Waffle-love

We had homemade waffles yesterday. Everyone loves them. We usually have a few left after everyone stuffs themselves.  Like I mentioned, everyone loves them.
Some family members really, really, really love them. And some family members were really bored.

So how's your Bible reading going?

Somehow I got behind 10 days on my Bible reading plan. There's really only one way it could have happened--I haven't been reading my Bible every day. And somedays, when I read my Bible, I read a different Bible and read Phillipians (which we are going through at our church), rather than this Bible that will get me through the entire Bible in one year. It is a disgrace that I could get 10 days behind--IN JANUARY.

I am happy to report that, as of right this minute, I am caught up! I love reading the Old Testament again. The story of Joseph is the most amazing thing ever. If you haven't read it in a while, you MUST go read it again --start in Genesis 37.

I hope your Bible reading plan is right on track. If you are behind, keep plugging away. It is so worth the investment of our time. I am so grateful for His word. I am determined to keep going, even when I get behind.

"For the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

 it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

 Hebrews 4:12

Ice Candle Holders

We had some really cold weather last week, so my youngest daughter and I made some ice candle holders. We've made something like these before, but had never tried a candle holder. They are really fun and pretty, but be sure to put them in the freezer if the weather gets warm.

These are super easy to make. Fill a container with water to form the base and then a smaller container (weighted with water) to create the cavity for the candle.  Adjust the amount of water in the small container as needed to make the cavity for the candle the right size. The cranberries stabilize the small container and keep it centered. We put them on the porch to freeze, and then ran hot water over the bottom of the bucket to release them the next day.

A few years ago we made these:

Notice the twine at the bottom of the picture? It was used to hang the pretty block of ice over a post on our porch. You have to have the twine in before the water freezes.

So...go take advantage of the cold weather and make some winter beauty!

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

This recipe has become a favorite of mine recently.
 It is easy and delicious and everyone likes it.
DING DING DING! It's a winner!
 I got it from Pioneer Woman--you can read it for yourself here, with pictures and a printable copy.

Or read my short version:
(double this recipe to serve approx. 8)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
pepper
1 clove garlic

2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 jar marinara sauce
12 dinner rolls
provolone cheese

Mix the first six ingredients.
Heat oil in skillet and add onion, cook for 1 minute.
Add meatballs--I use a cookie scoop and plop them straight from the bowl into the skillet as fast as I can scoop.
Cook for a couple of minutes, turning to brown both sides.
Pour marinara sauce over, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until centers are done.
(Perfect amount of time to make a salad and set the table!)
Spoon meatballs and sauce onto rolls and a slice of provolone cheese.
Keep your napkin handy!

I'm so glad it's Friday

This has seemed like a long week. My family is glad it's Friday.


It felt like a long week on Monday when...
We headed out of the mountains for home, at the end of our wonderful Colorado ski trip. The snow started Sunday afternoon and was expected to drop 2-3 ft. of snow in the mountains by end of the day Tuesday. We watched the weather carefully, and knew that we would drive out of the snow in the first hour or so. We got up early so that we had some cushion in our schedule. We knew it would be slow going through the mountains--and it was veeeery slooooow going through the mountains.  These are pictures as we travelled east on I-70 (west of Denver).  We left at 7am and drove about 40mph. The snow added about 45 minutes to our trip. At one point we almost stopped all the traffic on east I-70 when our van couldn't make it up a hill. We were very relieved to get this part of the trip behind us.

We heard that later in the day on Monday, a 2 hr. trip took 5 hours, and that the interstate closed at one point. We were glad we headed out early that morning. When we reached Denver it was 50 degrees and sunny. Then we made tracks for home--and we weren't driving 40mph anymore. We got home by 9 pm.

It felt like a long week on Tuesday when...
I realized what my calendar looked like for that day.  We had our normal life to jump back into, with school, band lessons, piano lessons, dog-walking, a vet appointment for our dog, etc.
Byron had hurt his thumb pretty badly on the first day of skiing, so he went to the doctor for an x-ray and found out that it was broken. We got punched it the gut with real life on our first day back!


It felt like a long week on Wednesday when...
Byron went to an orthopedic surgeon and learned that he would be having surgery on his hand the next morning. It was a bit easier day than normal for us at home, and I'm very thankful for that.


It felt like a long week on Thursday when...
we got to the clinic in Des Moines for Byron's surgery at 9:30 and the power went off 15 minutes later.
I was his driver, so I had rearranged my day until approx. 2:00, when we expected to get back home. Instead, we sat and waited for the power to come back on for 90 minutes. (They didn't want anyone to leave, because they would rush their patients into surgery the minute the power came on...whenever that would be.)  He eventually had his surgery and all went well, but it was a looooong day. We got home at 5:00 instead of 2:00. I was really glad for supper in the crock pot.

My teenagers have had a long week too, making up school work they missed while they had fun skiing. It was fun, but always a shock to jump back in to reality.

 So today my family is very glad it's Friday. 

Hope you all enjoy the weekend!