One Pretty Pear...

doing double duty as an interesting photo subject...

...and then into sweet autumn desserts

(baking will commence when pears are perfectly ripe)

Show and Tell Friday ~ Childhood Table and Chair Set

My daughter, Jamie was telling me how happy she is that her son, Noah comes home from kindergarten and excitedly tells her all about his day. She expected such conversations from her daughter but heard boys tend to be less open to sharing such detail.

We reminisced when she and her twin sister would arrive home from kindergarten and would clamor to tell me every detail of their time away. The three of us would sit at a child-sized table and chair set that was given to me when I was three years old. We ate our lunch together and listened with great delight about the happenings of the day.

How sweet that my brother and sister posed with me with my new table and chair set.
Christmas 1960.

This table and chair set has been in almost constant service for nearly 50 years. It matched the set my parents used in the kitchen. When I outgrew playtime, it was used for a sturdy storage table and the chairs used as step stools.

Its intended purpose resumed again when my own children were toddlers. (Jill, Jamie and cousin, Katie 1983)

Jill & Jamie Christmas 1985

In service still for our grandchildren!
Jared & Keri Thanksgiving 2005

Keri & Noah Christmas 2006

This is a table similar to the one my parents had



Click on above button to visit Kelli at There is No Place Like Home for more Show and Tell Friday!

There's A New Name Written Down In Glory...

...and it's Ryan's!

The kids were in the tub and Ryan (age 6) and Brenna (almost 5) were talking about heaven with each other. Jill (their mom) asked if they remembered how to get to heaven. Ryan explained that after you die you ask Jesus into your heart. Jill gently corrected that you need to ask Jesus into your heart before you die.

With great excitement, Ryan responded,

"Does that mean I can ask Him into my heart right NOW?"

So, after his bath was finished, and spending time with his daddy answering some questions to determine his understanding about such an important decision, Ryan prayed to His Savior.

The next morning at breakfast, Ryan asked Brenna if she wanted to go to heaven and if so, he would tell her how and help her to pray :)
Shaela, Ryan and Brenna
Ryan in Ocean City, NJ this past August

A new Name In Glory

I was once a sinner, but I came

Pardon to receive from my Lord:

This was freely given, and I found

That He always kept His word.

Chorus

There's a new name written down in glory,

And it's mine, O yes, it's mine!

And the white robed angels sing the story,

"A sinner has come home."

For there's a new name written down in glory,

And it's mine, O yes, it's mine!

With my sins forgiven I am bound for Heaven,

Never more to roam.

I was humbly kneeling at the cross,

Fearing naught but God's angry frown;

When the heavens opened and I saw

That my name was written down!

Chorus

There's a new name written down in glory,

And it's mine, O yes, it's mine!

And the white robed angels sing the story,

"A sinner has come home."

For there's a new name written down in glory,

And it's mine, O yes, it's mine!

With my sins forgiven I am bound for Heaven,

Never more to roam.

In the Book 'tis written, "Saved by Grace,"

O the joy that came to my soul!

Now I am forgiven, and I know

By the blood I am made whole!

Chorus

There's a new name written down in glory,

And it's mine, O yes, it's mine!

And the white robed angels sing the story,

"A sinner has come home."

For there's a new name written down in glory,

And it's mine, O yes, it's mine!

With my sins forgiven I am bound for Heaven,

Never more to roam.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10

Sweet lil' Nesting Peep

Vanessa of Vanessa Bowling Photography contacted me this summer for a Teeny Beanie she could use in a photo shoot. When I saw this photograph in my mailbox this morning my heart just melted. What an adorable shot of this precious baby girl.

