Christmas

Christmas was a nice, simple day but I think it actually started many days earlier as our friend Lynn came over with her 9 children to sing Christmas carols (picture). They sounded so beautiful when they opened their mouths to sing that I had to hold back the tears. I would have pictured them all wearing white robes or something it sounded so holy. Anyways, this lady is amazing as she homeschooled all her children and they go to nursing homes every other Sunday to visit and sing hymns. God really put this lady in my life and I hope to get to know her more.

Several days before Christmas the packages started arriving from friends and relatives. We received some good coffee and food items and the girls received tons of gifts. I should have taken more pictures and plan on taking some more as the girls received a table from their grandmother (it is beautiful) and Elisabeth received a talking bear that she just loves. I will include these on this post soon so you'll have to check back on this one for more pictures.

A couple of days before Christmas we had a friend over with her granddaughter to spend the night. We sang some Christmas hymns that evening together. We didn't sound like my friend with her 9 children but I'm sure the Lord was pleased and it meant much more to me than just listening to a cd.

On Christmas we started off by having homemade coffeecake, thick cut bacon and a couple of fried eggs for breakfast. We had a relaxing day and watched Elisabeth play with her toys she received and just spent time together. For dinner I made our best meal yet - Beef Wellington. I made it with the tenderloin cut of beef and had Matthew sear it for 5 minutes then cool to room temperature. I then sauteed chopped mushrooms and shallots and a smidge of bacon from breakfast. I topped the tenderloin with a huge heaping of this then put the pastry over and placed in the oven for 15 minutes. We could almost cut it with a fork and the flavor..... We can't wait to have it again next year.

Christmas Extras

Here are a couple of homemade gifts we received from some people: Some delicious cookies from Matthew's mother, remember, she's the gourmet cook! And a lovely Christmas decoration made by our friend's seven year old granddaughter - it's made with cinnamon sticks and smells oh so good every time I walk into the living room!

Hannah Not So Happy

We had to get a picture of Hannah in one of her "natural states".

Child Proofing

I originally set this tote behind our desk so Elisabeth wouldn't crawl back there to play with the wires. She has found yet another way to get past our barricades as you can see (I also can't keep a barrette in her pretty hair for nothing at this age - little stinker).

Truly a Storm We Won't Forget

Thank God it's over! Many have heard of our great storm. Matthew's mother whom receives the New York Times read about it even from there. We lost our lights sometime on Sunday I believe and were out for nearly a week. I remember laying in bed the first night of the storm and actually feeling our house move pretty good with some of the gusts. I could tell the gusts were nearly 100 mph as they were just as powerful as some of the gusts we had here a couple of years ago in which they were 100 mph.

The next day: Our electricity was out so we did not have running water either as we are on well water. Since we couldn't flush our toilets we would place a container under the gutter and let it fill with the semi-clean, semi-dirty gutter water. I'd then bring it in once a day and pour it in our toilets as this would make it flush. On my way out to get some gutter water I stood in the doorway of the garage while one of major gusts was building up it's momentum. I knew it wasn't safe to retrieve the water then so I just stood and watched. I saw debris flying by faster than any car I've seen speeding on the State Route road down below. I was actually scared while watching the power of the wind, yet I was awestruck at the ferosity of the storm so I just had to sit and watch. I knew that if I stepped out of the doorway that I could be struck by a flying branch or other item and be killed. I've never seen wind of such magnitude before.

After coming inside we checked the phone number for PUD. The message was that we would be out for a long time as there was major, major damage. I was guessing a minimum of 10 days. We knew then that we would need to get a generator, but this was on everybody elses mind too.

Day three: We found that our major highway was closed to get to Olympia and having only 1/4 tank of gas in the car made it even riskier but we had to get out to get water as well. So, off we went. We followed the alternative route and listened to the devastation on the news. I got scared as I just couldn't comprehend the damage everywhere else - even I-5. We got to Montesano and the lineup at the gas station was atrocious. We decided to try to get to Elma. We waited for 1 1/2 hours for gas as this was one of the few gas stations opened in Grays Harbor. We got a generator in Lakewood near Tacoma and it just happened to be the last one. A hot shower felt good at our friend's home as well as cleaning some laundry. We didn't know that this would be our last shower for a while!

The next several days were a work! I washed baby bibs and cloths on the stove every day as you can see by the picture. I'd cook some yummy dinners on the wood stove though - steak, brocolli and more. We weren't lacking here. Only our yams that we wrapped in foil and placed in the fireplace burned down to about the weight of a feather. We threw them out to our dog. Dinner dishes - we used paper plates and paper bowls. I'd then warm a huge pot of water on the woodstove each evening and clean up the whole kitchen cleaner than when I think we have electricity.

