Moving Day!

Last Friday was the big moving day!  Mama and Daddy moved from their old upstairs bedroom into their brand new downstairs bedroom.  Jackson, Jonathan, and Hannah did all the labor while Marvin supervised.  :)  Everything looks wonderful and they are so happy to be in their new room!  I'll have to go back and take photos of it again with everything looking nice.  The photos I have at the bottom of this post are all from moving day - so things aren't tidy.  But, you can definitely see that it is a wonderful new room!

These first few photos are the last of the construction update photos.  

I love the dual screen doors on the french doors!

 Moving day!!!

Jonathan and Jackson begin bringing furniture down
(under Marvin's supervision)  ;)

Hannah transferring clothing.  :)

It was nice to be able to go out the door with the mattress...

...and then in the french doors to the new bedroom.  

Looking good in there!

their new chairs arrived!

Mama's pretty new bedspread

Chicken and Sweet Potatoes (IP)

Chicken and Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot

This is a quick and easy meal for the Instant Pot.  Literally one of those 'run home and throw something together for a good, hot meal' types.  I use Schwans 4 oz. frozen chicken breasts for this recipe, so keep that in mind regarding cooking time.  I also use what I would call medium sized sweet potatoes - the ones that come in a bag at Aldi.  So not too big.

Place the trivet at the bottom of the Instant Pot.  Add 1 cup of broth or water (your choice, but I use chicken or vegetable broth).  Use frozen chicken for this recipe.  Season the chicken (thighs would also work) liberally with whatever seasonings you prefer.  I used garlic powder, onion powder, and Montreal Chicken seasoning.  Lay chicken on the trivet.  Poke the sweet potatoes once with a fork, then place them on top of the chicken.

Put the lid on and set vent to seal.  Cook on Manual High for 8 minutes.  Allow for 5-10 minute Natural Pressure Release then release any remaining pressure.  Remove lid and serve.

Matthew's game

You may remember that Matthew has been working on creating a game for the last year and a half.  What started as a great idea over Christmas break has now turned into a working model that Matthew is getting ready to market!  How exciting!!  He brought the game over to show me and WOW does it look great!!  A fellow Truman student helped create the prototype and they are stunning.  I can't wait to see where this leads...

Flowers at Willis Creek Ranch

I should probably rename this post.  True, all these flowers are technically on Willis Creek Ranch - it's just that none of them are at MY house.  Marvin and I do NOT have a green thumb.  We joke that we are the only people we know who plant annual perennials.  But, that is just who we are.  However, my dear sister, Julie, is an incredible horticulturalist!  She is known for her beautiful wildflowers and gardens.  And we get to enjoy them at her house!  Definitely a win/win.  :)

Mama and Daddy have beautiful flowers, too.  Daddy took these photos just the other day.  Summer is such a pretty season out here.  

Jasmin's Eggplant Lasagna

Jasmin served this wonderful dish for our most recent ladies lunch.  It was absolutely divine!  She said it is actually Paul's recipe.  Well, it sure is a good one!  Thanks to Jasmin (and Paul) for sharing the recipe with us!

Eggplant Lasagna  (from Jasmin)

For two 9x13 pans

(3) eggplants sliced 1/4" thick. Coat with olive oil. Bake in single layer at 350° for 20 mins. 

(2) small boxes sliced portabella mushrooms. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

For each 9x13 pan

(1) jar marinara sauce

(2) 8 oz bag shredded provolone cheese

1/2 c freshly shredded parmesan

Layer marinara sauce

Eggplant

Mushroom

Provolone

Parmesan

Repeat for 2nd layer.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 mins

Note: I covered the oven racks with heavy duty, jumbo foil and placed the eggplant on them to bake.

You can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few days before heating and serving.  The flavors meld together even more over time.  

Random July

Here is a random catch up of July...

I enjoyed getting together for a Ladies Lunch with these dear friends.  Jasmin hosted us at her home at Spring Lake.  It was great to have time to catch up with each other and enjoy a delicious meal together (cooked by Jasmin!).

Chris, Susie, Jasmin, and Laura

with Jasmin's house behind us  :)

Caught this handsome fella hanging out in his truck.  :)

Jonathan

We went to the doctor and my peripheral vision caught sight of something familiar...  :D

can you spot Jackson and Brianna's wedding invitation on that board?  

Mama's flowers are so pretty...

Beautiful sunset as I was driving home one evening.

Annie in her outdoor pen at the barn

I love this!  You may recall that Rachel initially made a 'family tree' for Mama and Daddy's 60th wedding anniversary a few years ago.  It was done with marker on paper and faded over the years.  So dear Rachel embroidered the family tree for permanency and gave it to Mama and Daddy for Christmas this past year.  They have it framed and ready to hang over their bed in the new room.