When visiting Vanessa's site you will quickly notice her artistic talent that captures not just the image of her subject in creative poses but also the personality which makes
her photographs something that will be
cherished for years to come.
Visit her here:

http://www.vanessabowlingphotography.com/

Beanie can be purchased here

In a Baking Mood

I tried two new recipes today, a hearty, dense bread and
a fun breakfast muffin.
~~~
I have been looking for a bread with some added texture and bite by the addition of seeds/grains. This recipe caught my eye because of the wild rice (which I love). I think this recipe has potential and plan to make it again but with a slight modification. Instead of baking in a loaf pan I will shape the dough and bake on a baking sheet so it can rise a bit more. The rice was a nice addition but the rice grains on the top of the loaf become quite crunchy... as in break your teeth crunchy.

Dough cut into six pieces.

In the loaf pan and ready for rising.

A tad too dense but still a pretty loaf and tasty drizzled with honey :)
Doesn't it look especially nice in my new serving dish... it was a gift from my sweet friend.
Thank you Marcia!

Wild Rice, Oat and Polenta Bread
(recipe from BREAD MACHINE, How to Prepare and bake the perfect loaf by Jennie Shapter

1/4 cup wild rice
1-1/4 cups water
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 cups unbleached white bread flour
1/2 cups whole-wheat bread flour
1/2 cup polenta
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp nonfat dry milk
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rapid-rise yeast

1. Cook the rice in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, set aside and let cool to room temp.

2.Add ingredients to bread maker following the order your machine recommends.

3. Set the bread machine to dough setting and press start.

4. Add the cooked wild rice when the machine beeps or during the last 5 minutes of kneading. Lightly oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

5. When the dough cycle has finished, remove the dough from the bread machine; punch the dough down gently.

6. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a mini-loaf, about 5" long. Place the six mini-loaves widthwise, side-by-side into a prepared 9"x5" loaf pan.

7. Cover the dough with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 - 45 minutes, until the dough almost reaches the top of the pan.

8. Bake at 425 for 30 - 35 minutes, until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Turn out onto a cooling rack.

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Pancake Muffins with chocolate chips... ummm! Anyone following my blog soon comes to know Abbey's addiction to chocolate. Well, she is also addicted to ice-cream, but there aren't many things you can bake using ice-cream.

I saw this fun recipe here and made a batch today. They are cute, easy and perfect for those who can't start the day without chocolate. The taste and texture is very similar to regular pancakes.

The real reason I had to try this recipe is because I wanted to catch a syrup dip just like Bakerella did. Her picture is so much better!

Here is Bakerella's recipe:
Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins.

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
• In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.
Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.

And lastly... a pic of Raider. I love this little guy and his unique quirks. Put his pillow anywhere and he will snuggle in. Perfect by his favorite look-out window.

Apple Raisin Muffins

With big Brother off to school with his new lunch box and supplies, little Ella (the little girl I babysit) was feeling sad. So she told her mommy she was going to Mom-Mom school.

When she arrived with her own lunch box I thought it would be nice to add a little structured time to the day with a short "homework" (as Ella calls it) page and a related baking project. We played with the number 1, the Letter A(a) and apples. How's that for starting at the beginning!
*
She was focused on our baking, enjoying the stirring, chopping, licking the spatula and nibbling on apple slices.
And proud of her pasting and coloring page.

Our muffins hot from the oven.

With a simple glaze and ready for munching... which we joyfully did.

Apple Raisin Muffins

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk (I like to add a splash more)
1 extra large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (large) peeled, finely chopped tart green apple
1 package (1 cup) Sun-Maid Baking Raisins

Directions:

• HEAT oven to 400 F. Grease or line 12 (2 -inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups.
• COMBINE flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mix well.
• COMBINE butter, milk, egg, vanilla and apple.
• ADD to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• FOLD in raisins.
• SPOON batter into prepared muffin cups.
• BAKE at 400 F in upper third of oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

For 24 mini muffins, bake 15-17 minutes.

VARIATION: Substitute grated carrot or zucchini for chopped apple.

Makes 12 muffins.

~*~

RECIPE UP-DATE October 2011

I experimented with this recipe because I wanted to reduce the amount of butter and because I thought the batter a bit too dry.  I like the new results.  Here is what I changed:

* Decreased the butter to 1/4 cup

* Added 1/3 cup  unsweetened applesauce

* Made 10 muffins instead of 12