As of yesterday, I stepped down as the JV Volleyball coach. :( It was a really hard decision to make because I love sports and I love coaching/teaching high school girls the sport -- but I also don't want to be an insanely stressed out first-year teacher. Ultimately, the time commitment to both would be too much and since they're paying me more to be a teacher, that's where my focus must lie. Ugh. It stinks. But sometimes you have to give up "good" things for "great" things.
In the past I've been HORRIBLE at saying "no" to things. I kept putting things in my schedule until it got overbooked and before I knew it I was an emotional wreck because I had too many things going on at once. (Just ask Zach what I was like during our 4th year of college...) This time, as hard as it is, I'm saying "no" ahead of time and avoiding the whole stressful breakdown thing. Teaching, worship team, and being a wife is plenty on my plate this time around.
On a lighter note, IT'S ZACH'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! His birthday list is quite interesting... first he told me all he wanted was new socks and undershirts. Please. Those are necessities! What kind of birthday present is that! After a few days he revised his list: kettlebell, handgun, iPad... The bigger the boys, the bigger the toys. :) I'll see what I can do.
Not only is it Zach's birthday on Saturday, it is also MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY!!! She got her gift a little early this year. While she was gone on a hiking trip to the UP with a group of middle schoolers from Trinity last week, we (my siblings & dad) did a speed makeover of my parents' master bedroom. Whoa mama, was it a lot of work! We spent all Thursday cleaning and prepping. Friday we painted. Saturday we hung curtains, put light switch covers back on, rearranged furniture, put new sheets & new comforter on the bed, and made it look pretty. Mom got home Sunday night and she was very surprised! I wish I could have been there to see her face! She totally deserves a nice, relaxing room after all those years of raising seven kids. Love you, mom! I don't have any pictures at the moment but I'll post some later.
Happy Belated Birthday to our good, good friend who lives too far away, Candace!
AND!
Happy Belated Anniversaries to Ryan & Sarah Potter and Josh & Carlyn Thomson! I was a part of both of those weddings when they happened and I am so glad to call them friends.
It's fair week in Mecosta County! Zach and I are going to wander around after dinner tonight to check out the 4-H barns and browse the midway. Saturday night we are going to the Demolition Derby and I can't wait! It's so fun to watch -- the cars on the infield and to people watch. Seriously. There are some unique characters that show up for the demo derby... including us, I guess! Haha! Small town living at its finest.
Love,
Sarah
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Peach Sangria
This is a delicious recipe for Peach Sangria. I modified it slightly from a recipe in Coastal Living Magazine.
Peach Sangria
1 (750 mL) bottle white wine
1 bottle Arbor Mist, peach flavor
1 16-oz bottle sparkling water, peach flavor
2 cups peach schnapps
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 nectarines, sliced
1 cup green or red grapes, whole or sliced
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Stir before serving. Makes 16 cups.
This is the picture from the magazine recipe. Mine didn't look quite so fancy as it was served in red Solo cups. :)
Love,
Sarah
Peach Sangria
1 (750 mL) bottle white wine
1 bottle Arbor Mist, peach flavor
1 16-oz bottle sparkling water, peach flavor
2 cups peach schnapps
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 nectarines, sliced
1 cup green or red grapes, whole or sliced
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Stir before serving. Makes 16 cups.
This is the picture from the magazine recipe. Mine didn't look quite so fancy as it was served in red Solo cups. :)
Love,
Sarah
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Happy Birthday, America!
This post contains lots of pictures!
Sunday was a crazy long day filled with friends and family. Church then golf with the Cooks. We hit a bucket of balls at the driving range then played the 3 practice holes. Having never played, it was harder than it looks!
