Can She Bake an Apple Pie?

In answer, I give an emphatic, “Yes!!”

We have made it our ambition to be sure that each of our daughters is equipped for whatever life may throw at them. A repeated recommendation I convey to them is that they “Learn everything they can about everything they can.” One doesn’t know where life might take them!

Homemaking skills are essential to everyone. Knowing how to organize, declutter, clean, care for, and maintain a home are often overlooked skills that young married people struggle to perform. As part of our education, we wanted to ensure that our children were/are fully equipped. All the facets of these endeavors are valuable in developing the ability to make prudent decisions and execute plans.

Our education encompasses becoming proficient in culinary skills. This does not mean that our children are only assistants in the kitchen. Eventually, they can plan and prepare not only one meal, but weeks or months of sustenance for the family. It is essential to operate a kitchen with careful timing and organization. One must be attentive to detail.

Knowing how to precisely measure ingredients is important. So is an organized workspace. That is often the difference between success and failure. I am pleased that my girls know what they are doing when it comes to cooking. Confidence is an important character quality.

Recently, Unique, our youngest created her first apple pie. In reality, baking is more a form of science than cooking. She had recently begun making mini pies and was adept at that skill. Mastery requires a lot of time and practice. Functioning well in the kitchen necessitates excellent hand-eye coordination as well as the ability to train your mind to read and follow instructions. Having become proficient in her mini pies, Unique was ready to try her first full size pie. Cutting up apples from our orchard, and following the recipe, she made a delicious creation! Making a pie allows one to unleash their creative side! Fluting the crust, cutting the vent holes into a beautiful piece of art, she was pleased with her new accomplishment!

Several years ago, while Amanda and Rachel were still at home, there was a pumpkin pie competition in McLeansboro. We all decided to enter. Who might win? We each used a different recipe- one from the back of the can, one from the Betty Crocker cookbook, and one that was passed down to us by Mark’s mom, Doris. Part of learning to cook or bake involves learning to humbly take criticism and to learn from others. We were ready for whatever came. We had our pies ready and transported them to the local contest. The tension rose. When the winners were announced, my daughters and I took first, second, and third places in the county! Did I say that I was proud of my daughters?!

From winning prizes in local contests, to winning the hearts of their husbands, to winning at life skills, from oldest to youngest, each of our daughters can cook and bake! We are proud of who they have become and who they are becoming. 

Our girls know how to give and take clear communication, they work well with others, they practice patience under pressure, and know how to express their own likes and styles with food. Can she bake an apple pie? Yes sir, she can!

~Rhonda

Three, Two, One, Go!

Two years ago, Jonah, Samuel, and I got laser tag sets for our birthdays. We were so excited when we opened our gifts. We had an old laser tag set, but it didn’t work very well anymore. These sets were a lot better, and we were eager to play with them.

The best place to play laser tag is on the porch when it is getting dark. You can’t see each other very well and this makes it more exciting. Many times, when the Cox family comes to visit us, we like to play laser tag with them. There are more people to play, and this makes it more fun.

Sometimes we make rules that no one is allowed to go off the porch. We usually have three people on a team all on one side of the porch and three people on the other side. Each laser tag gun has a button that changes the colors. If two people are on the same color, then they can’t shoot each other, but if they have different colors, then they can shoot each other. That’s how we know who is on your team, and who to shoot.

The game starts when someone yells out, “Three, two, one, go!” The porch and playground start to brighten up with lots of yellow, blue, green, and red lights, produced by the guns and glasses. If we are off the porch, the lights soon disappear behind all the trees and cars. Every little hiding spot is taken.

 

We have lots of fun with our laser tag sets. It is always one of my favorite things to do when it is getting dark. It is a gift that we can play with for a long time. I always look forward to hearing the words, “Three, two, one, go!”

~Isaac

A Magical World of Creativity

Sitting up on the game closet shelf is a village of tininess. This town has been there for about three years. Calico Critters are one of my favorite little toys to play with. They have been for a long while now. Calico Critters were first made in Japan in the year 1985.

There's a large variety of miniature critters with homes, furniture, and lots of different kinds of accessories. I have a lot of the animals that there are. I have gotten many over the years as gifts. Calico Critters are sold in so many families, such as the rabbits which are some of my favorite ones to play with when I do have them out. There’re big ones, smaller ones, and cute little baby ones. All of them are one-of-a-kind. The animal figures are very amazing because they are made of a special cloth that gives them a soft feeling.

