This past Saturday we went to our friends' home for a wonderful Labor Day picnic. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, the fellowship fun. Thanks, Dago and Frannie.
Frannie has such a green thumb. Even though we have had no rain for quite a while, and Frannie refuses to waste groundwater on her plants, everything looked so nice.

The food was catered by the Sunshine Caterers. We had a choice of beef or pork BBQ, potato salad, coleslaw (I took a chance on this being dairyfree...and it was delicious!), and brownies for dessert. The two BBQs were very different from each other, so it was hard to pick a favorite. I have to admit, I tend to judge a picnic by the iced tea...and Frannie's was delicious. Just plain Lipton, but it was the right amount of sugar and tea.

The caterers had a bunch of little Italian figurines that added a nice touch. The theme of the picnic was the 50s, so Dago printed out flyers listing important events for each year. What a neat idea! We had fun reading about the year of my hubby's birthday, 1953. That was the year the polio vaccine was invented.

One of the unusual features of this party was the lifeguards. Beemer and Jetta were so funny! They would run laps around the pool and try to drink any water that splashed. Very entertaining. Dago said Beemer would fall in, but he didn't...but the poor dog did run until his paws were raw.

Beemer loved it when the children would splash. Dago and Frannie were nice hosts, but Beemer and Jetta were fantastic! *smile*

Lizzie enjoyed the volleyball game. Frannie has 8 siblings, so it was nice to catch up on her family. It was a relaxing way to end a busy week. (Should I mention that we did notice one blade of grass was not lined up with the others?) Everything was so perfect.

We were supposed to go to my parents' home on Monday for another picnic, but Dad wasn't feeling well, so Mom canceled. Mike is off this week, so we've been enjoying getting things done around here. Mike and Lizzie are installing fence for the goats, and Anna took her drivers' test...and now has her permit. Yippee!

We took this picture on our way to church. My children are so relieved that I am not the only person with a wayward birdhouse!

Maggie and I loved this truck we saw at Walmart. I was teasing and said Maggie wanted to hang around to see if the driver is married. That's the kind of truck she wants her future hubby to have!

Our favorite bumper sticker this week said, "Lose your keys ~ Support your local locksmith". Maggie saw a shirt that said, "Do you believe in love at first sight...or do I need to walk by again?"

Pastor preached a passionate sermon this past Sunday based on Hebrews 10:31, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God." If you'd like a copy of his sermon, let me know and I will get you a tape.

Many blessings ~ Kathie

So much for my plans...

Isaiah 55:8 says, " For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." I always think of this verse when my life takes a sudden turn. This past weekend I expected to get a lot of housework caught up...but God had other plans for us. Ruthie had been congested after playing with our kitty, but I had no idea how poorly she was feeling. I tried to take her to the dr on base, but after one look at her grey face, they directed us to the hospital. At least we were spared the ambulance ride.

When we got to the ER, Ruthie's oxidation level was 87%...so I knew in an instant that we were not coming home anytime soon. (Children are admitted at 96%.) It took two hours of nebulizer treatments to get Ruthie's number up to 96...while she was still hooked up to the nebulizer.

I thought she was looking much improved by the time she was taken upstairs to her room. This is about 4 hours after starting steroids.

What is the worst thing about hospitals? Being awakened every hour for vitals and treatments. By about 3 am, your body takes the hint and refuses to return to sleep.

It was disheartening to see that since our last visit 2+ years ago, this hospital has learned nothing about dairy and eggfree foods. Almost everything on their dairyfree menu had dairy and eggs. We finally asked for lettuce salad and fruit salad...and they sent us freshly cut fruit and salad! It was wonderful. The above food is what arrived for Ruthie...breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She loved it! (The fruit was too much for Ruthie's tummy, so I had to eat it. Someone had to do it!)

It was nice when family arrived to play with Ruthie. Since the hospital was barely occupied, we had a lot of opportunities to share our testimony with the nurses and respiratory therapists. A couple of them were able to share with us their testimonies...PTL!

Mike enjoyed the hospital's free Wi-fi (I'll have to ask him if I spelled that correctly).

Ruthie got discharged Sunday at 1:30 pm. I have been moping about all afternoon...too tired to do anything, and too tired to nap. Hopefully tonight I will catch up on my sleep.

Thank you for your prayers. We received several emails from praying friends. Pastor came by to visit us on Saturday. What a comfort to know that God is control of everything.

Many blessings ~ Kathie

Recently, my sister in law, Natalie, mother of darling Abigail, gave me a large box of baby food that had gone past its expiration date. Well, those dates never faze me...unless it's a perishable item. The box contained 6 containers of carrots, six of sweet potatoes, and 6 of green peas. Yummy!

