Where o Death is Your Sting?

It's often when I feel sorrow or pain that I turn to writing. And as I just received some unwelcome, yet not surprising news, I feel the the need to put my feelings into writing.

2010 was a tough year emotionally.  The Farmer and I lost people very close to us. It started with the loss of a great-uncle. Someone who hadn't really been sick and so his death was surprising.

And then the man who was like my second dad during my childhood passed away very unexpectedly. This guy was my Dad's best friend, worked on the farm for us, and treated my children like his own grandchildren. I shed so many tears on his passing, but he was a man of great faith. So I know he now rests in a much better place.

Shortly after, The Farmer and I lost a friend to brain cancer. Just a year earlier, she had been diagnosed with the rapid spreading cancer. We watched her fight to stay around for her three young kids. Her husband also works for us and is someone I've known since I was a baby. And yet this past fall her battle her on earth finished. Also a woman of great faith, I have no doubt she's sitting in Heaven now. But her loss is still one that hurts.

And the wounds opened again today as we lost another friend to cancer.  A dad to two very small children, the husband to a lovely, devoted wife, and a guy people just loved to be around.  He and his wife just had a baby a few months ago. Shortly after, he asked me to tell him that my Lion Cub and his son would be friends when they got older. It's a promise I intend to keep.

I Corinthians 15:55 says "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  I know that the sting is only for those of us who remain to mourn the loss.  But the victory is won for my friends who have moved on to take their place with Jesus. And as we get ready to go through another visitation and pay our respects for a life taken much to soon, we go knowing the promise laid out for all believers.  Knowing they are all in Heaven is the only way I can make any sense of the loss, as the loss stings for so many.

Wordless Wednesday: Watered Down Electronics

I'd love to just post this picture and skip the explanation, however I know I'll leave a few of you scratching your heads.

Bottom line - you should not put your Ipad in the washing machine.

Longer version - Saturday afternoon, while attempting to do laundry, cook a meal, empty the dishwasher and carry a baby around the house I put my Ipad in the washing machine.  Sounds impossible right? Not really. 

We have a 3-story old farmhouse.  I go up and down those stairs alot throughout the day. In an attempt to make one less trip, I took the laundry basket of dirty clothes and piled in a few other non-laundry items that needed to go downstairs, including my Ipad. I picked up my Lion Cub in my left arm, laundry basket in the right and headed downstairs. 

I got distracted fairly quickly. So I put down the laundry basket and tended to whatever distracted me.  I  came back to place Lion Cub in his exersaucer and do a load of laundry. I filled the washer with water and just dumped the basket in the machine. I walked away to start another project.  And then five minutes later I had that "DUH" moment when I realized what I had done.

I found my Ipad at the bottom of the washer. It's been resting in a 9x13 pan of rice since Saturday. I read somewhere that would help it dry out. However, it still won't turn on.

My Monkey told The Farmer that my "ipot" was dirty and it needed washed. Thankfully The Farmer laughed and said go buy a new one.  I think he is secretly hoping it will turn back on eventually and then he can have it.

My lesson learned, quit multi-tasking so much!!

Tasty Tuesday: I Cook Like My Mother

My Dad has told me on numerous occasions that I cook like my Mom. I consider that a huge compliment. My Mom is a great cook. She had me in the kitchen at a very young age helping mix cookies, peeling potatoes and other basics. I've mentioned in previous posts that the best gift she has given me was a cookbook of every recipe she has!  These are the foods I grew up eating, arranged neatly in a 3-ring binder.  This picture should give you an idea of how many recipes I have!

Growing up, snow days meant Mom would make something special. Usually something we didn't get often and that took a bit more time to prepare.  Caramel corn was always a favorite for my sister and I. And her caramel corn still remains a great treat! Knowing we'd be stuck at home today, I decided it was time to introduce my kids to their Grandma's Caramel Corn.

I started by digging through my special recipe book.  This caramel corn recipe actually comes from my Great-Grandma on my Mom's side of the family.  You start with 6 quarts of popcorn.  And this was my first learning experience today. As much as I hate to admit it, I've never popped popcorn on the stove.  I don't eat a lot of popcorn to start with.  And when I do, I just buy the microwaveable bags.  So I had to figure out how to pop corn on the stove top!! Doing it as I remember Mom doing it, I started with 3 tablespoons of popcorn oil and added 4 kernels.  I turned on the stove and waited for a kernel to pop.  As soon as it did, I added 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels.

It took about 2 minutes of constant back and forth movement of the pan, with a lid on top, to get the popcorn all popped.  I'm proud to say I didn't have any unpopped kernels either!  And the popcorn tasted so much better than the microwaveablee bags.

In total I popped 1 cup of corn, giving me 4 quarts of popcorn.  I divided the 2 batches of popcorn into two big baking pans.

To make the caramel sauce, I needed 1/2c light corn syrup, 2 cups of brown sugar and 2 sticks of unsalted butter. 

Bring those ingredients to a boil and stir constantly for 5 minutes.  Then pour the  mixture over the popcorn, to which you may  have added peanuts.  I did, although you wouldn't have to.  Stir the mixture so the popcorn is coated.

Place in an oven set at 250 and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Let cool and store.

I wish you could scratch and sniff your computer screen.  This stuff is amazing!!  I completely skipped lunch and just nibbled on caramel corn!  And I sent the pan on the left to the barn with The Farmer.  Those guys braved ice and snow to get to work this morning and will be driving home in a blizzard tonight.  I thought they deserved a treat today.  Reviews have been great from them!  And giving some away saved me a few hours on the treadmill burning off the calories!