~Pumpkin Pie~

Decorated patches, painted orange and brown

Vines curling, swirling, twirling underneath a frosty crown 

Luscious globes of goodness, roly poly, round

And perfect pumpkin pies see I, growing 'cross the ground.

                                                                                                 ~C

Yes, it is fall. The season of crunching steps and long, deep breaths, pumpkin spice and all things nice.  My favorite pumpkin pie recipe, from Libby's, altered by me...a delicious fall treat!

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 3/4 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked Pillsbury 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Directions

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin spice in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell. Cover with foil ring.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil ring. Bake an additional 20-23 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Great served cold for breakfast the next morning.

Enjoy!!

Who Am I

Who am I? 

I can identify Queen Anne's Lace. I know that Roger Williams founded Rhode Island. I know my times tables through 7 pretty well, and through 12 not so well. I can fill out a postcard correctly. And I'm ALWAYS hungry.

I can burp anytime I choose. I can build skyscrapers and motorcycles and contorted monsters with legos. I can run like the wind, but find it exhausting to walk to the fridge for ketchup. And I'm ALWAYS hungry.

I can draw and whistle and eat a popsicle and hang upside down from the couch, all at the same time. I like to hold my mom's hand while we sail around the skating rink. I like to laugh and howl when my dog licks my face. And I'm ALWAYS hungry.

I bet you've guessed it by now.  That's right.  I'm a fourth grade boy.  And now that I'm bored of this, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find something else to give my divided attention to.  And I'm STILL hungry!!

 
 Blessings

How easy it is to be thankful when our children are healthy and happy. How easy it is to be proud of the A's and the lengthy Bible verse memorizations, the touchdowns and field goals, the hefty plates of food they inhale, and the artwork hanging above the stairwell. But in the tender moments of worry and in the tired sighs of late-night motherhood come the strongest sentiments of all. 

After being up for the past few nights with a sick child, I sat down to write, and could only think one thing:  Lord, I just want to thank You for Your blessings. 

My mind goes back to when my firstborn was only a few months old. He was quite the little night owl, and so his mother was quite the tired little chickadee...One night as I was holding him in our living room, bouncing him, patting his back, singing to him, crying along with him, praying he would just give up and fall asleep, these words began spilling out of me, making a beautiful lullaby. This simple reminder that God had given me. That, in all of our crying chaos and my exhausting efforts, I was forgetting how truly blessed I was.

Lord, I just want to thank you for your blessings

You have been so very good to me

Lord, I just want to thank you for your blessings

And never let them slip my memory

Though sometimes you know I seem ungrateful

For the things you have done for me

But I just want to stop right now and thank you, Lord

For the blessings that I can and cannot see.

The smiling eyes of a tiny baby

A home that's filled with love

Oh, I just want to stop right now and thank you, Lord

I could never thank you enough. ~C

And the next morning, in the light of a brand new day, the last verse was penned and the beautiful lullaby became one of my favorite, catchy little songs. 

I look outside and a brand new day is dawning

Once again you let me breathe and wake

And I just want to stop right now and thank you, Lord

For giving me the joy of one more day.~C

This morning, my youngest's fever has broken and she's sleeping peacefully. And as I sit here writing and yawning and wishing for just a little more rest, the sunshine reminds me once again...Lord, I just want to thank You for Your blessings...and never let them slip my memory.

Change...

Change has a way of finding us all. The one who is nervously starting a new job. The family that is trying to make a different house in a strange, new state a home. The spouse who is left behind to pick up the pieces and start all over again. The couple learning to cope with an unexpected sickness. And the change that we all know so well, the one that the mirror testifies to us of each morning...

Season after season after season. Our lives our changed. Our bodies are changed. Our minds and our hearts are changed. And we're tired.

But there is a promise. There will come a day, a great morning, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye...The last change. And we will have a final job, a final home, with no loneliness, sickness, or death. 

Romans 8:11...He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

~from apple trees and skinned-up knees...

to autumn skies and apple pies~     ~C

Can you taste the setting of a sweet, summer sun? Can you taste the crisp mornings, the giddy rains, and the cool, starry nights of September? It's all there...in every delicious bite...

      

 Apple Pie

~My very favorite~

(from the Callie King Cockman Family Cookbook)

1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups apples, peeled and sliced

Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and apples together. Place in the pie shell.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

Mix until crumbly the brown sugar, flour, oats and butter. Spread on apples. Cover crust with foil ring. Bake 30-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pecans over pie. Drizzle pie with caramel.

This is an old recipe, given by my aunt Joan Cockman, who borrowed it from her sister, Gaty Murphy.

Enjoy!!

Splashes of enchantment and sprinkles of romance...

The beauty of creation shines in every raindrop's dance. 

The God, whose tender hand can stretch across the mighty sky, 

has surely told the rain to fall, to tell me He is nigh.   ~C

 

The mist. The breeze. The warm smell of the air. Golden locks curl up against happy, shining cheeks. One hand grips a pink umbrella, while the other holds tightly to her mother. Feet that cannot possibly stop dancing wiggle inside her splattered rain boots. Rainy days are indeed enchanting. 

And God's great gift of timing...God who, in the beginning, drew this earth up out of the waters, now sees our land. God sees our fields. God sees our backyards. And God sees our hearts. He's washing away our yesterdays and our disappointments. He's washing away our sorrows. And He's sprinkling us with misting mercies and renewing drops of grace. Let us turn our faces upward, grab hold of His outstretched hand, soak up His love and forgiveness, and let our feet dance for joy.