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Category: joy

changing hue

changing hue

Yesterday morning was just lovely. A tad brisk, but lovely. I walked down to the church behind our place and took some pictures of their trees (since we don’t have our own yet), and when I was looking at the pictures again this morning, they reminded of a line in a Josh Groban song: “Flaming flowers that brightly blaze/ Swirling clouds and violet haze/ Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue/ Colors changing hue/ Morning fields of amber grain …”

Isn’t autumn a gorgeous time of year? All the seasons can be, I know, but I particularly notice the Spring and Fall. It’s almost as if God gets out His box of colors for a final flourish before He sends the world to bed for the winter.

first photos

first photos

Last Thursday John and I went to the Good Samaritan Hospital and had an ultrasound. We came home with the knowledge that our baby is healthy and GROWING and looks quite perfect. The baby is also a little wiggler! The nurse had a hard time getting all the images she needed, because the little one kept moving. :P

these are days to remember

these are days to remember

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.
-john lubbock
Recently my days have been full of …… rest. At the ends of them I feel so unaccomplished, so lazy, idle and behind. But at the end of each one my dear and encouraging husband reminds me that I have been busy – God and I have been making a baby. It is far more important that anything else I could be doing!
birthday joys

birthday joys

The family sent a package for my birthday … and I opened it this morning.
It had 22 little packages inside – all numbered – and I am still opening them!

dinner guests

dinner guests

Evan, Sarah, Leah, Elizabeth and Esther stopped by for the evening yesterday. It was awesome to have people over!
We took them to church with us (we went last night because John had to work today) and stopped to pick up groceries on the way home. John BBQed some burgers and hot dogs (he is really starting to enjoy the charcoal grill!), and I made up some guacamole. John and I decided that we really enjoy having our family over. Mhmm.
The girls gave us a housewarming gift!

Oh, as they were about to leave I remembered that I had a cheesecake in the refrigerator that I had made up the day before (just because I felt like it). So they decided to stay a moment longer to partake. The recipe looked rather mundane, and the cheesecake itself rather resembled a wheel of Brie cheese, but once you bit into it (with some blueberry coulis on top), it was heavenly!
Sour Cream Cheesecake
Joy of Cooking
Crush or grind fine:
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
Stir into the crumbs until well blended:
1/4 to 1/2 cups powdered sugar (if substituting granulated, use 1/4 cup)
6 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
Pat into a 9″ springform pan. Chill.
Mix well, then pour into the crust:
2 well beaten eggs
3/4 lb. soft cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice or 1/2 tsp vanilla (I used vanilla)
1/2 tsp salt
Bake about 20 minutes in a preheated 375 oven. Remove from oven and dust the top with cinnamon.
Let cool to room temperature.
Mix well and pour over the cake:
1 1/2 cups thick cultured sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
Bake about 5 minutes in a 425 oven to glaze the cheesecake. Let it cool, then refrigerate from 6 to 12 hours before serving.
Blueberry Coulis
Cook’s Illustrated, May/June 2003
12 oz fresh or frozen thawed blueberries
5 (scant) tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
In a medium saucepan, bring berries, 1/4 cup water, sugar, cinnamon and salt to bare simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cook until sugar has dissolved and berries are heated through, about 1 minute longer.
(I skipped this next step) Transfer mixture to blender or food prcessor; puree until smooth, about 20 seconds. Strain through a very fine-mesh strainer , pressing and stirring to extract as mush seedless puree as possible.
Stir in lemon juice.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, as least 1 hour.