Water - I bought over 12 gallons of water on our day out to get the generator. We went through this quick so I contacted the fire department and they referred me over to the City of Aberdeen Water Department. I could fill up our containers for free. Our neighbor behind us has a natural spring or artesian well water he gave us (5 gallons), he shared that it would be the best water we ever did have. He was absolutely right!

Our generator was so wonderful to have. To have the freezers and refridgerators going full speed as to not lose our beef was so worth it. To have a lamp on or a heater to warm up Elisabeth's room was secondary but so appreciated. Having a bowl of water and disinfectant in the bathroom and the kitchen sink, those things you just don't think of having to do when you have running water. I never so much appreciated running water as I have. Electricity is one thing but for me it was the running water that was the greatest need for running the home. I hope to have a hand pump for our water one day.

So, we're all up and running now. The storm is already quickly being forgotten, but I know I won't forget it yet either.

Good Ole White Bread

Here's a loaf of white bread I made just a day or two before our storm. It was delicious with fresh butter. I love making bread now. I started last year and it was a bit of a struggle - not to mention the flatest bread I ever did see. I put it down for a time but recently decided to give it a try again and now it seems so much easier and enjoyable! I don't even follow measurements but do it by the feel of the dough.

Hannah, Hannah, Hannah!

My beautiful Hannah! Here are some precious pictures of my little darling. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the one where she is smiling so big with her mouth open. She is my other delight and brings joy to my heart. My next post will have to be all of Elisabeth.

Thanksgiving - One we could've done without!

Well, our morning started off lovely as I made a wonderful breakfast of "Lemon Blueberry Bread" from the New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins that I received from Matthew's mother sometime last year. It was scrumptious, especially the crumb topping on it and what I loved about it the most is that it was in the oven in about 15 minutes! It was delicious with fresh butter.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon gtated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bread
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (we used our canned, whole blackberries)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9x5-inch loaf pan
2. Stir the topping ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a medium-size bowl, stir the sugar, milk, butter, and egg together until smooth.
4. In another bowl, toss the flour with th baking powder and salt. Stir this into the wet ingredients, and then fold in the blueberries and the lemon zest.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, and sprinkle with the topping. Bake until the topping is deep golden and has formed a thick crust, 50 minutes. Cook in the panfor 5 minuts, then transfer the bread to a wire rack to continue cooling.
1 loaf

Dinner was a different story. Things are a little tight this month. We could have afforded a turkey but when you add all the "other" stuff that goes with a Thanksgiving dinner, we thought it be best to do with what we have. We decided to have prime rib from our cow Brisket we had slaughtered recently. When you have a freezer full of beef, you really do have a lot to be thankful for even if you can't afford a turkey dinner. Anyways, the day came to thaw out the prime rib. Unfortunately we found "beef rib steaks" but not a prime rib roast. Okay, we can make due with that. Let's be grateful!

Thanksgiving day - An hour or so before we intended to eat, Matthew seared the steaks on Med-Hi heat for 1 1/2 minutes per side. He placed the steaks in the oven then on 250 degrees as recommended in Cooks Illustrated. After 30 minutes he checked the steaks with the meat thermometer. Barely any change in the temperature. So, we waited some more. After more than an hour there was a "little" change. We waited some more. After 1 1/2 hours he checked and the temperature had gone down a little (he shared with me later). After 2 + hours we decided the thermometer just wasn't working - and it wasn't. We sat down to a meal of mashed potatoes, salad, and one of the "toughest" cuts of meat you ever could find. Add a couple of screaming kids on top of it and there you have your Thanksgiving Dinner!

One Big Storm

Last week we had a pretty good storm. We were out of power for 2 days and because we are on well water we were without running water as well - that's the worst part for me! I had a few gallons of water in the back room for emergency though and we used our wood stove for cooking, heating water and coffee, etc... We did a lot of studying during those 2 days though as we are learning Biblical Greek. We're still working on the alphabet and doing it by learning just 2 words a day.

Anyways, we tried going without the internet last month (as to find it was much more convenient to have for our banking so we're online again), so we still have no idea as to how high the winds were out here. Matthew thinks wind gusts were 70+, I'm thinking some were closer to 100 as they seemed similar to a storm we had here 1 1/2 years ago with gusts around 100 mph.