Then we went to a birthday party for kids of a small group family and ate lunch. We chatted and sat in the sun, okay, I chatted in the sun while Zach played Setter's of Catan with the other husbands. Then we sped back to Cook's just in time for Tyler's last dinner before leaving for Kansas. We had steak and potatoes, Tyler's favorite, and a delicious fruity dessert. By this point I was stuffed and we had one more party to go.... The last stop on Sunday was the Yonker's farm. We missed all the food, but we didn't care because we were so full from dinner. We played a fun game of volleyball in the yard then sat around the campfire making s'mores. I made a s'more with one of those GIANT marshmallows and it was HUGE! I had to use a whole graham cracker on each side and a whole bar of chocolate! Good thing my mom volunteered to help me eat it! We stayed there until late into the night. Kids were running around with sparklers and glow sticks and it was a good time.
For the first time in three years, we did not spend the holiday weekend at Wolf Lake with our dear friends, the Windemullers. :( Sad for us, but exciting for them because they are living in New Zealand for a year. Lord willing our tradition will continue next year! Instead of going to Wolf Lake for pontoon boat rides, a boat parade, hobo pies, and campfires - the whole Thorne family went to Ludington. My family actually used to do this every summer since I was a kid but in more recent years we've all done our own thing. It's hard to get everyone together when my sisters are all in college and my brothers are in high school and usually want to hang out with friends. It was such a blessing to have EVERYONE together to spend the day and evening to watch the fireworks. We packed up all things beachy and drove the hour to the beach. We set up camp with quilts, sheets, and towels and then the fun began! Seriously, when you go the beach with the Thornes there is no sitting on a blanket, napping or relaxing (except Amy, she still can't do much still). Footballs, frisbees, paddle ball, swimming, sand castle building, and not to mention a SWEET volleyball game with the Angell family on the beach volleyball court.
After an hour of sweaty, sandy volleyball it was time to hit the waves! However, everyone put on the brakes and stared when we got to the water's edge because the shore was covered with little dead fish! Lots of them!
It was gross but we waded past them into the deeper water to play a massive game of boys vs. girls keep away. It was SO FUN because there were SO MANY people involved, and most of us came from two big families! Their 7 kids plus Thorne's 7 kids, 1 spouse, 2 boyfriends, and the parents. Some people decided to throw dead fish instead of the football and that was disgusting but we carried on and caused a big ruckus.
Dinner was hot dogs on the grill, pasta salad made by my mom, fresh watermelon full of seeds for spitting, chips galore, and sangria! For the adults of course. This was my first attempt at making sangria and based on the compliments I received, it turned out well!
After dinner, some of us walked out onto the pier to the lighthouse.
Then it was time to dig out a trench for watching the fireworks back by our beach spot. The best way to watch the fireworks is to dig a trench with a spot for your behind and then pile the sand up for a nice backrest. Rachel, Justin, and Mom dug most of it (we had to fit 12 people for crying out loud!) then covered the sand with blankets and towels.
The coolest part of the whole night was during the fireworks when this guy walked by and looking at our long line of people all snuggled in he said, "Awwww! That right there is way better than those fireworks!" And I agree. Wrapped up in a blanket with Zach, with sisters on each side and the rest of the family farther down the line, watching the fireworks explode and light up the sky to celebrate America's independence, it was a very content moment.
BEST. DAY. EVER!
Love,
Sarah
Sunday was a crazy long day filled with friends and family. Church then golf with the Cooks. We hit a bucket of balls at the driving range then played the 3 practice holes. Having never played, it was harder than it looks!
Mom O-C making a putt while Tyler and I look on
Using my skills from Wolf Lake last year!
For the first time in three years, we did not spend the holiday weekend at Wolf Lake with our dear friends, the Windemullers. :( Sad for us, but exciting for them because they are living in New Zealand for a year. Lord willing our tradition will continue next year! Instead of going to Wolf Lake for pontoon boat rides, a boat parade, hobo pies, and campfires - the whole Thorne family went to Ludington. My family actually used to do this every summer since I was a kid but in more recent years we've all done our own thing. It's hard to get everyone together when my sisters are all in college and my brothers are in high school and usually want to hang out with friends. It was such a blessing to have EVERYONE together to spend the day and evening to watch the fireworks. We packed up all things beachy and drove the hour to the beach. We set up camp with quilts, sheets, and towels and then the fun began! Seriously, when you go the beach with the Thornes there is no sitting on a blanket, napping or relaxing (except Amy, she still can't do much still). Footballs, frisbees, paddle ball, swimming, sand castle building, and not to mention a SWEET volleyball game with the Angell family on the beach volleyball court.
