SNOW--THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Ah....we all love a good snow day.  Or at least many of us do.  I always loved a good snow as long as I could keep my electricity on, firewood gathered, and milk in the refrigerator.  And usually, I can enjoy a good snow for a few days without complaining.

The weather people told us it could be coming.  They told us they weren't sure where but be ready just in case it hit our neighborhood.  Sure enough day before yesterday right before noon, the snow began.  It was just tiny flakes.  Since I had been deliberating for days what kind of dessert to make for The Husband, I decided I needed to make a choice so I could be sure I had all the ingredients.  I surely had plenty of time to get to the store and back.  The snowflakes were tiny.   I decided to make a Praline Pecan Cheesecake. After going through the refrigerator, I found it lacking two blocks of cream cheese.  My recipe needed four.   I bundled up and headed out.  Once I got out I realized that the snow was sticking pretty good on those hills, rooftops, and grass.  Those little flakes.  Who would think?  Sensing that I could have driving issues, I coasted down a snow white hilly piece of road and took a detour heading back toward my house.  I did stop and borrow a couple of blocks of cream cheese from The Girl's refrigerator since I had been trusted with a key.  My Pecan Praline Cheesecake was safe.  (I will put the recipe at the end of this post.)

Well that snow, as many of your reading this know, came in quickly.  I mean quickly.  Just that short circle around to The Girl's house found her driveway covered.  Just from those tiny flakes.  Who would have thought?

It took hours and hours for The Girl to get home.  It took hours and hours and hours and more hours  with The Son-In-Law's truck finally left alone and a 2 mile walk for him before all of my people were in their safe warm beds.  The stories of those I love kept coming as this southern snow kept falling and I hear of so many who had it so much worse.  It's amazing the repercussions that can happen from something so beautiful.  Many of the time I was listening and concerned, it felt nightmarish.

Yesterday was a beautiful day in my neighborhood in spite of all the drama from the day and night before.  The Lord began the day by delighting us when we saw eight--count 'em, 8--deer in our snowy yard.  What a sight that was!  Then The Girl and The Son-In-Law walked over to visit--or so I thought. I realized later that the 25 year old snow sled was the attraction, not the parents.  It was a nice hour in the snow nonetheless and gave great photo opportunities.

I was holding tightly to The Husband's arm because I had almost fallen on the icy road a few minutes before.  I enjoyed my very old furry Walmart hat.  I wear it when it snows so it doesn't get much use. 

My "children" and that great sled....

Life is fairly back to normal here.  My car is still in the garage dry but my family have all gone back to normal life.  I hitched a ride to work today as well.   The Girl says she thinks she will always own a 4-wheel drive as it helped her get home.  The melting continues and by tomorrow afternoon, the snow will just be a memory.   I think this one, though, will go down in our southern history books right along with that one in '82 or '83 and the blizzard of '93 as the ones we'll always remember!

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PECAN PRALINE CHEESECAKE
1.5 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
l/2 c. granulated sugar
1 t. cinnamon
4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c. chopped pecans
3 T. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine, granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Press mixture into bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan.  Set aside.  Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until fluffy.  Stir in brown sugar, nuts, and flour, stirring just to combine (do not use mixer for this step).  Pour filling into crust, smoothing flat with spatula.  Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool well and then refrigerate.

CHILDREN

Children have always held a fascination for me.  In my church I have worked in different ways with younger children.  I find myself drawn to them.    I learn so much from them.  I guess on a realistic basis, we can spend much of our time aggravated with children, especially you who care for your own children daily.  Then there are times when all that aggravation is erased when you get that sweet, sweet moment that gets you all warm and fuzzy inside.

So here’s some things I’ve noted about very young children that merit mentioning:

Children don’t have to be taught to do wrong.  They seem to know that already.

Teaching children to do right is often a full time job.  Patience and firmness are necessities in this teaching process.

Children love to play.

Children hear more than you think.   They have selective hearing—obviously inherited from their dads.

Children can bring a tear to your eye with just one little sweet unexpected word.

Children really like to be praised.

Children count on us as adults to show them the way.  Maybe they don’t understand that is what they do, but they do.  Let’s not fall short of this task.

Children are full of innocence. 

Children are sociable with their peers. 

Children have to be taught to share with their peers.  Once this is achieved, life is good.

Children need to be loved. 

Children love animal crackers and goldfish. 

The list is endless.

Sunday morning during Big Church,  I substituted as Children’s Choir Director in the absence of the director.  I chose to have them sing “Jesus Loves Me”.  It's often the "go-to" song when I substitute.  This Sunday, though, as the boatload of children in that choir stood and began to sing, it was different.  There was something about the sound of those children’s voices singing “Jesus loves me this I know” that got my tears to the edge and I was blessed yet again by children. 

As I think about it, we adults are not so different from children.    As a mother, I find myself still in conversation saying “my little girl” when talking about The Girl even though she’s not a little girl anymore.  In my eyes and the eyes of The Husband, she will always be our little girl.  Some things just don’t change.   As the child of my Heavenly Father, I realize no matter how long I’ve been His child, I will still be His child forever and always.   And as a child of His, I am NEVER too old to learn from Him.

“Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.”    Mark 10:14

And I say, “Amen”.

COLD WEATHER BLESSINGS

Here in my fair neighborhood, it's cold.  Not bitter cold--that's to come in a couple of days--but cold.  On days such as these, I am grateful for cold weather blessings....


a challenging 1000 piece puzzle....

....a very warm fire.....

...a nice cup of homemade gluten free chicken noodle soup (recipe will be at end of this post) served in a nice soup mug given to me for my birthday by really nice friends.  There was also a matching soup tureen, ladle, and five more matching mugs ...makes you wish you were here, huh?  Bad news is that it was also supper last night and this mug of soup is the last of it.

It's the little things along with big things that require our thanks.

CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP 

1 T. butter or margarine 

1 lg. onion, chopped

3 c. chopped cooked chicken 

3 (1 4.5 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiruted

1 (8 oz.) pkg. spaghetti, broken into smaller pieces  

7 celery ribs, diced

6 medium carrots, diced

1t. poultry seasoning 

1 t. pepper

1 t. grated lemon rind

2 c. milk

2 c. (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheese

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and saute until tender. Stir in chicken and other ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer for 45 minutes, stir in milk; return to simmer. Remove soup from heat and let stand ten minutes.  Sprinkle each serving with shredded cheese.  Makes 12 cups.

This recipe is good just as it is; however, I often adapt in these ways.  Firstly, I never use the lemon rind.  For the soup in the mug pictured above, I omitted the mushroom soup and only added one can of low sodium healthy heart cream of chicken soup along with the broth called for and extra broth from cooking the chicken.  I added no milk nor cheese and used gluten free noodles and it was delicious that way.  So...with that said, play with it to suit your needs but be aware l/2 t. of poultry seasoning makes a lot of difference in the taste.  Enjoy!