aren’t they just the cutest things?
I am rather fond of them myself.
celebrating
home with Daddy
more photos from the park picnic
We spent the evening at one of the county parks last month, and here are a few more of the pictures that I had been meaning to post.
John, getting his fishing pole ready
cooing at the trees (they make a beautiful and fascinating mobile)
Emma and I hung out for about an hour while John was fishing, and I entertained myself by taking pictures of Emma and reading. Mostly taking pictures of Emma, though. :)
Emma was so excited to see her daddy when he got back!
John grilled up a wonderful dinner of steak and onions to go with the cheese, salad and bread that we had brought.
father’s day & hummingbirds
Emma got John a Popeye shirt and a onesie (for her to wear) that says “I Daddy“, and I got him a hummingbird feeder. We were so excited to see that the birds have found it!
We stretched Father’s Day into a weekend event with John opening presents here on Saturday before we drove over to Indianapolis. Everyone was at the Smillie’s except Brian who had to work on Sunday.
It was a fun and relaxed day and a half. The guys enjoyed hours of fishing in the retention pond Saturday and Sunday, and John tried to reaquaint me with a fishing pole (I’ve got quite a way to go before I can be called a fisherwoman!).
Some of the guys went shooting (Evan got a new scope and they needed to sight it in). We swam in a friend’s pool. It was a quiet few days, but so very enjoyed.
Somehow the camera never came out of its case the entire time we were there, so I don’t have any pictures to share. I’m planning to take one soon of John and Emma in their new shirts. They look so very cute. :)
oh, hello!
apple pie
apple pie & coffee for breakfast, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.
We made an apple pie the other night, and a day and a half later, this was all that was left. Between the two of us, we ate 7/8 of a pie in a day and a half. It was that good.
It was very good. The apples were good, the crumb topping was good, but the crust was very good. I have never made a crust that tasted that good. I found the recipe for the crust in A Homemade Life (a memoir/cookbook that I’ve been reading. The memoir part is okay, but the recipes are wonderful) and the pie recipe was from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1965 edition).So, here are the recipes, edited slightly.
Crust
4 tblsp ice water
3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tblsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
9 tblsp butter
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the water and vinegar.
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs; there should be no pieces bigger than a pea.
Sprinkle the water mixture over the flour mixture, stirring just until moist clumps form. If you pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it in your fist, it should hold together. If the dough seems a bit dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon.
Turn the dough out onto a wooden board or a clean countertop, and gather it, massaging and pressing, until it just holds together.
(At this point the recipe says to form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for two hours, but I just went ahead and rolled it out)
Apple Crumb Pie
5 apples, sliced (5 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup suage
3/4 flour
1/3 cup butter
Arrange the apples in the pie crust. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinlke over the apples. Drizzle lemon juice over the apples. Lightly toss.
Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinle over apples.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.
And that’s it! John cut the apples while I mixed the crust, and between the two of us we had the pie in the oven in 20 minutes.
It was so very good. Maybe it was all the butter.
So glad that John had the idea.
Oh. We also made brownies to go with the pie.
last night
Emma was tired and cranky, but too tired to easily fall asleep. John held her and soothed her while I got dinner together (we had fajitas – so I didn’t really cook, just brought all the ingredients together), and when I looked up she was sound asleep. Safe, secure, and cuddled on her daddy’s chest.
I went outside to look at the little plants after the dishes were done, and noticed through the window that John was reading in our room. It was such a peaceful sight: his toes sticking up over the footboard, all in silhouette, with the curtain blowing in the breeze.
It was a peace-filled evening.
dancing on his feet
mother’s day 2009
family of three, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.
‘Twas a lovely day. I felt so loved and honored all day long.
John made me breakfast in bed and entertained Emma so that I could sleep another hour (not sure which gift I appreciated more!). They gave me a bouquet of roses, a gift certificate for a pedicure and a frame for a picture of Emma.
Emma had “encouraged” us to start our day a few hours earlier than planned, so we had time to leisurely enjoy our coffee together before heading off to church.
Afterwards we hurried home to make put the furniture back in place (John cleaned the carpet yesterday – thank you Darling!) and make lunch for family who had phoned to let us know that they would be arriving slightly ahead of schedule – by two hours!
Lunch turned out great, and we had a wonderful afternoon visiting with them all – John’s mom Teri, sister Sarah and brother Brian, brother’s 
fiancee Leah and her sister Esther. They were returning from a road trip for Brian’s graduation from Liberty University with a master’s degree in (international?) business.
John and I finished the evening by reading together as the light was fading … and finishing off the rest of the cheesecake. :)
fiancee Leah and her sister Esther. They were returning from a road trip for Brian’s graduation from Liberty University with a master’s degree in (international?) business.John and I finished the evening by reading together as the light was fading … and finishing off the rest of the cheesecake. :)
Here’s a sweet tribute – of sorts – to motherhood that I heard on NPR: At My Place, Every Day Is Mother’s Day
I hope you all had a beautiful day celebrating your own 
mothers – or being celebrated!