EFA - Bike Ride!!!

The weather warmed up nicely this week and on the right days so that Wayne was home on a nice day! That's always a bonus. After spending the morning getting some chores done around the house, we loaded up all the bikes and headed for the Musketawa Trail. This trail is a 12' wide paved trail that was built on an old railroad bed. So, it's nice and level for bike riding, and it's a lot easier riding than riding with kids on the roads. That always makes me nervous!

We rode a total of eight miles, and we tried to find a geocache along the way, but it was missing. Bummer! Guess we'll just have to go back. ~grin~ The other bummer thing was that I discovered my odometer wasn't calibrated just right. It was saying I had riden a mile when, in fact, I had only riden seven-tenths of a mile! That's not good. So, when we got home, Wayne recalibrated it for me, and now it's pretty much right on. The bummer thing is that in recalibrating it, I lost all the miles I had already put on it this year. It wasn't a lot of miles, but my goal is to ride 500 miles this summer, and every little bit helps!

While riding we spotted a half dozen turtles sunning themselves on logs, a robin's nest with four eggs in it, and various birds, and lots of woodchuck holes.

I'm grateful for a family that enjoys the simple things in life, like a bike ride on a beautiful afternoon after a full morning of work.

Recipe - Pasta Salad

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite summer pasta salad recipes! I made this years ago when Wayne and I were first married, but somehow I lost the recipe. I knew I had made this delicious pasta dish, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember exactly how it went. After searching the internet for a recipe that looked similar and coming up empty-handed, imagine how thrilled I was to find a copy of it in our church cookbook! Enjoy!

PASTA SALAD
(from Ruth DeKorne)

1 bunch broccoli, cut up
2 C grated cheese
1 16-oz box twist pasta, cooked and cooled
1 medium onion, chopped
1 6-oz bag of dried cranberries
1# bacon fried crisp and crumbled (optional)

DRESSING:
1 C sugar
2 C mayonnaise
4 Tbs red wine vinegar

Mix the salad ingredients. Mix the dressing ingredients. Combine.

Favorite Songs - The Mom Song

Here's a song I stumbled across a year or so ago. It still brings a smile to my lips. May all you Moms out there enjoy "The Mom Song."

Recipe - Mouse Ears (aka Fried Cinnamon Strips)

This is always a fun treat for the kids. Since they are a smaller version of the popular "Elephant Ears," we renamed them "Mouse Ears." Enjoy!


MOUSE EARS (aka Fried Cinnmon Strips)

1 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
10 8" flour tortillas (or whatever you have onhand)
cooking oil

Combine sugar cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Cut tortillas into 2”x3” strips.

Heat ½-1” oil in skillet or electric frying pan to 375. Fry 4-5 strips at a time for about 30 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels.

While still warm, cover with sugar mixture.

Favorite Songs - Man of Sorrows (Hallelujah! What a Savior!)

This is one of my all-time favorite hymns. It's a beautiful reminder of what Christ did for us, and of what awaits those who believe in Him. (The singing will start after the speaking part. The harmony is beautiful. It's worth waiting for.)



Man of Sorrows

1. Man of Sorrows! What a name
For the Son of God, Who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

2. Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

3. Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! Can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4. Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

5. When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

In Our Home ~ April 4, 2010

1- The highlight at our home this week was purchasing a new-to-us van. It's a 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette. It's got a few more miles on it than we originally wanted, but we didn't have to raid all of our savings to purchase it either. Hopefully it will last us many years without many repairs! It's going to be nice to have wheels again!

2- The chicken coop is completely done. At least for now. ~grin~ I think I want to add another vent to it. We had some warm days this past week. (Over 80 degrees!) And that ol' chicken coop got pretty toasty. I think another vent would be a good idea. It's all painted and the shingles are on it. It looks great!

3- I got a lot of groceries this week, but nothing to eat. Amazing how that happens sometimes! Because the little grocery store where I shop is closing for remodeling (and opening under a new owner), everything in the store was 25% off. I had a bunch of their store coupons as well. And having spent some time earlier in the week spring cleaning my cupboards, I knew which stuff we needed to stock up on. So, I purchased a lot of flour, sugar, canned beans, etc. It's nice to have the cupboards full again. And because I had coupons, and because this store was one of the least expensive stores around, and because everything was 25% off, I got some great deals! Now, I just hope that when they re-open, they don't raise their prices. ~sigh~

4- Yes, I did spend some time cleaning my cupboards. I'm not a big spring cleaner, but every once in awhile, I like to tackle a project and get 'er done! This was one of those projects. My spices are now all organized again. It's actually delightful to open my cupboard doors now!

5- I was nauseous most of the week. It was a bad side effect of the Typhoid medication (vaccine!) I was taking. I took my last pill Thursday morning, and I was still quite nauseous this morning (Sunday). I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.

6- Justin was under the weather this week, and now Carl seems to have it. Just lethargic, with a sore throat and a fever. (102 or so) I hope it will end with Carl and that we won't all get it.

7- Carl sang and played his guitar in church this morning. I know I'm partial, but I thought he did a great job. I love seeing young people publicly declare their love for Jesus. To think that he was able to sing in front of that many people while he wasn't feeling well... It made this mama's heart happy. He said he wasn't feeling well when he woke up this morning, but I figured it was just nerves. I told him he could stay home if he wanted, but at that point he wanted to go. But as the morning progressed, he kept getting worse and worse. So, right after church, he made a bee-line for his bed, and he spent most of the day there. Poor kid.

8- The kids and I went on our first bike ride of the year. We rode up to the eye doctor to get Carl's glasses adjusted. (The result of an encounter with a ball.) It was so nice to ride a bike with no pain in my ankle! What a blessing! I ordered an odometer for my bike to track how far I ride this year. My goal is 500 miles. I have no idea how far I'll be able to ride. (Time constraints being a big factor) But we'll see.

9- We also had the first "ICE CREAM DRILL" of the year. This is when we get all the kids in bed, and then Wayne and I go out on the front porch and yell, "ICE CREAM DRILL!" The kids race out of bed in their pajamas, and pile into the car for a quick trip to the local ice cream shop. This time it was to McDonalds for caramel sundays. Yum!

10- That puts this past week in the books. It's always exciting to see what the next week will hold!