I used the green peas and made creamy green pea soup. It was so delicious! I just added ricemilk and a few tablespoons of potato flakes for thickening. I let each person add salt and pepper according to their tastes. Easy as pie!
I then tried three different recipes using up the rest of the carrots and sweet potatoes. They were all three good. There are hundreds of recipes online for using baby foods.

Anyhow, because I needed to make my cakes dairyfree and eggfree, I finally settled on this recipe as my favorite (I made up the recipe myself).

Sourdough Baby Food Cake

Mix in 4-cup measure:
1 cup ww flour
1 cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves (opt)
1/2 tsp ginger (opt)

Mix in 8 cup measure:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup sourdough starter
3/4 cup oil
4-3.5 oz containers baby food, carrots or sweet potatoes

Mix each mixture well. Combine, beat until smooth. Grease and flour a 9x13 dish. Bake in 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

Deep in the woods, we have a spring (actually we have two). Allen is trying to take advantage of it to make a fish pond. So far his experiment is working. He just needs to find a way of keeping the leaves out. (The pond isn't that dirty...this pic was taken at late dusk.)

I would like to see Allen make a huge ice skating rink using this spring. Wouldn't that be fun? Hint, hint.

Today I had a doctor's appt on base with Ruthie (we think she may have Lyme disease). We had just gotten into the exam room when a call went out for Code Black! Do you know what that is? Bomb Scare! It was unnerving to watch so many people scurrying out the building. I will let you know if I learn anything about what happened. Always something going on! Added later: it was just a drill!

A friend of mine posted this quote on his Facebook wall: "The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts to work the minute you're born, and never stops until you get up to speak in public.” - John Mason Brown. I think that is hilarious, but I would change it to "...until you get up to sing in church!"

I hope to get a lot of deep cleaning done this weekend ~ washing windows, blowing all the birdseed off my porch, and washing the vinyl siding and patio furniture. We'll see how it goes.

The public school children had their first day of classes yesterday. We have been invited to two Labor Day picnics, so we've decided not to host our own. I hope I don't regret it.

Well, I've cleaned my kitchen, so I'm going to grab our floating pool light and go for a refreshing swim. The pool is 82 degrees...my favorite.

Many blessings ~ Kathie

Recently I heard about a rice that contained lime and cilantro. That sounded so good...so I googled it and found several recipes. I took the best parts of two recipes and came up with my own recipe. We ate it last night for dinner...it was tasty! (I added 1/4 cup orzo just because I wanted to finish up the last of the box.)

Lime Cilantro Rice

1 tbsp butter
1 cup rice (any kind but instant)
juice of one lime
zest of one lime
1 tsp salt (if using water or salt-free broth)
2 cups water or chicken broth
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

In a skillet, melt butter; add lime, rice, and salt, cooking for one minute. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Turn heat on low, and cover. When all liquid is gone (about 15 minutes) add cilantro, and fluff with a fork. Enjoy!
Last week Anna and I were driving somewhere and we saw a Garage Sale sign...so naturally we had to follow the signs. We ended up in another cute little village called Colton's Point, which is on the Potomac River (pronounced pit-oh-mic). The tiny houses were crammed together. The garage sale was a joke (one small table of clothes) but the drive was worth it. Just seeing this cute log cabin was worth the trip.
This is another log cabin. It was hard to get a picture because of all the bushes blocking the front yard.

Yesterday we had a storm that was so windy that my brothers' port-o-potty (for their construction company) blew over. Today we are about to get another whopper storm. The good thing is that we need the rain badly.

I answered a freecycle ad for some yellow daylillies...and the next day the lady called back with some sedum plants. Wow! Everything is planted and will hopefully survive the heat. I love freecycle!

Have a good weekend. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Wow, what a whirlwind summer this is! I just can't seem to slow down. But today Maggie's appt got canceled, so my goals are to do this post and to write my friend Betty. I will start by catching you up to date.

Last Thursday night, Sarah (my 22 year old daughter) had a sudden inspiration to take a trip to Washington DC (only 70 miles north). But Maggie had a dr appt on Friday. So Sarah took my youngest four children up to the metro station which they rode into DC. Mike took Maggie to Waldorf to her appt for a painful test (which is why she wouldn't let me take her). I picked Maggie up after her test and brought her home, while Mike drove up to the metro to meet the gang in DC. Are you totally confused now?
I will show you a few highlights of their trip. Sarah does a better job on her blog here. Allen enjoyed the insect zoo and thought it ironic that Orkin sponsored it.
Sarah and Ruthie went to the Art Gallery while the rest of the gang went to the Museum of Natural History (one of my favorites).

