Our Christmas Treats: Recipe One: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Balls

This week I'm going to start a series of posts with recipes for some of our favorite Christmas Treats and the stories behind them.  In that way, I hope that we can share a little of our home with you during the holiday season.

Today's treat is...

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut butter balls are one of the foods that my best friend always said she could never live without and so it was always among any gifts she received from me each year!  Peanut butter was her biggest food love in life and I never make them without thinking of her.  What a treasure to find her in even the little everyday things!  Read about my girl in other posts I've published.  She was an amazing friend and I'm blessed to have known her even in the smallest way.

1c. peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
2c. crisp rice cereal
1c. powdered sugar
1pkg (14 ounces) chocolate candy coating (almond bark)
2T vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and butter and sugar.  Add the cereal, mixing until evenly combined.  Form into balls and set on waxed paper.
Melt the almond bark and shortening together for about 2 minutes in the microwave (or with a double boiler on the stovetop).  Dip each peanut butter ball into the chocolate mixture and return it to the waxed paper to cool and set up.

Giving Thanks

Today, Lord, I'm thankful for family.  I'm thankful for a husband who endures the good, bad and ugly of his job because it pays our bills and allows me to stay at home with our kids and teach them.  I'm thankful for the honor You bestow in trusting me to raise Your children.  I'm thankful for a beautiful daughter who is growing into a strong woman and for three wonderful sons who are learning so much from their Dad about how to be a man.

I thank You, God, for parents who are always there to encourage me thru life.  I thank You for any and every opportunity You give me to serve them in return.  I thank You for brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins who all, in their own way, have taught me and helped to shape my world, my heart and my compassion.  I thank You for Grandparents that I achingly miss every single day because they made such a massive impact in my life.
Thank You, God, for family traditions.  For things I will never forget because they are etched in my mind as lighthearted days full of laughter and peace.
I thank You for a warm house, employment, and plenty of food.  I thank You for friends, both here and gone.  They are so clearly Your gift to me.  Please don't ever let me take that for granted.
Most of all God, I thank You for the gift of being able to talk to You.  Thank You for showing me why I believe and that my prayers count.

I hope and I pray that I never forget who and what I am thankful for.  I want to make memories for my family that will last a lifetime and continue on for generations.  I want to be the parent that my parents have been and the grandparent that my grandparents were.  I want to leave a mark in this world that points others to the Cross because EVERYONE will see one day that, THAT is the only thing that will EVER matter.

The Best Pancakes... or so they say....

I love pre-made mixes... anything that I don't have to think a lot about makes me happy!  In an effort to save money and to prepare food with fewer impossible-to-pronounce ingredients, I found a great all-purpose recipe that I can use to make pancakes, shortbread, biscuits, muffins and even cake!  It takes just a few minutes to throw all of the ingredients into my kitchen aid and blend together and I've got enough mix to last our family about two weeks.  I can't double the recipe in my mixer because it isn't big enough so I've decided to start doing two batches at a time.
Master Mix

9 cups flour (use whatever flour you want to.  sometimes i put in 1 cup of whole wheat, 1 cup of oat flour and 7 cups of unbleached white... my family doesn't really like the texture of whole wheat)
3t. baking powder
3t. salt
1t. baking soda
1/2 c. dry milk (i've been told that dry milk isn't very good for you and my original recipe called for 1cup.  i continue to use the dry milk because the ratio is so low)

Put all the ingredients in a mixer with the whisk attachment or whisk by hand until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

farm fresh eggs are the BEST!

Basically, you've just made a homemade Bisquick.  Store it in an air-tight container.  When I make pancakes/waffles with this, I add milk, egg, butter/oil and vanilla.  My husband says that they're the best pancakes he's ever had!

We also make our own syrup because, oddly enough, we really don't like real maple syrup.  Must be because we grew up with the cheap kind you buy in the store, but I found a quick and easy recipe using ingredients you probably have in abundance in your house anyway...

Basic Pancake Syrup

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. corn syrup (we all know corn syrup is evil, so i'm going to try agave syrup instead when i get the chance)
1 c. water
1 t. maple flavoring

Boil together for 3 minutes until the sugars are dissolved and store in the refrigerator.

The Master Mix recipe is adapted from a cookbook called "Prairie Kitchen Sampler" by E. Mae Fritz and the syrup recipe came from RecipeZaar.

