotel Lutetia)

Our room was very much like the one in this photo. It even had an adorable little balcony with a view of the Eiffel Tower! It just doesn't get any better than that! It was perfect! Oh~and the bathroom had the coolest old-fashioned deep tub.

I wish so badly that I had a good camera on that trip. I do have pictures, but they aren't that great. But maybe I will get them scanned in and share some with you soon.

We also enjoyed the surrounding neighborhoods. We especially enjoyed the Jardin de Luxembourg which was just right around the corner. Of course, Paris is full of history and there is something intriguing at every step. But the Hotel Lutetia was a great jumping-off point for us. We enjoyed our time there so much and hope to go back again one day. If you are ever in Paris, I highly recommend it! The staff there was so friendly and helpful. We don't speak any French whatsoever (unless you count *merci*) and I have to say that we did not meet one single *snobby* French person the entire time we were in Paris. Everywhere we went the French people were absolutely wonderful to us!

Happy 100th Birthday, Lutetia!!

(detail of the building front~photo from Hotel Lutetia)

One Thousand Gifts

0031. freshly baked cookies

0032. bills paid on time

0033. a letter from a far-away friend

0034. a godly family heritage

0035. Eskimo kisses from my kiddos

0036. watching my children read their Bibles

0037. heirloom recipes

0038. good health

0039. surprise packages in the mail

0040. the amazing generosity of God

He Did It Again!!

Congrats to Vince! He won another video contest~this time for a city recycling program. Of course, it stars the kiddos...because they're not dramatic or anything:) We'll be taking them to celebrate at Chuck E. Cheese this week. I hope you enjoy the videos! And yes, that's my voice at the end of the video.

Menu Plan Monday: January 25th

Well, it's the last week of January~and the last week of the *eat from the pantry* challenge. It has been an interesting month of meals. The first couple of weeks went great as far as hardly any spending. This last week I spent quite a bit on fresh produce after my hubby decided he wanted to go on a *fruits & veggies only* fast. I told him to wait until summer the next time he wanted to do that:) There will be a better veggie selection and hopefully we'll have a little garden again! But all-in-all it has been a good month. The total so far for the month is $115. It's possible that we'll need to pick a thing or two up this week, but I'm going to do my darndest not to! That total is amazing to me, since just two years ago I was spending around $125 a week on groceries~now it's usually around $70. I have definitely learned a lot in the past couple of year about being frugal and spending wisely.

We definitely had some interesting moments at dinnertime this past week. Some veggie dishes were hits and some were definitely NOT hits.

Hits included: veggie-stuffed baked potatoes (stuffed with olive oil-based butter, minced garlic and steamed, chopped broccoli), sauteed zucchini, blended cauliflower (steamed and then blended w/a hand mixer with olive oil-based butter, salt & white pepper) and gazpacho.

Non-hits included: Greek caponata (would've been great....as a side dish with a grilled steak!), and acorn squash wedges (it's the first time I didn't like a recipe from P-Dub...sorry). I didn't get around to the butternut squash puree...but since I still have that butternut squash in the fridge, I'm sure we'll be trying it somehow.

I'm sharing the gazpacho recipe with you today. I've tried gazpacho maybe once before and I remembered liking it. And even though it's traditionally a summertime dish, it's chock full of veggies so I decided to try it. The kids wouldn't even taste it, but Vince and I loved it!! It's a good thing, too, because it made a whopping two quarts+! The recipe I used came from Susan Branch's Girlfriends Forever book. I made just a few changes to it to fit the veggies I had on hand, and I added fresh cilantro. Because everything is better with fresh cilantro in my book!

Gazpacho
In your blender:
10 oz. cold tomato juice
1 med. tomato, cut up*
1/2 med. cucumber, cut up
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls. olive oil
To blended ingredients, add:
2 1/2 cups tomato juice
1 med. tomato, chopped
1/2 med. cucumber, chopped
1 sm. red onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 sm. squash, chopped**
1 sm. carrot, finely chopped**
about 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
*****
Make sure that the veggies you are chopping to add to the blended ingredients are chopped small enough so that they will fit nicely on the spoon together. Chill well.
*I was out of fresh tomatoes so I used a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes in the blender, then I just didn't add any more in the second round.
** You can add fresh diced zucchini and green pepper instead, if you'd like. In fact you can be pretty flexible on the veggies you put in, picking and choosing ones you like versus ones you don't.

