Events, Project 365, Recipes/Food

Frappe Freeze, Anyone?

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Yes, it’s that time of year — the Annual Church Picnic!!

For some reason (historical smoothie scholars are not unified in their positions) our family maintains a tradition of serving blends, or smoothies, at the church picnic. Today was our third year of making mocha granitas and strawberry/lemonade blends for 400 to 500 people, or possibly 250 people, twice. However you do the math, we prepared between 400 and 450 drinks.

With our faithful blend assistants, Greg and Tina, now serving as missionaries in Thailand, we had to rely on family and a few random passers-by (Thanks Michelle and Terry!) to keep things moving efficiently. This year Rachel and Joshua moved out of the ‘carry supplies, hand out straws, and clean up the mess’ job positions and actually alternated the operation of one of our three Smoothie machines. It brings a proud tear to the eye to a smoothie-loving Mom or Dad, to pass along a love for blend-mixing to their progeny.

david sips away happily

David may be too young to run a blender, but he is an excellent taste-tester.

Some people get the tiniest bit excited about blends. We deliver them as fast as possible, but it’s hard to please everyone.

bethany and hannah

Bethany and Hannah are ready for their blends now! Or maybe it’s just time for the sack race to start. I get confused sometimes.

There’s nothing like a smoothie on a hot day to bring a smile to the face of a passing middle-schooler.

jacob and joshua

Notice the tight clenching of Joshua’s hand and his stiff smile. Smoothie-envy.

At our church picnic, young and old alike (not that I’m calling these two fine gentlemen “old”) enjoy cold fruit smoothies.

I wear my sunglasses...

I’m not calling them “young” either. :)

Of course, some people should stick to the fruit blends and skip the doubly-caffeinated mocha granitas (it makes them a little ‘jumpy’).

daniel jumps high

Daniel’s flying high …

Sarah and her friend, Tarah, wait patiently for their smoothies. That is, until the excitement overwhelms them.

sarah and tarahhooray for blends and friends

A few years ago Tim wrote an amusing and helpful blog about having a Blend Ministry. It contains the recipes for our two favorite smoothie flavors. Sadly, there isn’t a single picture (it was from his unenlightened ‘dark’ period of blogging) so be prepared to use your imagination.

This portion of Tim’s earlier blog entry made me laugh so I’m closing the post with a (rather lengthy) quote.

Sometimes people tease me about taking blending so seriously, especially when they see me packing in all my supplies, ice, ingredients and blenders (it is not unusual for me to fill the back of my little station wagon). “It’s just a blend, dude!” they will say (as if a smoothie were not an end in itself).

There are those smug seminarians who will try to tell you that smoothie-making is not really a spiritual gift. Some will decry the cost of the ingredients and will even mock the sacred “Smoothies Should Be Free” philosophy, as if blends and vulgar cash could mix. And of course, in every large crowd there will be Philistines who do not appreciate the subtle flavor of your best blend offering, who will callously leave full blends to melt forlornly on a picnic table.

Do not go gently into that smoothie-less dark night. Resist such nay-sayers and keep cranking out the blends. For every jealous sidewalk detractor there will spring up ten young disciples. Admittedly, some will probably fall by the wayside, and a few may settle for being pastors, evangelists and missionaries. But in the end a few hardy souls will persevere to the lofty height of Master Blender.

It is said that when the new city of Jerusalem is established, that a river will flow out from under the throne of God, along which will grow the tree of life. This tree will bear twelve distinct fruits according to the season. It all seems tailor-made to me … you have high-quality water and heavenly fruit; all that is lacking is ice.

I’m thinking that the position of God’s personal blend-maker is still open and I can set up shop along the side of the river. It reminds me of James and John, and how they asked to sit at the right and left of Jesus, when he comes into His glory. I hope the other blenders of the world don’t get mad at me. tje

Go forth and Blend!!

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 217

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Events, Kathy

Those Who Look for Beauty Find It

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This weekend I was invited to join a friend at a homeschooling conference in Seattle. Tim cheerfully sent me on my way (no doubt plotting to get his hands on the blog) and off I went. It was a lovely time of fellowship with an old friend; long conversations about parenting, faith and marriage; homeschool shopping, instruction and encouragement and of course some pampering.

mirror, mirror on the wall

We found this wonderful little spa during our travels. The decor was lovely and I was especially drawn to the mirror in the back.