Doesn't this sound like a fabulous combination on a brisk and snowy morning?  Add in my friend Jackie's homemade hot cocoa and this meal paints a rather cozy picture.  Really low temps and flying snow in our forecast... I'd better make sure I have plenty of everything ready!

Way To Go!!

At a recent MOPS meeting our group made plates... you know, the kind where you design what you want on a piece of paper and then send it off to a company who will then put your design on a plastic plate.  Anyway, I chose to make mine a "Way to Go!" plate.  Every day someone is "awarded" the way to go plate at dinner time.  The first night Daddy was served dinner on the Way To Go plate... for working so hard for us and having to work out in the cold... then Janie got it for going the extra mile when teaching Spanish to Mitch... Mitch was next for wanting to be a team player when the motorhome cover got blown off in the wind and for saying that he really learned a lot in homeschool (ah, don't we love to hear THAT!)... Max will get it tonight for being a good patient at the eye doctor.  I was even given the Way To Go plate with breakfast in bed for always being the one to get up with the baby and let my husband sleep!  Every one of us, without exception, felt really special when it was our turn to use the plate.  It's been great because it has really helped me keep on the lookout for good behavior and it affirms the good in my kids and shows everyone that what they do is appreciated.  We make a big announcement about it at the dinner table so that everyone knows what special thing the plate user did.  Any plate will do.  Try it and watch the face of the person you give it to.  You'll be amazed!

Circus Peanuts in the Freezer

Four years ago we spent our first holiday season without my mother-in-law, Donna.  She was a fantastic grandmother and the best mother-in-law a girl could dream for!  She died from emphysema.  The cruel joke of her generation... that smoking is good for you... promoted as a "healthy" habit for someone prone to anxiety and stress as Donna was.  Whenever my children see someone smoking or even hear the word "cigarette" they think of their grandma and how she died.
Donna was an amazing woman who was very artistic.  She drew, painted, sewed, crocheted, and crafted all kinds of things.  She loved involving her grandkids in anything she was doing and her house was set up so that the kids could rule when they were visiting.  She had games and paints, crayons and lots of extra paper.  She'd purchase craft kits and do them with the kids and then there was her garden.  She'd let the kids water and dig.  Her favorite word with her grankids was "yes!".  They all remember cinnamon toast cut into triangles... standard fare at grandma's house... and to this day cinnamon toast just wouldn't be the same if it isn't cut just so.
Every Halloween she kept the trick-or-treat candy in the freezer with the theory being that if it's frozen it will take longer to eat and perhaps it will last longer!  One of her favorites was Circus Peanuts, which we currently have in our freezer... reminding me whenever I open it about how much I miss her.
She was equally as good to us... her kids.  There was never any such things as "adopted", "step child", or "in-law" with her.  She treated everyone as if they had always belonged to her.  I miss being able to call her up to tell her something funny that the kids did or said and hearing her laugh on the other end of the line.
Two months before she died and one month before I knew she was ill (yep, somehow she managed to keep it from us) I wrote an entry in my journal titled, "Ten things I appreciate about you".  I made a list out for each of my parents and my husband's parents.  It was my intention to print it out and frame it and give it to her for Christmas that year.  She would've loved it but she probably would've kept it in her room as she was never one to want to bring attention to herself.  Maybe this will give you a better idea of who this remarkable woman was...

donna

What I Appreciate About You...

Donna

1. Positive attitude

2. Devotion to her grandchildren

3. Her artistic talent

4. Her ability to forgive

5. The thoughtfulness she puts into every gift

6. The joy she receives from her sons

7. Her giving nature

8. The hard knocks she took in life are lessons for me to help direct and protect my kids

9. Her sharp mind

10. Her ability to see right through me and love me anyway

A Page from my Journal...

Especially when we lived out in Cove, I loved writing an account of our day as a family.  We tended to have days that were very "country" and it always seems that those days were full of peace, family strength and were some of the the most "honest" days of our existence.
Journaling is my way of immortalizing for generations the day to day life that makes up the fabric of who we are.  My hope is that my family will love reading about the "mundane" events in our lives as well as the exciting ones.
"Monday, June 9, 2008
The day is ending in a glorious sunset.  What a strange weather day with clouds, sun, wind and rain...