Dad & Mikey throwing the football
Katie playing a version of paddle ball with Kyle and Rachel tossing a football with Jared
Katie & Kyle
After an hour of sweaty, sandy volleyball it was time to hit the waves! However, everyone put on the brakes and stared when we got to the water's edge because the shore was covered with little dead fish! Lots of them!
It was gross but we waded past them into the deeper water to play a massive game of boys vs. girls keep away. It was SO FUN because there were SO MANY people involved, and most of us came from two big families! Their 7 kids plus Thorne's 7 kids, 1 spouse, 2 boyfriends, and the parents. Some people decided to throw dead fish instead of the football and that was disgusting but we carried on and caused a big ruckus.
Dinner was hot dogs on the grill, pasta salad made by my mom, fresh watermelon full of seeds for spitting, chips galore, and sangria! For the adults of course. This was my first attempt at making sangria and based on the compliments I received, it turned out well!
Amy and Dad
Travis' big new smile
Justin, Rachel, Jared, Katie, Kyle
My husband, the grill master :)
After dinner, some of us walked out onto the pier to the lighthouse.
Then it was time to dig out a trench for watching the fireworks back by our beach spot. The best way to watch the fireworks is to dig a trench with a spot for your behind and then pile the sand up for a nice backrest. Rachel, Justin, and Mom dug most of it (we had to fit 12 people for crying out loud!) then covered the sand with blankets and towels.
Rachel & Justin digging out sand chairs --oh, and Mikey trying to un-bury himself...
Ready & waiting for fireworks!
The coolest part of the whole night was during the fireworks when this guy walked by and looking at our long line of people all snuggled in he said, "Awwww! That right there is way better than those fireworks!" And I agree. Wrapped up in a blanket with Zach, with sisters on each side and the rest of the family farther down the line, watching the fireworks explode and light up the sky to celebrate America's independence, it was a very content moment.
My Family
Love,
Sarah
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Yesterday I Lived in the Kitchen
Yesterday I lived in the kitchen. Well, kinda. After I got home from a swiss ball workout class in town, I set up camp in the kitchen with my laptop, some CDs, and a few recipes I wanted to try out. The first thing I did was to throw some ingredients for pizza dough into the bread machine and got that going for dinner later. Then I got started on Pumpkin Pie Squares. I had about 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree leftover from when I made pumpkin bread & muffins last week that needed to get used up. I know it's summer and pumpkin is usually a fall-ish type flavor, but they just sounded good and who can let good food go to waste!? Plus, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and pumpkin pie is the best part of the meal.
Pumpkin Pie Squares
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. pecans (I didn't have any so I didn't use them)
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves (or pumpkin pie spice is what I used)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and pecans. Cut in margarine until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remaining oat mixture into bottom of ungreased 13x9 in pan. I used an 8x8 pan because I like them thicker. Bake 15 minutes.
Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger & cloves (or pumpkin pie spice); beat well. I used a stand mixer but a hand mixer or a whisk works just as well.
Pour pumpkin mixture over crust; bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle reserve oat mixture over top; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until filling is set. Thanks to my little brother, Michael for this SWEET pan that he got me for Christmas. It comes with that little contraption to cut perfectly sized desserts.
Serve with cool whip and vanilla ice cream, which I didn't have unfortunately.
Makes 12 squares.
