Bound and Determined

So now that Christmas is over and New Year's is imminent, I wondered if I should post on the rest of my Thanksgiving pies.  I figured since I took the pictures, I might as well finish them off.  If people aren't interested, they don't have to read it, right?  :)  As I'm blogging on the rest of the pies all in one post, you'll have to e-mail if you want the recipes.

 

In quick succession...

This is a German Chocolate pie (a variation of a recipe from Aunt Carol Ann) that is best made a couple of days in advance and served cold, which also makes for wonderful leftovers.  Notice the braided edging.

 

Made in a springform pan with a cream cheese crust, this Deep Dish Pecan pie was pretty good.  I could never get Mom's recipe to set up right, so I tried something new this year.  It still needs some tweaking, but I'm glad I tried it out.

 

 

This is the traditional Lawrence family Squash pie (similar to a pumpkin pie, but better) and I got a little artistic with the crust.  I cut out leaves for the edging and decorative flair.  Here's a close up of the detail.

 

 

And finally, the Key Lime that wasn't.

The carrier became unhinged (the plastic carrier, not the human carrier--okay, well maybe me too) and this fell into the grass as I was bringing it into the Patterson's house.  This is what I could salvage.  Those who were willing to brave a stray leaf or two vouched for its goodness, so we gave it another try at our holiday meal this past Sunday.  It's my favorite Key Lime recipe that I've tried--and I've tried a few.

 

So, if you've made it this far and want any of the recipes, feel free to e-mail me or indicate it in a comment and I'll send them to you.  Don't you think I should do a baking show?  I think that would be a fun job.

 

 

 

 

 

I Cannot Tell a Lie

Cherry pie is one of my absolute favorites.  This year I came across the best recipe yet. It's definitely a keeper.

1 can dark, sweet cherries

1 can red, tart cherries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Line a pie plate with pie crust.  Drain cherries, reserving liquid.  Combine sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup cherry liquid and ring to a boil, stirring with a wire whisk.  When sauce thickens, reduce to simmer and cook for 5 minutes, still stirring.  Remove from heat and add butter and almond extract.  Add drained cherries and pour into crust.  Dot with butter.  Weave top crust.  Coat top crust with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. (Again, I used crust saver to keep crust golden).

The combination of the two cherries was delicious and this pie was not overcooked and soggy like some get.  Yum, yum!

Now that Christmas is around the corner

 

I'll get around to posting on my Thanksgiving Pies.  It's been said that I go a bit overboard.  I like to think of it as artistic expression.  I think those of you who know me well will find it not the least bit surprising that we have almost as many pies or more as guests each year.  This year I did try to scale it back, making only six pies of my own.  Wendy made a chocolate cream and her in-laws made a pumpkin.  In the spirit of my experimentation this year, I'll report my findings one pie at a time.

 

I'll start with the apple.  This pie is a bit non-traditional.  It is a deep dish caramel apple pie.   Here is the recipe:

 

Make a double crust and line a deep dish pie plate.

Thinly slice eight apples--gala work well for this pie.  Following the advice of the Internet recipe, I left the peels on for nutrition and color, but would remove them next time.  Mix 1/4 cup of flour and some cinnamon together, pour over apple slices and stir to coat.

Assemble the pie as desired (I think my wide weave looks attractive here). 

In a medium saucepan, combine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cream

Bring to a boil and pour over assembled pie, being sure to coat the top crust well. (Note:  I will double the caramel sauce next time.  I would have liked more).

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 35-40 more minutes.  I used the crust saver gadget from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and thought it did a wonderful job of protecting the crust from getting burnt. 

It was a good pie, and with the changes noted above, I think it will be exceptionally so next time.

Chocolate!

Dylan and Marshall were both sick this morning and Wendy was slated to sing in Sacrament Meeting and various other duties as RS Pres., so I volunteered to take Abby to church with me then to my house to spend the day.  We had a good time together.  Abby especially enjoyed making and eating Oreo Cream Cheese Truffles (see picture above for the end results).  I thought you might enjoy some action photos.  She's a woman after my own heart.

 

 

Congratulations are in order?

I'm never quite sure how to respond when people congratulate me on receiving a new calling.    I always say "thank you" and wonder what type of pithy, clever comment would be appropriate.  Is it really an accomplishment?  It's not like a promotion at work.  So, I've decided what they really mean to say is that they're supportive of me and are willing to fold all my laundry and rake my leaves so that I'll have time to do what I need to do.  Just kidding.

I was released over the pulpit as Primary President today and sustained as the Young Women's President.  Isn't there some adage about frying pans and fire that would be appropriate here?  It's been 17 years since I've been in Young Women's.  I'm currently feeling a bit overwhelmed and daunted by the task of getting everything figured out.  However, I do know most of the girls from camp already, so that is a bonus.  I will be doing some serious reading and planning this Christmas break to get up to speed.