the orchard

We woke early to start another day... another week.  I prepared Joseph's lunch as he prepared the coffee.  Mom and Dad were going home today.  I made sausage and an egg for Joe and french toast for the rest of us.  We shared the meal with Mom and Dad before they drove off around 730 headed home to the beach, the rest of us quickly slipping into our routine.
Max and I went for our walk while Janie and Mitch got ready for the day and worked on their chores.  We walked by the snow-fed stream that rushes under the road--my favorite part--and eyed the pink cherries that are developing in the orchard across the street.
While Max napped, I braved a load of laundry on the line in spite of the somewhat ominous looking clouds.
Janie and Mitch sat down with me for a snack and our first lesson on Native American culture.  We're doing a unit study this summer.  Every day is a new craft or activity aimed at teaching some aspect of the Native American day-to-day history.  Today we learned about teepees.  We constructed a miniature Indian village and the kids recited to their dad everything they had learned.  (Did you know that the Indian women build and tear down the teepees and that they can disassemble and/or assemble in as little as 3 minutes!?)

new chickens in '08

We all went outside, and while Max ate his snack in his highchair on the deck, Janie, Mitch and I moved the clean straw from the garage to the new chicken coop.  I spread a bale of straw that had gotten wet onto the ground in the scratching yard but Joe wanted the chickens to eat the grass down first.  I guess that means tomorrow I'll be moving it again!
After lunch the boys laid down for a nap and Janie read while I took care of some family business and continued with the laundry.  Eventually the weather caught up with me and I had to move quickly to get the sheets in off the line before they became soaked.
I took some pictures this morning of the garden and some trees that seemed to have died.  I was finally able to send them off to our landlords who are in Malaysia right now.  We'll see what they want us to do with that tree.
Janie cut out the apron pattern she had pinned last week and she and Mitch both practiced the piano.
Joseph and I went down to the garden just before dinner and were surprised again at how quickly it had grown!
We finished the day listening to Joseph read.  I baked bread, rolls and brownies before bed and... I got to rock Max."

I do hope these days paint a memory picture for them some day that brings them joy.

The Oregon Trail...

Since my kids are so far apart in age (17, 9 and 3), we've found unit studies to be the best way to educate all of them at once.  At first I was a little wary of my 17yr old doing crafts or my 9yr old doing tedious time lines and research but it has all worked out so well!  Since the point of school is to LEARN, we'll take that knowledge any way we can get it and the funner, the better!

Just imagine seeing this from your covered wagon!!

Our first unit study of the year was on the Oregon Trail.  I bought the Oregon Trail video game and that became a favorite teacher of just how many "hiccups" you could run into on the trail!  The first thing I learned is to not use your own kids' names members of your party!  It's kinda disturbing when the computer tells you that your baby just died!  Yikes!
Along the way we made a playdough model of the trail so we could get somewhat of a physical sense of rivers, mountains and plains.  We also made hard tack, miniature covered wagons and took two field trips.  We were able to walk parts of the Oregon Trail and see the ruts as well as a grave for a wagon master!  Can you imagine losing your wagon master??  While walking a bit of the trail in the woods you really got a sense of how courageous the emigrants really were!  Out there in the woods could be all manner of animal ready to eat them for a snack and I think I would begin to doubt that anyone knew where they were going!  How quiet and eerie and yet beautiful!  What adventurous souls must've traversed such unforgiving and untamed land in search of something better for their families and as a consequence, created something better for us all!  It was a humbling and awe inspiring experience.

Live oxen at the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City

We also read books depicting life on the Trail... we did anything to make it real.  Making it real is what allows for learning.
One field trip was to the Oregon Trail Museum and Interpretive Center in Baker City.  There were a lot of hands on displays for the kids and visual displays that were interactive as well.  We were fortunate enough to visit on the day that there were live oxen on display!  These oxen weighed more than 3,000lbs and were about 6ft tall at their back!  They were amazing to look at.  One has to have a good deal of respect for an animal of that size... and a back-up plan or two!!

max painting his covered wagon... and apparently his nose as well... and his hand... and arm...

making hardtack... or beating your brother with a rolling pin... whichever works!

Here are a few pictures of projects that we did.  If you've never done a unit study before, try the book, "Unit Studies Made Easy" by Valerie Bendt to gather ideas and inspiration.  Basically, we pick a subject and find books, art projects, field trips, movies, games, whatever... anything that will help the kids learn about that particular area of study.  We love it!  It really is great fun!

I Believe...