Well, after my pumpkin pie bar endeavor, I turned my attention back to the pizza dough in the bread machine. To my dismay, it was a soupy mess.... I forgot to put in one of the cups of flour. Ugh. I dumped the sloppy, sticky mess into a bigger bowl and added flour and kneaded until it looked like pizza dough. Then I let that rise for another hour or so before squishing it out into a pizza crust. I topped it with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and ham on the whole thing. Since our tastes differ, I put onions on Zachs' half and mushrooms on my half. :) When Zach walked in the door at 5:30 he said, "Something smells GOOD in here!" Success.
Zach didn't have to work today! Yay! And he got home at a normal hour last night too. We had homemade pizza and salad for dinner then went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Canadian Lakes is PACKED with vehicles, boats, people, grills, and fishing tackle during 4th of July weekend. Then we watched Disney's "Tangled" and ate the Pumpkin Pie Squares for dessert. Great night! Today he was up and at 'em wayyyy before me this morning so he went off to the farm for a few hours. When he came home he mowed the lawn which actually has some grass growing in it now! I've been entering this blog and doing laundry. Zach is now eating mac & cheese right out of the pot as I write this. Ha ha.
We're off to a wedding in an hour and I've got to go get ready.
Love,
Sarah
Pumpkin Pie Squares
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. pecans (I didn't have any so I didn't use them)
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves (or pumpkin pie spice is what I used)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and pecans. Cut in margarine until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remaining oat mixture into bottom of ungreased 13x9 in pan. I used an 8x8 pan because I like them thicker. Bake 15 minutes.
Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger & cloves (or pumpkin pie spice); beat well. I used a stand mixer but a hand mixer or a whisk works just as well.
Pour pumpkin mixture over crust; bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle reserve oat mixture over top; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until filling is set. Thanks to my little brother, Michael for this SWEET pan that he got me for Christmas. It comes with that little contraption to cut perfectly sized desserts.
Serve with cool whip and vanilla ice cream, which I didn't have unfortunately.
Makes 12 squares.
Well, after my pumpkin pie bar endeavor, I turned my attention back to the pizza dough in the bread machine. To my dismay, it was a soupy mess.... I forgot to put in one of the cups of flour. Ugh. I dumped the sloppy, sticky mess into a bigger bowl and added flour and kneaded until it looked like pizza dough. Then I let that rise for another hour or so before squishing it out into a pizza crust. I topped it with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and ham on the whole thing. Since our tastes differ, I put onions on Zachs' half and mushrooms on my half. :) When Zach walked in the door at 5:30 he said, "Something smells GOOD in here!" Success.
Zach didn't have to work today! Yay! And he got home at a normal hour last night too. We had homemade pizza and salad for dinner then went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Canadian Lakes is PACKED with vehicles, boats, people, grills, and fishing tackle during 4th of July weekend. Then we watched Disney's "Tangled" and ate the Pumpkin Pie Squares for dessert. Great night! Today he was up and at 'em wayyyy before me this morning so he went off to the farm for a few hours. When he came home he mowed the lawn which actually has some grass growing in it now! I've been entering this blog and doing laundry. Zach is now eating mac & cheese right out of the pot as I write this. Ha ha.
We're off to a wedding in an hour and I've got to go get ready.
Love,
Sarah
Friday, July 1, 2011
New Things
I am now a 1st grade teacher at Crossroads Charter Academy in Big Rapids. My interview was Monday and the principal called me back on Tuesday afternoon to let me know that I got the job! (Yay for getting student loans paid off faster!) He doesn't know when I can start putting together a classroom because he doesn't know where they are going to put me.... one of the first grade teachers decided to go back to teaching kindergarten so they don't know if they will move her back to her old room or stay where she's at. Plus, with her moving back to Kinder, they no longer have a Kinder teacher position to fill but now have another 1st grade teaching position left to fill. On top of that, we need another classroom for the other new 1st grade teacher as well. CCA is bursting at the seams as far as enrollment goes and that's a good problem if you ask me. As soon as I can get in the building and start setting up the better. I've already decided I want to have a farm theme classroom so I'll post pictures as things start moving.