Between us, Martha and I have 11 children. That’s quite a collection of little (and not so little) voices and messes and concerns and needs and hearts in our care. I hardly need say that finding time for quiet and rejuvenation is pretty rare. How much more precious to have an extended length of time in which to reconnect with a friend and be away from the responsibilities of life.

To make the whole weekend all the more delightful, Martha treated me to a birthday pedicure.

pink toes

We don’t usually look to feet for beauty but dark pink polish certainly helps. More importantly it is where my feet take me that reflects beauty – do I serve my family, do I walk toward the needy, do I live out the gospel in the steps I take?

A little bit of pampering was the perfect way to start the weekend. No one in the salon asked me to get them a drink or find their lost sock or punish their brother or wipe up their spilled ketchup. Not once. It was actually very quiet.

Thank you for the lovely birthday present, Martha!!

kathy and martha

There is great beauty in relationships that have been tested in the fire and redeemed through God’s faithfulness and healing.

As I return from the homeschooling conference and a weekend away from my duties and responsibilities as a wife and mother, I am challenged to think about what I look for in my children and my husband. Do I look for the beauty in them or do I only see their faults and failures?

I want to look for the beauty of God working in my children and my husband. I want to see their hearts grow more and more in love with Jesus. I want to notice the laughter and joy more and the mess less. I want to encourage purity and innocence and integrity and faith and LOVE in my family.

I am going to look for the beauty that comes from the Lord because I know that He is faithful and will complete the work that He has begun in my children, my husband and myself.

It’s good to be home.

Kathy

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tn_AvalancheRanch
Musings, Project 365

Aslan’s Country

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As we straggled home at 8:45 pm, I think we all agreed that it was OK for our church’s Vacation Bible School program to be over. The kids had fun, but it has been difficult to snatch a bite to eat and rush off each evening — we’re really not used to having to meet a particular schedule, day after day. Joshua and I served the snacks each evening to about 75 kids and leaders — I actually found it rather stressful, trying to ensure that we purchased enough ingredients to supply all the kids with a tasty snack. Some of the kids (and leaders) didn’t find time to eat supper, which made it difficult for them and for us (we hadn’t bought a lot of extra food for seconds).

Avalanche Ranch
I actually know very little about this VBS program, since I was in the snack room each day — I didn’t even take any pictures!

The kids and I’ve been reading The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis lately — the final book of seven in the all-time favorite, Chronicles of Narnia series. Although we’ve been through all the books several times, the story seems new to Daniel and David, which makes it come alive for me again. I had to read quickly, because the story goes downhill for the first ten chapters or so, and I don’t like to linger during that part of the book. Now, finally, our characters have made it into Aslan’s Country, and we can relax and enjoy a less frenetic pace.

Bedtime after a long week
Joshua didn’t seem to mind being an auxiliary couch, but I probably should have sent Sarah to bed.

Of all the Narnia stories, The Last Battle is my favorite, although (or perhaps because?) it is gloomy for such a long while. I enjoy the thrill as Tirian slowly wakes to the realization that he is in Aslan’s Country to stay, and I love thinking about how Heaven will be so much better than anything we could ever imagine.

It was the Unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling. He stamped his right fore-hoof on the ground and neighed, and then cried: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this.”

The End of Narnia?

It seems that God, when he breathed life into our souls, placed a hunger for Heaven in each of us, and our hearts yearn for it, unsatisfied, all our lives. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Even those simple words: True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely — they resonate in the deep wells of my soul and send chills down my spine. More and more I find that I can recognize the shadows of these words as I see God working in the people around me, and my ears strain to hear the voice of my Beloved.

Project 365 – Day 215

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A Month by Proxy

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One of the things I hate about being a Dad is that I am often away at work when interesting things happen. During the Winter, Kathy and the children try to be discreet, but in the Summer, caution is thrown to the winds and they revel in their fun, in defiant disregard of my feelings.

This weekend Kathy is away, attending a homeschool conference (or so she says) with a friend, and I have been asked to write a blog in her absence. Looking back over the photos from the last month, I have unearthed a handful of pictures worth mention, especially since I seem to lack a topic on which to pontificate.