On another note, I took the final for my first graduate class this past Friday.  I am glad it is over and hope I will enjoy the other classes more.  The program I am in is a series of 12 classes that are five weeks each during an 18-month period.  So, by May of 2010 I should be finished with a Master's Degree in Educational  Administration.

In the meantime, I'm way behind on getting my Christmas decorations up.  I finally finished my outside lights yesterday at one in the morning.  I wish I were a better photographer so that I could figure out how to work the settings on my camera to show how the lights really look.  They look better in person.  

The tree got put up this afternoon. Now I just have to get the lights and ornaments on it.  Maybe someday I'll get to the posts on the Thanksgiving pies and the reviews of Christmas music I wanted to do.  'Til then, I hope you find as much joy in this season as I do.

Twilight and Beyond

I know what you're thinking--I've gone blogger mad what with postings two days in a row and all.  Truth is, I'm on day two of being sick with a virus at home and avoiding the real work in my graduate class that I should be doing.  I recently posted the following as a comment on Diana's blog, but I put enough words into it that I thought it worthy of it's own posting:

 

Okay, I'm gonna speak from my experience as an English teacher here--even as I use slang to do so :). I’ve been meaning to hash this out for some time. Let me say first, however, that if you read the books expecting some life-changing epiphany worthy of all the attention these books are getting, then you will be sadly disappointed. They are escape reading—almost purely for pleasure. The dangerous romance and teenage angst inherent in the story make for a compelling read. When you do allow yourself to get lost in the story, it is amazing how quickly you make it through the books.

While there are some deeper themes and symbolism involving the sacrifices required to create an eternal love and the intrinsic spiritual and emotional danger in such relationships, etc., for the most part it is just a fantasy that teenagers can relate to in their own lives. Bella, a seemingly ordinary girl with problems many identify with, is able to find something truly extraordinary. It is disheartening for many teenagers to realize that they are, in reality, basically just like everyone else. They’re really not that different—they are mortal and the rules that govern everyone else really do apply to them. These books allow them to indulge in the fantasy that that is not the case a little longer.

The understanding that just because they are basically just like everyone else doesn’t mean they aren’t magnificent creations usually doesn’t come until much later in life, and only if they are able to see themselves through the eternal perspective of the gospel. I could go on, but as this missive is approaching short-story length already, I’ll forbear.

The librarians and English and reading teachers with whom I’ve discussed the books are generally in agreement with my point of view—these books are not classic pieces of literature, but teenagers are reading!!! Really long books!!! And talking about them!!! And then talking about other books!!!

Well, if you’ve made it to the end of my long-drawn-out commentary, you apparently like reading, too. So, if you haven’t read the books yet, I think you should. Just appreciate them for what they are.

 

PS--I did go see the movie.  While it had definite faults, I enjoyed it anyway.  Maybe it's because, like MaryAnn, it's the first movie I've seen in the theater in a very long time.

The Fifth Time's the Charm?

I Am a Child of God

 

 

 

Leon Valley Ward Primary

Sacrament Meeting Presentation

November 9, 2008

 

“All of you are children of the most High.”

—Psalms 82:6

 

Although my bishop has been strongly hinting that it will soon change, I've been the primary president for four-and-a-half years.  So, this past Sacrament Meeting Presentation was the fifth one I've been in charge of.  I'd like to think I have it down to a science by now.  This one did go a bit overtime though--I blame it on the new-member confirmation and lengthy announcements before we even got started:)  This is the picture that went on the cover of the bulletin:

 

We give the children their "parts" about a month in advance so that they have time to work on them, but we only practice one time on the Sunday prior to the presentation.  I want the children to feel comfortable with what they are supposed to do, but not get bored before we do the real thing.  At the end of the practice on the Sunday before, we assign each class one or two posters to make that correspond with the monthly themes.  We give them pictures already cut out from old church magazines and art supplies and let them have at it.  They have a good time making them and I think it adds a little to the presentation.

 

 

I tried to have as many children as possible express themselves in their own words.  We also added a solo flautist to "I Am a Child of God," added sign language to a couple of the songs (a member in our ward is deaf), and had the children hold posters of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve during "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet." 

 

 

I have wonderful, reliable teachers, counselors, and leaders, which makes my calling much easier.  As you can see, they're willing to get right down into it with the children.  If I do end up being released, I'll miss working with them so closely.

A Month in Review

Well, I've had "Post a Blog" on my to-do list for several weeks now, but I never seem to get that far on the list. So, with the intention of going into a bit more detail on each of these items in the future, I'll give you an overview of what I've been up to for the past month (most of it has to do with my calling as Primary President).