In other new things, I tried a new dessert recipe that is "no bake" and it turned out DELICIOUSLY! Thanks to the Blue-Eyed Bakers website for this recipe called "Salt River Bars." This dessert is SO EASY. Plus it's salty, chocolate-y, caramel-y, and crunchy. Here's the recipe and a picture of how mine turned out:
Salt River Bars
1 box club crackers (I used saltine crackers instead)
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil or canola oil
coarse sea salt
Line 8x8 glass or metal baking pan with foil so that it's hanging over the edges of the pan. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray or grease lightly with vegetable oil or butter.
Place 15 club crackers (5 rows of 3) in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle 1/3 c. of the peanut butter chips over the crackers. (Note: I used saltine crackers so they didn't fit into the pan as nicely. I laid out 9 whole crackers, 3 rows of 3 tightly packed, then cut a few crackers in half to use on the top and side gap.)
Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted, bubbly around edges, smooth and creamy, (about 5 minutes). Pour 1/3 of this caramel-y mixture over the crackers and peanut butter chips as evenly as possible. (NOTE: I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the caramel more evenly.) Then add another layer of crackers, peanut butter chips and caramel on top. Then another layer and then finish with a layer of crackers. **I forgot to take a picture of this step.**
Finally, melt the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in the microwave, stirring in 30 second increments utnil the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate over the final cracker layer evenly.
Let cool ever so slightly then sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt.
Place in the fridge for 60 minutes or until chocolate is hardened. Cut into bars. Serve and store cool.
http://www.blueeyedbakers.com/home/2011/6/16/salt-river-bars.html - Check out their website for more pictures plus a comical commentary. Those ladies crack me up!
In other new things, I tried a new dessert recipe that is "no bake" and it turned out DELICIOUSLY! Thanks to the Blue-Eyed Bakers website for this recipe called "Salt River Bars." This dessert is SO EASY. Plus it's salty, chocolate-y, caramel-y, and crunchy. Here's the recipe and a picture of how mine turned out:
Salt River Bars
1 box club crackers (I used saltine crackers instead)
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil or canola oil
coarse sea salt
Line 8x8 glass or metal baking pan with foil so that it's hanging over the edges of the pan. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray or grease lightly with vegetable oil or butter.
Place 15 club crackers (5 rows of 3) in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle 1/3 c. of the peanut butter chips over the crackers. (Note: I used saltine crackers so they didn't fit into the pan as nicely. I laid out 9 whole crackers, 3 rows of 3 tightly packed, then cut a few crackers in half to use on the top and side gap.)
Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted, bubbly around edges, smooth and creamy, (about 5 minutes). Pour 1/3 of this caramel-y mixture over the crackers and peanut butter chips as evenly as possible. (NOTE: I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the caramel more evenly.) Then add another layer of crackers, peanut butter chips and caramel on top. Then another layer and then finish with a layer of crackers. **I forgot to take a picture of this step.**
Finally, melt the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in the microwave, stirring in 30 second increments utnil the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate over the final cracker layer evenly.
Let cool ever so slightly then sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt.
Place in the fridge for 60 minutes or until chocolate is hardened. Cut into bars. Serve and store cool.
http://www.blueeyedbakers.com/home/2011/6/16/salt-river-bars.html - Check out their website for more pictures plus a comical commentary. Those ladies crack me up!
Love,
Sarah
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Volleyball Camp
My mom and I co-directed a middle school volleyball camp through our church's youth ministry, Powerhouse. It was a 3-day camp from 8AM-noon and about 30 girls attended! They came from almost every area school and even a few from farther away! We had a ton of help from Morley Stanwood coach, Matt Kozuch, who ran mostly all the drills. He was a lifesaver because he has a wealth of volleyball knowledge and drills/games. We also had CCA head coach, Mike Shaver, teach a session on passing and Ferris State University volleyball player & Morley Stanwood HS graduate, Ashley Huntey, come in and share her testimony today. We had a registered dietician come in and do a talk on healthy eating and body image with the girls. Along with my sisters, our youth pastor's wife, and a high school volunteer we had a great group of coaches. Each day during snack we had a devotion/faith story sharing time and two girls accepted Christ for the first time. We're praying those girls keep growing and learning more about Jesus Christ and that the girls who didn't respond have time for those seeds of the gospel to grow inside them. Here's a picture of the whole crew.
