Books of the Bible

Adam's Sunday School class has been learning the books of the bible this past quarter, from Genesis - Psalms. I'm his teacher 1/3 of the time (we rotate) and i admit, at first i was very skeptical about 3 and 4 year olds saying words like Leviticus and Deuteronomy. But I can't believe these kids!! even the youngest one, just over 3 years old, can say these books, In order! I was encouraged to do more memory work at home with Adam, even w/ the twins. Kids love to learn and hear themselves talk so why not start now. It makes them feel good to recite things from memory. And it's rewarding as a parent. And they are learning the Word.

Here's Adam saying his books, forgetting Esther (sorry Gma) and Psalms. Still so proud.

I'm going to miss teaching Adam's class, after the baby comes. I like the group of kids, and while the boys get pretty hyper, they still have a desire to learn and it's so neat to see.

Grapefruit Goodness

Our family loves grapefruit! it's a staple for us in the winter. Rod's Grandpa so graciously gets us a whole case every other week at Roots market (we do pay him, g-fruit is none too cheap). And we easily go through that case in the 2 weeks. I don't know what it's called (sectioning?) but Rod's mom showed me how to cut them up, and makes it easy to eat and get the most out of them....

First, you peel the whole thing, leaving no rind.

Then you go into each "compartment" and section out the fruit with a serrated knife. After it's all gutted, you can squeeze the juice out too, into the container. This process does take some time, but i'm getting quicker at it. (or more tolerant, not sure). Then come the little hands to sample...

I'm glad the boys like to eat a variety of different things. Although they have their finicky foods, they are pretty consistent w/ fruits and veggies. They won't hardly touch spaghettios or mac & cheese, but give them grapefruit or broccoli and they will chow down. No wonder we're not on the charts for weight! :)

Anyway, i got side-tracked there. I'm thankful for yummy fruit like grapfruit in the off-season. Give this a try sometime, if you like grapefruit...

Thoughts on Winter

I was never a big fan of wintertime. It just seems like many of my interests get taken away from me....Gardening, flowers, sunlight, phillies, and so on. But this year and maybe even last winter a little, I've come to accept and even appreciate the season of winter. Downtime, with less work. More time to do crafts with the kids and book reading. Time to organize closets and cupboards. Naps. Crocheting. Trips to grocery outlets to stock the pantry full. A little fun shopping, like trips to AC Moore, Target, and the mall. I just don't make much time for these things in the summertime. So i think, maybe, i'm beginning to like wintertime. Just not as much as summer :)

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven." Ecc. 3:1

Train display

A month ago, i saw on the news a story of this man from York that opens his home in January for people to see his train display. I thought it would be a fun thing to do with the kids. You are supposed to call for an appt., and i called yesterday. The voice mail said they were booked this January and to try again next year. I left a message anyway and said if you happen to get a cancellation to please give us a call. Only a few hours later we got a call from them saying they got a cancellation! So we were able to go last night and it was amazing! The kids loved it, we were there 2 hours and could have stayed longer. He took time to explain everything, and since he takes appts only it was just us there which was nice. It was a blessing to be able to do this family outing.

The pictures don't do it much justice, there was so much detail and creativity involved.
The boys were taking it all in. He even let Adam push buttons to make all the different things things work. The main display was in his basement, but they also had a thomas-like (brio) display upstairs for the younger kids who got bored with the downstairs display. The twins came up here toward the end. Mr. Jack has blessed a lot of people by doing this (for free), I'm keeping his number for next January!

Photo shoot

A young gal from church is taking photography in school and needed to get photo shoots in for her portfolio. She asked to take pics of the boys and of course i was excited about that! She wanted a few candid shots and i made the mistake of telling the boys to wrestle. They didn't cooperate well after that, a tad too hyper. But she did a great job. Here's a few favorites..
Ben & Brad look so different to me...i don't know why people can't tell them apart!

Recipes

Every time i post a recipe, at least one person tells me they tried it and liked it, so i'll continue to randomly post things. This meal was a doozy if i may say so myself. Takes some time to make, but very good.....Dinner knots & Pasta Primavera. Both recipes make A LOT, so you could make it for company as well.

Here goes...

DINNER KNOTS(i got lazy with the knotting, so they look more like rolls)From: Taste of Home

Tender Dinner Knots

1 Package active dry yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. warm milk

1 egg

2 T sugar

2 T shortening

1 tsp. salt

3 1/2 - 4 c. flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, egg, sugar, shortening, salt, and 2 c. flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; shape into 25 pieces. To form knots, roll each piece into a 10 inch rope; tie each into a knot and tuck ends under. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes.

Bake at 400 for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

PASTA PRIMAVERA - From: Cooks Country

Pasta Primavera

2 T butter

1 small onion, chopped fine

8 oz. mushrooms, quartered

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup heavy whipping cream

12 oz. fettuccine

1 lb. asparagus, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup parm cheese

1 1/2 T lemon juice

1 T dried basil

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot for cooking pasta. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over med heat. Add onion, mushrooms, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and cook until soft and browned. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and cream, increase heat to high, bring to boil, and remove pan from heat.

As sauce cooks, add 2 T salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Add asparagus to pot and cook for 1 minute. Add zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas and cook until pasta is al dente.

Drain pasta and veggies and return to pot. Toss in cream sauce, cheese, lemon juice, and basil.

Enjoy!

Need a laugh?...

Rod took this video last night while i was at the eye doctor (yes, another thing off my list!) The funny part is within the first 20 seconds, but the rest is just fun to watch. Turn up your volume so you can hear what they're saying..
(Brad's the one with "the hair")