Nov 9th--Sacrament Meeting Presentation
Nov 10th--Started my first class in my Master's Program
Nov 13th-15th--Camping at Pedernales Falls
Nov 16th--Spoke in Sacrament Meeting
Nov 21st--Author Luncheon with Tamora Pierce (Literary Book Club)
Nov 22nd--Teacher Development 8am
Nov 22nd--Primary Activity Day 9:30am
Nov 24th-25th--Wendy and I spent massive amounts of time working on a project I've been procrastinating all year (it's a surprise for some, so this is all you get on this one :))
Nov 26th--Wendy and I made six pies for Thanksgiving--some are works of art--I'll post pictures later
Nov 27th--Thanksgiving at the Pattersons
Nov 28th--Got up crazy early to hit the Black Friday sales with Wendy and Mom at Walmart, Michael's, and Circuit City
Nov 28th--Went to the Lighting of the Riverwalk parade downtown
Nov 29th--Spent over an hour getting caught up on all the blogs I've neglected this week
Nov 29th--Looking forward to an xbox afternoon with the Pattersons

And for the future final day of the month:
Nov 30th--Teaching the 5th-Sunday combined RS and PH lesson introducing the new Nursery manual and encouraging its use in FHE (we have a plethora of medical and dental students with very young families in our ward)
Nov 30th--Priesthood Preview at my home


So, with the addition of a picture of Abby and I at Trunk or Treat, I'll close this blog in the hopes that more will be coming soon to a computer near you :)

For Laura

I'm just now getting caught up on blogs, so I thought I'd belatedly respond to Laura's Tag post.   It's an easy one and it might keep me off the bottoms of your lists for awhile.  Here is the eighth picture in my tenth folder.  It is of one of my bathrooms before the renovations...eeeww!  It looks much better now, but I don't have a picture :)

So Apparently I'm a Loser Blogger

But I don't mind the title.  I always knew I would be.  I work about 12-16 hours a day, at least half of which are sitting in front of a computer, so I often just don't feel like sitting there any longer :)  If it helps any, I've written several blogs in my head.  I just never get around to typing them into the computer.   We need to work more on that telepathy thing.

So, I'll drop a line to say I'm alive and sometimes well. 

There...now I'm not the last one on everybody's lists :)

O What a Tangled Web We Weave

No deception intended.

I've been having a devil of a time trying to connect to the Internet properly.  I switched my service from RoadRunner to AT&T DSL while I was switching my television broadcast.  I now get KBYU and it's cheaper.  However, I couldn't get the wireless router to work with the Internet.  I finally figured it out--it was a simple solution, of course.  So, here I am, back to posting.

 

And, now, for the connection to the post title.  Having been gone all but eight days this summer, my house has seen some neglect.  On my first return, I found a house brimming with cobwebs and dead insects--bugs, if you will.  Now, I'll be the first to admit that dead bugs are better than live'uns, which is why I insist on those poisonous fumes permeating the house.  When those bugs think they've found a refuge from the summer heat in my house, they'll have to think again.  But, I think we should be able to arrange a truce, establish some boundaries.  I won't kill them if they'll just stay out side where they belong.  After all, I 'm opposed to killing most of God's creatures--I did think annoying siblings might qualify for an exception when I was younger.

I did do a perfunctory cleaning job when I was home for that one week, but I was busy reading Breaking Dawn and The Host, and did not get around to a job well done.  Now that school has started and is in mid-swing, I really need to spend a few hours reclaiming my home.  After that's done, I'll post more about my trips.  Until then, here are a few tantalizing pictures.

 

Sparkling new Sarah--she even gave me a few smiles before I left!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adorable  Austin--he'll keep smiling at you if you'll keep talking to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William is too cute to get lost in the shuffle of his four older siblings.

 

 

 

Sadie never wants to be left out and tries to do everything the big kids do.  She really is as cute as she looks here.  You should compare this picture with G'ma Lawrence at that age!

 

 

 

 

Parker's always ready for a chat--he can talk your ears off.  He loves his Dad and his Grandpas!

 

 

 

 

 

Mallory is everyone's friend.  She loves to play and is having a great time on the slides here after overcoming a little bit of terror.

 

 

Timothy had a fun time at the zoo and wanted to climb up there all on his own--he made it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex is precious.  She's a great peacemaker and loves to help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew is as exuberant as ever.  He rarely sits still long enough to get a photo.  He loves to wrestle with Uncle Mike.

 

 

 

BJ has grown up a lot this past year.  He seems much older and wiser--less little kid, more young man.

Palmyra New York, Part IV

Tuesday morning, we drove up to Palmyra.  Dad and I did a session in the temple while Jenny and Nina occupied themselves in the area.  That's Nina in the front there.

I learned some interesting tidbits about the temple.  It was built on the original property of the Smith farm.  There is an art glass window which you see straight ahead as you walk in the door that overlooks the sacred grove.

The view of the Sacred Grove   from the window.

After a picnic lunch, we toured the Smith homes and then the Sacred Grove.

Then we went to Hill Cumorah (sorry no pictures) and drove back to Jenny's house.

Wednesday we did a little more Family History work and got ready for the LONG drive back to Texas.  It was a great trip and I really enjoyed spending time with the Rahrs.