Ruthie enjoyed this tiger.
Afterwards they all walked to Sarah's favorite eatery, Chopt. This is a salad place. You can choose a certain salad or choose your own ingredients. Then the chef comes and chops everything to uniform size. Lizzie and Allen got the Cobb Salad (w/o cheese, of course) but the rest chose their own ingredients. I can't wait to try it. Everyone said it was the best salad.
Look at this vegetable platter I found online. See the longhorn steer? I love it!

One of my best buys recently has been a vacuum cleaner. I bought this Eureka (The Boss) at True Value for $67. (Walmart sells this model for $69...but I've never seen it in stock.) The best things about it? It has 12 amps instead of the usual 11. It has an extra long wand (or whatever it's called) so vacuuming the ceiling for cobwebs is a breeze. The 12 amps are powerful...what a big difference from the 11 amp vacs. The downside? I like automatic cord winders, but this model doesn't have one. I also have a home where 4 of the rooms are 32 feet long...and this only has a 20 foot cord...but I realize that won't bother most folks. But am I pleased overall? You betcha!! I bought 3...one for each level of my home.

Allen just reported that a fox got 2 of his chickens. Too bad. The chickens are scheduled to be butchered Friday.

My Dad is at the hospital this morning getting his shock treatment for his heart arythmia. Mom just called to let us know that he is finished...it took only one shock to correct his arythmia. PTL Dad was supposed to have this treatment two weeks ago, but his dr forgot to schedule it...so Mom and Dad went to Texas for a week, but gave up by Wednesday and drove home. They said it was too hot and they had become prisoners in their home. So I guess what they say about the heat in Texas is true!

Well, the bread has just come out of the machine, so if I hurry I can grab a slice. Smells so good! Hope you are enjoying your last few days of summer. Many blessings ~ Kathie

I realized recently that while I live in my van going to all of Maggie's appts, my children are stuck home with cabin fever. So yesterday I took them for a drive thru the country before Maggie's 2 pm appt.Every Sunday on our 35 minute drive to church, we pass a lot of roads that we would like to explore. So yesterday we drove down each little road on Rt 231. We drove through 4 counties...Calvert, Charles, Prince Georges, and St. Mary's.

Our favorite? The little seaside town of Benedict.

We got a laugh out of this swan with his foot up in the air. That's how our ducks sleep...on one foot.

We loved the cute little homes and cottages. We even got to see Mrs. Bonnie's home! (No, it's not the one pictured.)

And we found this restaurant tucked way back in the village. It looks like it has seen a hurricane or two.

Most of the roads dead-ended like this.

We even drove through a high-end neighborhood (5 acres per home with huge, brick homes and miles of mowed grass) and found this lone picnic table out by the road. We have been trying to imagine why it is there.

Of course, we had to get a picture of this railroad track. It was nice to see I've passed on my love of trains to my children. We spent two hours driving, then splurged on $1 hamburgers at Burger King. We could've spent another 2 hours driving around...it was a lot of fun.

I took a picture of this sign so you'd believe me when I tell you the amish were selling their watermelons for $1 each. We bought two. This is a new amish family who has moved in across the street from my neighborhood. They sell only organic foods...but usually charge $4 for their watermelons.

Lizzie is baking sourdough biscuits, and I am getting ready to give Mike and Allen haircuts. Then Mike takes Maggie to Walter Reed for her accupuncture appt.

Finally a break in the humidity and 90 degree weather. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Last night's company was fun but lowkey. Three people couldn't come at the last minute, so we ended up having five. Usually this crowd is vibrant and full of energy, but last night they were very mellow...but still fun. I guess they couldn't have been too tired...they stayed until 2 am. That's not a record for us, but it is for them.

Our menu was pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, fruit salad, veggies and dip, and my homemade salsa with chips. For dessert, Ruthie and Anna made no-bake cookies (our guests call them "plops"), and Anna made some fake cheesecakes...that disappeared quickly.

Wow, are we in for it tomorrow! Today is breezy and beautiful, about 85 degrees. Tomorrow we could easily hit 100 degrees. Yikes!

My Mom is entering her piano students in a Baroque recital where they will play on a harpsichord. Isn't it beautiful?
This is another view. I think Lizzie is one of the students. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

I found this book at the thrift shop recently, and it's another winner! It's called, "Lost in America ~ How you and your church can impact the world next door." I have learned a lot about "intentional" relationships...meaning, those relationships that you nurture with the intention of being able to lead these folks to Christ. What an inspirational (and convicting) book this is.

We are busy cleaning, mowing, mending and choring today. Mom and Dad are an hour from Corpus Christi. It took them 30 hours straight. Dad said they have run into every construction slowdown (5 lanes into 1 outside of Atlanta!), and lots of accidents...and it is very hot outside. But I still wish I were there!

Enjoy your Sunday. Many blessings ~ Kathie