After volleyball, some of us staff went out to lunch at Pepper's, mmmmm! We chatted about how camp went and any things that we could do differently next year. When Katie and I got home, these little guys were in the back yard. There were 3 of them laying out there in the shade.
After volleyball, some of us staff went out to lunch at Pepper's, mmmmm! We chatted about how camp went and any things that we could do differently next year. When Katie and I got home, these little guys were in the back yard. There were 3 of them laying out there in the shade.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Summer?
The weather has not been so summery lately, aka, lots of rain and cold weather. But I'm not going to complain because that means Zach is home earlier! They are mostly done with all the busyness of the springtime rush! He's been home at 5:30PM for the past three days and I couldn't be happier. :) Zach totally impressed me, and a bunch of other people, last night when he stepped in as the umpire for our softball game when one didn't show up. He may have gotten a little heckling from my dad and from his neighbor who has known him since he was a little kid, but all in all he did a great job!
Our garden is slowly growing. The beans, onions, tomatos, and jalepenos are doing okay. But with all the rain, a couple of the cucumber and pumpkin hills got demolished so we had to replant and build up those again. The sugar peas are NOT doing well, so Zach replanted most of them. He's actually out at the farm right now tilling and weeding. I feel a bit lazy at the moment, but I'll be out there later. Here's a picture of Zach putting cages on the tomatos and watering the garden.
Oh! And here's a picture of the growing jalpenos! I guess I might have a green thumb after all!
Amy's incision is still healing but she's had a lot of swelling in that leg. She has moved from using a cane to a crutch. Maybe she got sick of the grandma jokes! She can drive again but it's too painful on her leg so she's content to be driven around by someone else. She (and Katie) brought ice cream out to our house after work the other night to celebrate the end of her Daniel Fast and her no cancer results. Mmmm.
This morning I made some pumpkin bread, per request of my mother who also just finished the Daniel Fast. I used the recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and it turned out great. There was so much batter that I made a whole loaf, 12 muffins, and 10 chocolate chip muffins. Here's a picture of the finished product and the link to the Better Homes & Gardens recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/breads/pumpkin-bread/
Grandma & Grandpa O'Neill are up visiting this weekend so I'm off to the farm!
Love,
Sarah
Our garden is slowly growing. The beans, onions, tomatos, and jalepenos are doing okay. But with all the rain, a couple of the cucumber and pumpkin hills got demolished so we had to replant and build up those again. The sugar peas are NOT doing well, so Zach replanted most of them. He's actually out at the farm right now tilling and weeding. I feel a bit lazy at the moment, but I'll be out there later. Here's a picture of Zach putting cages on the tomatos and watering the garden.
Oh! And here's a picture of the growing jalpenos! I guess I might have a green thumb after all!
Amy's incision is still healing but she's had a lot of swelling in that leg. She has moved from using a cane to a crutch. Maybe she got sick of the grandma jokes! She can drive again but it's too painful on her leg so she's content to be driven around by someone else. She (and Katie) brought ice cream out to our house after work the other night to celebrate the end of her Daniel Fast and her no cancer results. Mmmm.
This morning I made some pumpkin bread, per request of my mother who also just finished the Daniel Fast. I used the recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and it turned out great. There was so much batter that I made a whole loaf, 12 muffins, and 10 chocolate chip muffins. Here's a picture of the finished product and the link to the Better Homes & Gardens recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/breads/pumpkin-bread/
Grandma & Grandpa O'Neill are up visiting this weekend so I'm off to the farm!
Love,
Sarah
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