These pictures are of some of the remnants of the storm. I wanted to get Elisabeth out of the house after being inside for 2 days so I wrapped her up in a sleeping bag so she could watch daddy saw some of the bigger branches for starter wood next year. We have our home up for sale and our power had come on here at 12:30 and we had 3 1/2 hours to get the home ready for 2 parties at 4:00 and 6:30 to look at our home. I ran around cleaning up the past mess of the last 2 days... candles, dirty dishes (no water prior to the electric coming on), and all the other extra messes you have when you don't have power. Plus I had to get the house clean/ready just on the basics. Matthew picked up all the many, many large branches, mowed the lawns and used the blower on the leaves. We finished just in time. Now we're just awaiting word from our agent on if the financing went through or not with one of the interested parties.

Trying Out the Kitchen Table

One day I wanted to try putting Elisabeth up to the table to see how she fared. She didn't do too bad! I'm still using the tray for now but thought I'd post these cute pictures anyhow.

Elisabeth Helping Mommy with Laundry

Peanut Head

Every child should have a little nickname. Matthew came up with Peanut Head for little Hannah - you really can't tell from pictures but she has a peculiar shaped head, kind of like a peanut! It's kind of cute though, she has her own look (you know how it is, every mom thinks her children are the prettiest - Peanut Head and all) and she has her own different personality to go with it. She has a very soft way about her, a very soft, quiet voice, she doesn't get all excited about loud or busy toys but she just loves to be held and talked to quietly. She sleeps from 10:00 at night til about 7:30 or 8:00 most mornings. She's such a pleasant baby. I just love having another baby to hold again. I can't wait to post more pictures of her as she's changed since these were taken a few weeks ago.

More Pictures of Daddy and His Girls

Wide awake and fast asleep!

Elisabeth Feeling Better

Here is a beautiful picture of Elisabeth. I just took this yesterday. Another great buy at the Goodwill - her pretty shirt she is wearing here with vest. Her daddy had to go to the VA for a doctor's visit today. He took Elisabeth with him today and as the baby slept most of the day I tried to figure out what to do with my spare time other than making some fresh sourdough sandwich rolls. I started catching up on this blog and realized there's nothing that brings me greater joy on this earth than my family. Here my family is away and I can't stay away from them. I love them so very much. They are a blessing from the Lord , prayed for and yet truly undeserved.

Hannah and Her Happy Hippo

Now our 2nd baby gets to play with Happy Hippo. We love this little toy as it is just simple and child like. I'm sad to see how busy all the little toys are nowadays. They don't need much to be entertained, they have good imaginations to be put to use.

Elisabeth's Pretty Dress

Here is another pretty little outfit from her Nana!

Kisses?

Here's a couple of pictures of Elisabeth giving her sister kisses!

Elisabeth and Bathtime!

Freshly clean after a bath!

Poor Sickie

Elisabeth and her dad got pretty sick last week. Elisabeth got it the worst. Here is one of the effects... sleepiness.

Daddy and His Girls

I just love little Hannah's countenance in this picture. It is one of my favorite pictures of her. She looks just completely taken by her father as any little girl should. And Elisabeth, she's just cute as always!

New Pajamas from the Williamsons

Our dear friends John and Karen sent the girls some cute pajamas. Little Hannah's has doe's and mushrooms all over it while Elisabeth's has the saying, "Daddy's Little Star" on it. We stopped by their lovely home the other day unexpected and while they were getting ready to go somewhere, Karen displayed her usual, generous dose of warm hospitality and treated us to a yummy sandwich and some delicious coffee. It is people like these that I try to learn from that I may be more Christ like.

Brisket Anyone???

Here's our cow Brisket. He was born in February, his mother died when he was only 6 weeks old. My husband had to be the new mommy and baby him back to full health with calf starter. He was just slaughtered a few days ago and the hanging weight was 318 lbs. So, he must have been at least 550 lbs! Big Boy! We're waiting the arrival of our beef sometime in the next week.

Update: Brisket's back home! We had New York steak the first night and just had homemade tacos with homemade tortillas the other night. The meat, even the ground beef cannot be compared to the junk you buy in the store. The ground beef is about 6% fat and really healthy looking red with very little marbling as you see in the store bought meat.

Momma and Her Girls

It feels so wonderful to hold them both close at the same time!

Pretty Elisabeth in Blue!

I just love these pictures as she's stunning in blue with her pretty blue eyes!

Daddy and Hannah

Here's Hannah at 4 weeks old yesterday. She looks pretty content!

Elisabeth Walking

Here is Elisabeth walking. She just started about a month ago. She's all over the place now!

Canning and Cooking!

We've been busy this week with some fun things. I made a delicious homemade calzone and my husband canned up 30+ jars of fresh albacore tuna. Goodbye Sunkist! He canned some of the tuna with fresh garlic and herbs and canned a few jars with a little jalapeno which was suggested by Captain Steve of Westport where my husband fillets tuna each Summer.