Need Somethin' Warm?

Fireside Coffee

2 c. non-dairy creamer

1-1/2 c. instant coffee

1-1/2 hot chocolate mix

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix well. Use 2 T. per cup.

:)

Backfired

It all started at work, with those dehydrated bananas.

First of all, those bananas, so painstakingly cut and prepared and dried...totally didn't work out. They were gummy, and looked, well, brown and ugly. Still tasty, if you wanted a jaw workout, but there's no way we were going to sell them.

So of course, being the experimenter that I am, I asked if I could take home a few bags to see what I could do with rubbery, dehydrated bananas.

Idea #1 worked out great! They are amazing in oatmeal! The boiling water rehydrates the bananas, making them edible. Daddy said he'd just as soon cut a fresh banana into his cereal, but I say what's more convenient than throwing some dried bananas into your oatmeal? No knife to clean, no peel to discard! They'll be selling dried bananas IN cereal before long...oh wait.

So that was idea #1. And really, it might have been wise to stop while I was ahead, but how was I supposed to know #2 was going to have...difficulties?

Okay, first of all, Mom was out this afternoon. This was NOT a factor that determined whether I was going to experiment or not. Honest!! It just happened that way, and was the reason I was in the kitchen at all this afternoon. I was mixing up a cake for supper, and baking Mom's rolls. And, while in the kitchen, decided to try crisping up the gummy bananas by...microwaving them.

Do you KNOW how bad burnt bananas smell? Guess I left them in there a little too long. Black is bad, isn't it? And smoke coming out of the old micro? Hmmm. The mess goes into the garbage, a couple windows got opened, and that's the end of it, right? No, no no, first my siblings have to draw as much drama out of Hannah's experimental disasters as they can. Three of 'em walk in the kitchen holding their noses:

"What's that SMELL!?!?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just an experiment gone wrong."

Which, essentially IS nothing, since you have nothing to show for it, right?

And you know, the fact that they didn't think anything about my experimenting (or that the experiment went wrong) might tell you something. But don't feel like you have to think too long and hard about it.

And then Sam walks in and requires a bit more of an explanation.

"Something smells funny in here."

"Reeeeally?"

"Yeah, did you burn something?"

*eyes the rolls that had come out earlier*

"Nah, not those, you don't keep burnt things, Sam"

*eyes light up, and he goes for the trashcan*

honestly.

*pulls out a charred bit of blackness and gives me a puzzled look*

"I, uh, *cough*...tried to crisp those bananas up"

*GUFFAW*

"I couldn't even tell what this WAS at first!!!!"

*drops black thing back into the garbage and goes outside*

Now can we PLEASE move on? The smell is gone, no more reason to talk about this, right? RIGHT?

So Mom comes home, and is about to head upstairs to feed Selah, and stops to talk to Carrie, and I hear from the lips of my DEAR little sister:

"I smelled something funny in the kitchen, and Hannah said it was an experiment that went wrong."

*CHOKE!*

Really, though, it could have been worse. I personally am just thankful the fire alarm didn't go off.

This time.

Sniffin'

We've had some colds going around the house the past couple weeks. Because of the red-nose malady (and because Walmart was out of the normal Puffs) I got some of those tissues with aloe on my last grocery run. Everyones loves this kind. Or so I thought. Today Hope was sniffling and snuffling, and I asked her if she needed to blow her nose. She answered, "No, I don't like the tissues with the slimy stuff. I'll just keep sniffin'."

Object defeated.

Donut update

Okay, so I told you Tyler started making donuts? And maybe you remember this post from last year, where my record number of batches was 35? Oh man...did he ever destroy THAT record!!! A couple weeks ago, the grand total batches for one week was.....

65 batches!!!

Which comes to about 4875 donuts, or 406 dozen. :)

And yes, they all sold.

Needless to say, the very word "donut" now makes Tyler turn a bit pale. Or maybe a sickly green. The difficulties that accompany doing something well...poor fellow.

And here are some other records, if only for my own sake, to compare to last year.

--Fudge: 300lbs made over 2 weeks (60 9x13 pans)

--Pies fried/sold in one day: 900+ (and this was just a Sunday afternoon!)

--Sandwiches sold in one day: 800+ (during the Apple Festival)

--Caramel apples: no idea...lots :)

--Hot apple cider: had its big day during the "Steps for Pets", which took place on a 40 degree, drizzly morning. We couldn't keep our 2 3-gallon and 2 2-gallon warmers full!

--Apple bread: sorry, no time to make it, hence no sales ;)

--Cider: Mr. Ciderman doesn't know because he's been making donuts...but they're constantly making and selling it!

I think the Orchard is catching on!! Hee hee. Even last Saturday, when it was rainy and cold and we didn't expect anyone, we still had a steady stream of business! I told Jenny they must have under-estimated the popularity of their own Orchard. A good thing! Mr. Evans and Jenny work harder than anyone I know to make it a success. It's pretty inspiring!

*sniff sniff*

I want time to STOP STOP STOPPPPPP!!! Our little Selah is now over 5 weeks old. :( She's as adorable as ever, and smiling now...but can't she just stay small and cuddly? She's such a precious little bundle. We love babies here. :)

Another new sister!

Just thought I'd post a picture of my OTHER new sister. Or sister-to-be. :) Luke and Katie got engaged last July, and we are SO enjoying getting to know her. This was taken in the "hay castle" at the Orchard. Katie came down to visit us (hmm...mostly Selah ;)), and they came out to the Orchard to play. Love you Katie!

Prayer: quote #2

"I suspect that if we saw the difference even the tiniest of our prayers make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those prayers down the through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get off our knees for the rest of our lives."

--Peter Kreeft

Prayer: quote #1

"Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumsances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself to this thought, 'I am of no use where I am,' because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, 'Whatever you ask for in My name, that I will do..." (John 14:13).

--Oswald Chambers

Utmost, Oct. 17