Nineteen!

Nineteen Years Today.

Happy Anniversary!

Wedding Anniversary

On September 30, 1989 I married the man of my dreams. 

Some of the things that attracted me to my husband were:

His unique name.

His height.

His green eyes.

His hairy chest!

Sexy arms.

Fun personality.

Stability.

Love for his family.

His profession. (He looked very attractive in his Coast Guard uniform!)

I love my husband very much.  I am happy the Lord arranged our meeting almost 20 years ago (February 1989) and that the Lord allowed us to marry 19 years ago.  We've been very happy together and it constantly amazes us that almost 20 years have gone by so fast!

We believe the secret to an enduring marriage is to have Jesus Christ as the center of it. 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

TO MY MANLY MAN!

 

 

Books

I love to read!

Cooking

 On my recent trip to Tennessee I bought some very cool bowls.  I have wanted to make French Onion Soup.  The bowls I bought were perfect!  I'll post my recipe but I did change a few things!

French Onion Soup

8 Onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3T. olive oil

2 T. flour

8 C. beef stock

1/4 C. dry white wine **

1/2 t. dried thyme **

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

1 loaf french bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick

2 C. grated Gruyere **

Saute the onions and garlic in oil, over low heat, until tender and golden yellow. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well.  Add stock and wine bring to a boil, add thyme and bay leaf.  Reduce heat, cover, simmer gently for 20 minutes or so.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile slice bread to 3/4 inches and butter both sides.  Toast slices in saute pan, broiler, toaster griddle until toasted on both sides.  Ladle soup into oven proof bowls, add toasted bread and cover with cheese.  Place ovenproof bowls on baking sheet covered with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and golden, or under broiler until cheese is melted and golden, about 5 minutes.

**  (We do not drink alcoholic beverages.  I substituted 12 oz. sparkling apple juice plus 1 t. vinegar for the dry white wine.)

**  (I used 1T fresh thyme instead of dry.)

** ( Gruyere cheese is made in Switzerland.  I substituted Swiss cheese for the Gruyere.)

I made a big pot of this and I am positive it will be better when the flavors blend after it has cooled and been reheated.

I served the soup with a big salad bar.  Pictured are butter beans, tomatoes, peas, pickled beets, garbanzo beans, baby corn, and croutons.

I left the broiler door open after melting the cheese on the soup.  While it was cooling, Shadow the cat came to investigate.  I was warm and dark and she was about ready to crawl inside when I snapped the first picture.

 

Tennessee Trip

These photos are of a recent trip to Tennessee.  Both of my boys had a great time with all their family, especially playing with the cousins for 4 days!

 

For My Friends

A recipe for kimbo2003

Easy Blackberry Banana Bread

1/2-3/4 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Shortening or Margarine

2 Eggs

2 C. Flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

2 Bananas, mashed

1 1/2 C. blackberries, frozen or fresh (if using frozen, thaw first)

1/2 C. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Turn oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour one loaf pan. 

In medium size mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening and eggs with electric mixer on medium-high speed.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, bananas and nuts.  Mix again with electric mixer until ingredients just come together.  With large wooden spoon, fold in berries gently.  If you're rough, the bread will be very dark from berry juice.(If you use frozen berries, they hold together better and do not discolor batter.)  Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for one hour.  This bread may be served hot or cold.  (I like it warm with lots of butter!)

*May also substitute frozen Raspberries with great results. 

*This recipe is easily doubled.

A recipe for Jessnboyz

Imitation Orange Julius/Jamba Juice

3 C. orange juice (already prepared style not frozen concentrate)*

1 envelope DREAM WHIP*

1 (3.125 oz.) package dry, instant vanilla pudding

3 C. orange juice (already prepared style, not frozen concentrate)*

Pour 3 C. orange juice into a blender.  Add 1 envelope DREAM WHIP and one envelope vanilla instant pudding.  Blend 1 minute on low then medium-high 1 minute.  Pour this mix into a 2 qt. pitcher and add 3 C. orange juice.  Stir well.  Serve over finely chopped ice in large glass with a straw.

**I used a combination of juice.  For the last 3 C. we tried a prepared blend with a combination of mango, banana, carrot, grape and orange juices.  Delicious!!

The DREAM WHIP is sold in the isle with pie fillings and cake mixes.  It comes two packages to a box.

 

 

New Friends

I really do have new friends, honest.  I am posting a picture of my new friend Allison and her daughter Sienna.  I reflect back on things the Lord does for me and I know I am blessed.  I met this dear lady on our first Sunday trying out churches in New Jersey.  She actually lives not too far from me, maybe a mile away!?  This sweet family is also looking for a church to belong to.  The Lord led both of our families to this particular church where we met on the same Sunday.  We are the only families from this area traveling to that church.  We've enjoyed some sweet fellowship recently.   Allison is a proper English lady with a great accent and I love listening to her speak!  We'll be having some cooking lessons in the near future.  I will be able to use some of my 'tea' things on her!

 

What to Write

I am struggling with what to write and post now that our lives have settled down.  There are several spiritual things on my heart that I want to get down on my blog for others to see.  I just don't have the time to put them down now.

Please be in prayer for us as we have been faithfully attending a church.  We're praying about this one particular church and whether the Lord would have us be a part of their family. (www.sbbcnj.org)

Here is a fun picture of Shadow, the cat, relaxing in a basket she thinks belongs to her.

Our Labor Day Weekend

Where have the days gone?  Our summer has flown by and already fall is here.  We had a nice weekend.  Saturday was spent with the manly man on a grocery shopping date.  We spent 4 hours combing various stores in search of provisions.  I had a lot of stocking up to do this time as I am back in the cooking mode.  We spent about $366 dollars at 5 stores.  My menu and groceries should take us to September 20 when leave for family vacation in Tennessee.

Sunday was church day.  We dressed up to attend church on our hunt to find a good church.  We were again disappointed, not the right one for us.  Sunday night we went back to the first church we visited in the area and attend their evening service.  It was a blessing!  The preaching was sound, the music conservative.   It is about a 20 minute drive from our home on Sunday's.  Not sure what it will be like for the Wednesday midweek service and rush hour traffic.  We'll find out.  Please check out their website.  www.sbbcnj.org

We've enjoyed our fellowship with our new friends we met a little over 4 weeks ago.  We've spent some good fellowship with them recently.  I still haven't gotten a picture of them!!

Monday we were going to spend the day with our new friends but they had to finish some work at home.  They were sad they could not go to play with us.  We took a drive to the very corner of the state that touches both Pennsylvania and New York and drove a bit of the Appalachian mountain range that follows the Delaware river.  It was so beautiful.  We had a picnic by a gently flowing trout stream and were all by ourselves!  I was amazed that the area we explored was not more congested.

 

 

Today #2 son and I started homeschool.  We are working on preschool-kindergarten and using books from last year.  Today we reviewed the alphabet, letters A and B, numbers 1-10, colors, opposites,shapes and his name.  It took about 75 minutes to complete the work of the day.  We'll continue in review for a couple weeks and then introduce a bit more as time goes on. 

I spent the afternoon on the internet boning up on homeschooling for New Jersey.  Then I researched field trips.  I came up with about 10 things to do this fall if we choose:  Crayola Factory, Sesame Place (A Sesame Street theme park), Liberty Science Center,  NJ Planetarium, Hershey Park (and exploring Amish history) Discovery Museum (A children's touch and learn museum), Apple picking?, September Street Festival, Free Symphony concert for children.  Sound like fun?  I think so.  I know #2 son will enjoy it as he likes to be social.

I have to run for now and get dinner on the table, Vegetable Soup and corn bread.