Ok, now for this week. We are still planning to eat lots of veggies, of course, but not just veggies this time around. The kiddos will be so happy:)


Monday: Beef~Vegetable Soup with Cornbread
Tuesday: Chuck E. Cheese celebration for the kiddos
Wednesday: Hamburgers Diane, Steamed Broccoli, Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash
Thursday: My Grandma's Goulash
Friday: TBA~Possible Date Night:)
Saturday: Tuna Noodle Skillet Meal

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

A Little Winter Sprucing Up

Did your front door look as bare as mine did after taking down the Christmas wreath? I just couldn't take it anymore. I had a grapevine wreath up in the attic with some old, worn out Valentine's decor on it. So I ripped all of that off and headed to my local Michael's (Hobby Lobby just didn't have what I needed this time) and found a couple of pussy willow sprigs on sale. So I brought them home, dismantled the sprigs into individual little twigs and glued them on. I think it made a nice, simple winter wreath. And it only cost me about $4!

Next, I finally got pictures uploaded to my new digital frame that my sweet hubby got me for Christmas. I love it! My new memory card holds *thousands* of photos and I can't wait to fill it up with more favorites to enjoy while I'm cooking (I put it in my kitchen).

In the kiddos'/guest bath the shower curtain was needing a little help. One of my shower curtain rings had broken and one of the holes on the liner had ripped, so there were a couple of sags going on. I didn't like that! So I took off all of the (old, cheap) rings and tossed them, then I tied ribbons in their place, punching a new hole in the torn liner to keep it from sagging. I thought about getting a new one, but this one still looks virtually new. I like the way the ribbons gave an extra touch of color that flows with the rest of the room's decor.

Now this weekend I'll be working on making our *family rules* to post in the kitchen. I got some great scrapbook paper (on sale for .20 each!) and a nice frame at the antique shop ($3). I'm planning to make my own version of this. Hopefully I'll have the finished product to show in a day or so!

Have a great and creative weekend!!

This post is linked to Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Hummus & Pita Chips

Yesterday I made hummus for the first time. It's not my first time to eat it, but I don't remember the stuff I've tried in the past being this flavorful! My friend over at goodfountain hooked me up with her recipe and it's really awesome~my whole family likes it. And I decided to bake up some pita chips to eat with it, just because I love pita chips:)

goodfountain's hummus
2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), reserve the juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbls. tahini*
1 tsp. sea salt
2-3 cloves garlic, halved
dash of paprika
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
*****
Blend all ingredients together, mixing very well. (goodfountain recommends a food processor, but I don't have one so I used my blender. I'm pretty sure a food processor would be easier, but the blender finally got the job done). If the mixture seems too dry, add the reserved bean juice 1 Tbls. at a time. The flavor will improve after chilling in the fridge for a while.
*In case you're like me and need to google *tahini* to even know what it is: it's sesame seed butter. You know, like peanut butter or almond butter? Well, this stuff is made from sesame seeds. After looking in a few different stores, I finally found some in an organic foods store.

Next, buy yourself some pita pockets and grab your Greek seasoning and make yourself some delicious chips!
First, cut your pita pockets into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter.

Then take each wedge and separate the two layers and place them on a baking sheet inside side up.

Brush the wedges with a little olive oil and sprinkle with Greek seasoning. I was out of Cavender's so I found a recipe online that used stuff I already had.

Greek Seasoning
3 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon*
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg*
1/2 tsp. thyme
*****
Blend together. Yields 1/4 cup.
*I think next time I'll use less of these, if any at all.

Bake the chips for 10 minutes or so at about 400F~just keep an eye on them and take them out with they start getting browned.

Let them cool and then you can keep them in the pita pocket bag.

Enjoy!!

One Thousand GIfts

Stopping each week to purposefully count my blessings is an amazing thing. It serves to bring me back into focus each time to what's really important in life.

0021. listening to my kiddos giggle~and joining in

0022. a beautiful, clear starry night sky

0023. a wonderful, faithful husband

0024. *old* friends

0025. playing games and working puzzles with my kiddos

0026. finding a new meal that the whole family likes

0027. enjoying the thrill of teaching my children to read

0028. two new pairs of blue jeans

0029. God's incredible faithfulness

0030. God's mercies that are new every morning

Menu Plan Monday: January 18th

Well, another week down on the *eat from your pantry* challenge! Whoo hoo! I've been doing pretty well. Last week I only spent about $20 on some essentials like milk and eggs. My pantry is starting to look a little bare and so is my fridge. This week I spent a tad bit more because...