• I believe that I can do it all
• I believe that school is where my children share germs with others, are socially ridiculed and learn bad manners
• I believe that even though I can do it all, I should have help
• I believe I should spend time every day exercising
• I believe I should nap every day... naps are a gift from God
• I believe that everyone should have at least four children
• I believe that families should live near each other but everyone should live in the one place that their soul feels at rest
• I believe I should be joyful all the time
• I believe I am forgiven so others deserve my forgiveness as well
• I believe in baking cookies with my kids
• I believe in smiling even when the world is falling apart
• I believe medication is a necessary evil
• I believe laundry belongs in drawers not in piles on the couch... like mine often is
• I believe beds should be made every day and sheets should always be crisp, clean and lovely smelling
• I believe everyone should have one friend that they can call on who will always be there
• I believe that bathrooms should always be meticulously clean... even tho mine rarely is
• I believe in family dinners around the table
• I believe in getting up before the children so I can experience the peace of early morning
• I believe in bettering myself
• I believe children should be read to by their Daddy every evening
• I believe children should be bathed every night before crawling into their crisp, clean and lovely smelling sheets
• I believe Daddy should pray with all of his children before bed every night
• I believe my house should be clean but not at the sacrifice of my children, family fun time, normal family living or my sanity
• I believe that parents set the tone for the holidays... either we're stressed or excited
• I believe traditions are an amazing gift that we give to our children
• I believe that parents should leave their children a family home that is filled with amazing memories... not expensive "stuff"
• I believe grandchildren are going to be amazing
• I believe in dates with my husband
• I believe that people connect over a strong cup of coffee
• I KNOW that life is short
• I KNOW that God loves me and cares about the success and happiness of my family and me
• I believe that as long as I exercise a little every day, eat healthy and drink plenty of water, it doesn't matter what size my jeans are
• I believe in taking care of myself, body, mind and spirit so that I can live a fulfilled life
• I believe in learning something new every day
• I believe aprons are pretty as well as functional
• I believe in seeing the beauty around me... and trying to capture it with my camera to share with others
• I believe that one can never have enough beer, chocolate, tortilla chips and kitchen towels
• I believe my children are the personification of what is the best of me and the worst of me
• I believe everyone should have fluffy pajamas and new socks
• I believe in adopting others into my family
• I believe my husband has potential :-D
• I believe that I should not be afraid of people
• I believe that mamas should craft with their children at least once a week
• I believe that homeschooling is an amazing way to build a family
• I believe the most important thing you can teach your children is to have a heart full of service and compassion for others
• I believe the length of my hair and how distressed my jeans are is a representative of my personality, not my age
• I believe the man should arrange for, ask for an dpay for the date
• I believe that wearing granny panties, makes you granny panties
• I believe I am a work in progress until the day I die
• I KNOW I want it all
• I believe that parents are and always will be the greatest influence on their children
• I believe that people need someone to listen to them more than they need someone to listen to
• I believe God has great plans for me... not mediocre ones

Life Update

Everything has happened so fast I figure I should start with an update...We purchased a home in town in May of this year.  It's a small farmhouse style home with three bedrooms and only a single bathroom!  We moved in shortly after June 1st after we refinished the floors and painted and did other small repairs.  The house is within walking distance to the library, the park, the store and the ice cream shop!  The back yard is large and fenced which is a relief to me.  It's such a cozy little spot and I truly love it.  This is a picture of our dining room.  We do most of our homeschooling in this room.  It's comfortable and feels very homey to me.
In July I surprised everyone (again) by going into labor on my own and having my baby quickly... something I have never done!  i was only in labor for a total of seven hours and was only in the hospital for about 4 1/2 before our baby bo arrived!

Joseph Boaz

Joseph Boaz was born six days early on July 16th shortly after 9am.  He was 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches long.  He did great from the start and is continuing to grow in leaps and bounds.  At two months he had already gained about five and a half pounds and grown four inches!  He's happy and smiley and he fits in really well with the rest of the rowdies that live here!
I am homeschooling all of the children full time this year and, I have to say, for my family this is the only way to go!  Mine and Mitchell's relationship has really grown and God provided us with a schedule that has been beneficial to us all.  We are really involved with other families doing co-ops and we're involved with the local homeschool group, too.  Janie sees a friend once a week to learn Spanish and my friend Jackie teaches her Geology while I do a craft and playdate with her kids.  Tomorrow my friend Jenni starts a cooking class that my kids will attend.  There are once a week field trips with the homeschool group and we're trying to wrap up our second unit study of the year!
The trial for my friend Lisa's murder will be held this month... 14 months after her death.  Jury selection starts next week and trial is scheduled for November 15-19th.  We'll see if it happens in that time frame.  It would be good to put this part of the trauma behind us so I'm praying that everything will happen swiftly.