The Main Lodge

We had occasion to visit The Refuge several times this month, and it is exciting to see the progress being made, as stone and logs continue creep around the outside of the building. Even someone as visionarily-deficient as I can begin to imagine what the Main Lodge will look like when it is finished.

Skylights in the central hall
Of course, inside the building, there is still a lot of work to be done.

One of my dreams is to raise my family in the shadow of that retreat center, once it is up and running. Time is running out for my oldest son … and all the time, our family’s roots grow deeper and deeper here in Suburbia. It is hard to watch a dream die, sometimes.

Toward the end of Wilderness Northwest’s Day Camp, I had an opportunity to visit briefly with my brother and his family. I brought a few extra portable fans out with me, since many of my children enjoy the ‘white noise’ the fans generate to help them sleep more soundly. We enjoyed a few silly moments making fun of the ‘stackable’ marketing text on the box and speculating as to why anyone would want to stack fans on top of each other.

Blown away
Who knew their stacked power would be so turbulent?

Speaking of my brother, while we visited, I gently chided him for the lack of new content on his blog, and suggested that he and I could co-author a new “Men’s Blog”, since Kathy has run away with this one. We practiced our ‘bemused and thoughtful’ facial expressions.

Blockhead Brothers
I have a tendency to doze off when I get too philosophical.

One day this month I was working diligently in my office, when I received this phone call:

Me: Hello?
Daniel: Hi, Dad. Can we climb on top of the van?
Me: Er, um, why?
Daniel: We think it would be cool.
Me: Er, um, what does your Mom say?
Daniel: She said to call you.
Me: Er, um, OK. Be careful, and spread your weight out so that you don’t dent the roof.
Daniel: Great! Thanks, Dad!

The mind reels, as I think of how many of these kind of questions Kathy fields during the day.

King (or Queen) of the Minivan
Why scale these forbidding heights? As mountain climbers everywhere have answered, “Because it was there.”

As Kathy has mentioned in earlier posts, she’s been working through Proverbs with the kids quite a bit. Recently they must have studied chapter 12, and Rachel felt the need to highlight one of her favorites.

Applied Proverbs
When it comes to animals, Rachel is passionate and relentless. One wonders how this will play out, as she grows up.

Part of our entertainment while visiting in Michigan was found in watching the two littlest girls interact. Separated by only a few weeks in age, Sarah and Aydia are very much alike. This photo (taken today, and thus qualifying for Project 365) was taken while Sarah spoke with her cousin on the phone, unconsciously imitating one of Aydia’s most common facial expressions.

Chatting with a Cousin

It was a pretty good month, even if much of it came to me second-hand.

Tim — Project 365, Day 214

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Events

End of the line – the contest is over

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All good things must come to an end.

Actually, this is rarely true. More accurately, the mediocre, not-very-good, half-baked things come to an end, as do a host of bad things, like death, disease, sorrow and empty Nutella jars. The really good things, like God’s faithfulness, His love, our life with him in Heaven — these things don’t end at all.

david and sarah say a toast

David and Sarah say, “Cheers!” to our winner.

Not to detract from our our silly July Comment Contest, but it does end.

Thank you so much for participating. It has been a pleasure hearing from all of you. We have been so glad to welcome you to the living room that is our blog. We’ve tracked the comments throughout the month, and we’re delighted to announce that Cynthia has won the contest, with Aunt Kate as runner-up. There were a total of 321 comments made throughout the month, with 43 different people commenting.

Cynthia gets first pick from among these CDs, and Aunt Kate chooses second, from these titles:


Matt Redman

Matt Redman is a worship leader and accomplished songwriter — this CD is available because we bought it twice by accident. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our copy.

Word of God Speak

Word of God Speak is a collection of songs taken directly from scripture, powerfully singable. I received a collection of these CDs for Fathers’ Day, and this one is a selection of the best of those three CDs.

Both these prizes are new, still in their plastic wrap, and will be mailed as soon as we know which are chosen by whom. We hope you like whichever one you get!

let's clink glasses

Come again! We’ll have another contest soon.

Again, thank you to all the others who commented so cheerfully. It adds a lot to our enjoyment as we write when we have at least the illusion that someone is reading our blog. :)

Tim

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The musings and ravings of a bloggart family