I never got to visit with them this year, but we always enjoy being a campsite for Eric and Gwen and kids (just Jared this year, I think) while they show cattle at the NEMO fair.  :)

Beets (IP)

Fresh home grown beets are almost like candy to me!  So yummy!  This year I was excited to try cooking them in the Instant Pot.  It did not disappoint!

yummy homegrown beets!

Beets in the Instant Pot

Beets, whole

1 cup broth

2 Tbsp. butter

I placed the beets on the trivet in the Instant Pot then poured the broth over top and added the butter.  Place the lid on securely and set vent to seal.  My beets were smaller; about 2 inches in diameter so I cooked at Manual High for 12 minutes.  If your beets are larger I would consider going up to 16 minutes.  You can also cut the beets prior to cooking and adjust the time accordingly.  Allow for at least a 10 minute Natural Pressure Release then release any remaining steam before opening the lid.  This method worked perfectly!  The beets were cooked, but not mushy and were seasoned just right.  Yum!

Significant

We don't normally focus on this day.  Usually we share a quick moment of reflection and then move on to the normal events of the day.  However, this year feels like it is more significant.  We have hit a milestone - 50 years.  That even sounds significant when I say it out loud.  FIFTY YEARS.

50 years ago today Marvin was injured in an explosion in Vietnam.  (I have written previously about Marvin's story in some detail on another post.  You can go and read it at this link.)

What transpired on that day changed his entire life.  The young man who had dreamed of running a big cow/calf operation on his family farm would instead spend the next two years of his life recovering from life altering wounds sustained during a search and destroy mission in the jungles of Vietnam.

Life can change in an instant.  And how we respond to those changes shapes our entire lives.  I asked Marvin this morning what he would tell our 'boys' - what he would look them in the eye and want to make certain they know.  He was hesitant to tell me anything.  He isn't one to dwell on what he has gone through.  But, for the boys, he finally shared this...

"50 years ago today seems like a long time but at the same time it seems like only yesterday.  Looking back it seems hard to believe it was 50 years ago.  A 20 year old being thrown into war in a combat situation - it's a bad thing and you don't wish anybody to be in that situation.  The Vietnam War changed so many people's lives, and at such a young age.  I wouldn't want my boys to have to go through that.  I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones that I made it through.  My injuries - loss of sight and being wounded - changed my plans.  But I was so fortunate.  I had a great supporting and loving family when it happened.  I had friends throughout my life.  

I would want the boys to know that you can always lean on God for strength.  Have optimistic determination to try to make the best of a situation.  In my situation, I didn't think I had an alternative.  Or, I should say I didn't like the alternative to sit down and give up and go the other way.  I don't want to sound like I had something the other guys that didn't make it didn't have.  It wasn't that way.  I don't know.  It is just the way I was built, I guess.  I just always thought that I never wanted to quit.  I always wanted to keep moving; keep trying to press forward.  

Never give up.  Never let yourselves get down on yourself.  Seek help from others and accept help from others.  Always believe that you can make it.  Accept the fact that it isn't going to be easy and you are going to have some real tough times.  But if you keep plugging away, eventually it gets better.  Your faith is the key.  It would be awfully hard to have this kind of outlook if you didn't have faith in God.  

I've always had something in me that when I got down and depressed or things got bad, I always had a bottom line.  When I got to that line I knew I had to stop and change.  That I needed a different outlook or approach or action.  When I felt like sitting down and doing nothing, which happened a whole lot (and still does, actually), something just wouldn't let me sit for very long.  I guess what it is - because of my belief and faith in God I have never gotten to the hopeless feeling.  Things have never gotten so bad that it was hopeless.  I have always looked for and grabbed ahold of something that was positive.  Or gave me a chance of surviving - of being better.  When I was wounded, I didn't die!  That was a plus!  So I was thankful I didn't die.  When I had all my surgeries, I came through them.  So that was a little bit more.  I lost all my sight but then started seeing a little light.  So that helped.  It's like that.  You try to make those opportunities all through your life.  You grasp hold of the good things.  You watch for the blessings.  I have never been in a situation when I had a hopeless feeling.  Coming up in a home with a strong Christian faith and belief in God, you always have that hope...  that hope in Christ.  I am so thankful for that hope.  It has sustained me."

Marvin is a quiet man.  He doesn't put these things into words very often.  But he lives his life every day as an example to any who will take time to notice - to really see.  As my Mama said when Marvin and I got married - Marvin exemplifies  1 Corinthians 13:4-7.   He knows this world is not his home.  He has more ups than downs.  His glass is always more full than empty.  He has an optimistic outlook on life that he has cultivated and nurtured.  He shares it with others.  It has certainly rubbed off on me.

Today we can think back to the events of 50 years ago and count our blessings.  I am so very thankful for Marvin.

reminders