the farm chicks in-person!

Guess who I get to meet on Saturday? You guessed it! These wonderful ladies, Teri and Serena, otherwise known as The Farm Chicks. I'd say, "ha ha," but that would be a bit immature, don't you think? It's not like we're meeting for coffee or anything...I'm just running to the grocery store to pick up a few items and, oh, getting my new cookbook signed!

I can hardly wait. Do any of you own their new cookbook? It's wonderful!

vintage kitchen towels

What is it about vintage kitchen towels?

They make me smile.

They don't have to match; they don't even have to be clean. Mine get a bit grubby from little hands around here...

"use the towel after you wash your hands, please."

I guess that's what makes them so special.

mrs. morgan's caramel corn (make it in your microwave!)

I no longer have a microwave--long story. But the only thing I miss about having one is being able to make this delicious and 0h-so-easy recipe for caramel corn in a brown paper bag. Hope you get a chance to try it. I promise you won't be disappointed!

What you'll need:

4 quarts of popped popcorn (I pop 1/2 cup of kernels in my popcorn popper)

Combine:
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine
1/4 cup white Karo Syrup
1/2 tsp. salt

Boil in microwave for 2 minutes (don't stir).
It must boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from microwave and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Stir.

Put popped popcorn in a brown paper bag.
Pour syrup over popcorn, close bag and shake.

Microwave on high for 1 1/2 min.
Remove bag and shake.

Microwave on high for another 1 1/2 min.
Remove bag and shake.

Cool in a single layer on waxed paper.

my heart is ready for spring...

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold...

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only for an hour."

"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year."

from "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and "A Prayer in Spring"
--Robert Frost

sing over me

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
-Zephaniah 3:17

My mom gave me this CD three years ago, right around the time my twin daughters were born. I loved its soft, gentle lullabies and worship songs.

There are no more babies to rock to sleep here in our home, but I still find myself listening to this album over and over again. It reminds me of a very special time in my life. Right after my girls were born, my husband was in a terrible accident at work, which ended his career as a firefighter. At times things seemed very dark, but as I sang these songs and rocked my girls, God, my Heavenly Father, was singing over me, calming my restless spirit as I tried to calm my restless babies.

He will quiet you with His love...

What a sweet time that was, and oh, the lessons I learned!

spring break

Two weeks ago our family drove down to California (about a 16 hour drive) to visit family for Spring Break. We had a wonderful time visiting moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. God is so good to fill our lives with people to love and people to love us! My kids were in heaven with doting grandmas and aunts. We savored the sunshine and the green grass, conversations over tea and coffee, and watching our kids run around barefoot.

My husband and I were able to spend a night at a bed and breakfast in Mendocino. It was wonderful to see, smell and hear the ocean again!

We drove all night on the way down to California, but drove during the day on the way home. This was an interesting experience with 4 small children. We watched a few movies, read from Farmer Boy, and took naps. We were excited to stop at a Trader Joe's in Bend, OR (we don't have one anywhere near us) to stock up on a few of our favorite items. My kids thought it was a playground...they were literally bouncing off the walls. I decided not to stress out about it too much because it's very unlikely that I'll see any of those people again. I decided that if I got any strange looks from moms who would never let their kids act that way in a store, I would just smile politely and say, "they've been in a car for the past 8 hours," and push my little cart to the next aisle.

We arrived home early Friday morning. After unpacking and doing a bit of laundry, my husband and kids took me to the airport that night--about a month ago, my dear friend, Emily, planned an all expense-paid trip for me to visit her in Seattle! Hopefully I'll be able to sit down and write about my wonderful weekend soon.