...my hubby threw another challenge at me. He wants to try at least a version of the Daniel fast, focusing on mainly eating vegetables and fruits for about 10 days or so. Sooo, I am now looking for delicious recipes that are strictly veggies with simple seasonings. What I would like to happen is that I find some great healthy dishes that we all like and that I can incorporate into our menus permanently. I usually try to do one meatless meal a week, but I would like to do more.

So if you have any that you'd like to share, please pass them on!

Today I went to the store and stocked up on tons of fresh veggies. I'm not feeling too bad about what I spent, since it was pretty much all on fresh produce. And I'm very excited about trying some new recipes!

Last week's menus were about 2 for 6, so we are rerunning at least one of those this week. Probably the meatless one...lol

Monday: Pinto Beans, Spinach and Cornbread
Tuesday: Baked Fish, Veggie-Stuffed Baked Potatoes and sauteed zucchini
Wednesday: Greek Caponata
Thursday: Broccoli, Butternut Squash and Roasted Carrots
Friday: Honey-Orange Glazed Ham Steaks, Acorn Squash Wedges and pureed cauliflower
Saturday: Gazpacho

I also have lots of special salads planned for lunches this week and I am also making hummus for the first time to have with some yummy pita chips that I made recently. I should have some new recipes to share with you soon!

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Remembering Haiti

our hotel in Port-au-Prince

I know that many of us have Haiti on our hearts this week. The earthquake has been such a tragedy for the already-poverty-stricken country.

a man selling his wood carvings outside our hotel

My only visit there was 20 years ago this very month. It was a very memorable trip! I was traveling with my family along with some other missionary couples for a couple of pastors' training seminars and also some other church services and ministry. Our time was divided equally between Port-au-Prince and a small town in the countryside, Petit Goave.

the streets of Port-au-Prince

One of the most terrifying experiences that I ever had was there. I won't go into detail now, but it was truly a miracle of God's protection that saved us from great danger in the slums of Port-au-Prince that dark night. It's a different world there. Each evening as you are drifting off to sleep, the voodoo drums are always beating in the not-so-distant air.

the mountains of Haiti

The people there are warm and friendly and we were well taken care of while we were there. I was just a young girl fresh out of high school, and while I had traveled extensively for my age, this was my first face-to-face with abject poverty. It was so heartbreaking to drive down the streets where raw sewage flowed on each side. As you passed, there would be a woman washing her clothes, a little further down a child splashing, even further people gathering *water* for other purposes.

a school in Port-au-Prince

During this time of devastation for these precious people, I hope that you are finding ways to be involved in relief efforts. There are many groups of integrity sending and taking aid there. One that I can personally suggest to you is my father's ministry, The Living Faith. My dad, Dale Yerton, has traveled there many, many times through the years and has 10 ministry groups there that he is working with during this time. 100% of proceeds go directly to Haitian Relief.

in the countryside at Petit Goave

Above all, please keep Haiti in your prayers.

Collecting Vintage Handkerchiefs

Today I thought I'd show you this little box of vintage treasures that holds a very unplanned collection.

First, look at this sweet box. It belonged to my great~grandmother's. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a little girl, after her mother had passed away. I think I once saw a similar one in an antique shop, but never again. I really don't know very much about handkerchief boxes, but I think this one is adorable.

These first three handkerchiefs came along with the box. They were all my great~grandmother's. The one with the blue embroidery was my *something blue* that I carried in my wedding.

These are some monogrammed with *L* that have been given to me by family and friends.

This is one given to me by a friend. I believe she got it in Africa. It has a beautiful hand-dyed design on it.

These two are very special to me. They are from a family friend named *Mallie*. She gave me these two handkerchiefs on two separate occasions. One was the Sunday that my dad announced his resignation as pastor of our church in Ohio to move into full-time missions work. The second was on our last Sunday there. There were lots of tears shed on both occasions because we all loved each other so much and knew that we would not be seeing one another often since my family was moving a long distance.

These are some vintage handkerchiefs monogrammed with my married name's initial, *F*.

I think this vintage Christmas handkerchief is so cute!

These are some lovely vintage embroidered ones that I've found in antique shops or yard sales for just pennies. So pretty!

These two are from weddings. The one on the left is from the wedding of one of my college roommates. She gave each of her bridesmaids one of her grandmother's handkerchiefs as a gift and to carry in the wedding. So sweet! The one on the right with the bells was a gift to me from a dear friend on the occasion of my own wedding.

And that is how I came to have a special collection of handkerchiefs. I love collections like that!

This post is linked to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.