Using my Calico Critters, I have made many stop motions films. It makes the animals seem to come alive! They are easier to make when you have the small little pieces to work with. My Calico Village is a happy place. All of the critters have a special part in the town, just like in the actual world. I have made approximately five stop motion films, most of which are currently in production.

My Calico Critters sometimes get dusty while they are sitting there on the shelf waiting for me to play with them. I don't play with them as much as I used to. Nevertheless, I still love them just as much as I did. Calico Critters still is a magical world of creativity in our home.

~Unique

My Most Embarrassing Moment

I’m sure everyone has experienced at least once in their life, that cheek burning, stomach knotting, humiliating, wish the ground would swallow you up embarrassing moment. I have, several times, but my most embarrassing episode occurred last July, at Restoration Acres in Ohio, while we were attending Hillsboro Family Camp.

Fun after the evening session

We have been going to Hillsboro Family Camp for the past several years. It is a week in the summer we all look forward to with anticipation. This year was no different, except that we all felt an added bit of nervous excitement on account of the fact that we had been asked to sing a fifteen-minute evening concert for one of their sessions. With around fifteen hundred people in attendance, this would be our biggest event yet!

After a full two and a half days rolled by in Ohio, the time came for us to perform. It was a scene of energetic bustling in our camper as seven o’ clock approached Tuesday evening. Hair fixed, clothes changed, instruments checked, brief inspection of everyone, and we felt we were ready. All dressed in black, white, or gray, we walked up to the pavilion where we were to sing. I thought to myself how nice we all looked and hoped that our songs would glorify God as well as encourage and uplift those who heard us.

Pre-concert practice in the camper

We took our seats at the side of the stage and after the introductions and some opening words, we filed up the stairs, and stepped into our places. An intro was played, and our concert had begun. I don’t remember much of what happened during those fifteen minutes, for it always feels like a dream to me after I’ve been on stage. So, after the applause died down, we placed our instruments back in their cases and filed slowly around the pavilion back to our normal seats, saying a quiet thank you to people who encouraged us with their kind words.

I remember sitting down again, then standing up to take my sleeping nephew out of his sister’s tired arms. It was at that moment I realized, well Jayla realized, that my dress was unzipped! My dress’ zipper was not in the typical location a zipper is normally, that is down the back. It was placed running down my side underneath my left arm. As I grabbed Nathaniel, Jayla could see a one-to-two-foot section of my left side, along with undergarment unmentionables, bared for the quiet assessment of public eyes! Immediately I felt my face turn hot and my stomach begin to churn. My symptoms turned infinitely worse when a friend came up, relieved to find we had corrected the problem she had noticed just seconds earlier!

A worn-out Gideon 

Zip!!! As I sat down, the full import of Jayla’s disastrous discovery fell on me. I had, from the moment we walked into the pavilion, to the time we took our places on stage, during our entire performance, while we walked around the entire crowd to our normal seats at the back of the pavilion, smiling and waving to friends the entire way, been exposing two feet of my left side to the general view! I was humiliated!

My feelings started to abate, only after I had talked to several friends and realized that none of them had noticed anything. I still couldn’t believe it though; Even now, I get flushed just thinking about it! I am sure I will never forget my most embarrassing moment yet, and I hope it stays just that, my most embarrassing moment. May I never have to relive another of those kinds of episodes, even if they do make humorous stories years down the road for future listeners!

~Halayah

Wonderfully Made

I love snakes! Out of all the animals I’ve seen, I’d have to say that snakes are by far my favorite! I have caught many kinds of snakes: black rat snakes, garter snakes, prairie king snakes, smooth green snakes, common water snakes, black racers, and others. I enjoy feeding and caring for each of the snakes I catch.

The black rat snake, along with the common garter snake, eastern hognose snake, and corn snake, are my favorite snakes! The black rat snake can grow up to nine feet long! I am currently caring for four black rat snakes! Two of my snakes are about 4 feet long, and the other ones, which are younger, are about 3 feet long. The biggest black rat snake ever recorded was 8.5 feet long!

I must feed my snakes every 4-7 days! I generally feed them the mice I catch from our granary, but I sometimes feed them fish and frogs from the pond. Rat snakes are constrictors, so they kill their prey by wrapping around it and squeezing it to death! King snakes are the strongest constrictors on earth for their size! Once the snake has killed its prey, it will swallow it whole, generally headfirst! A rat snake can swallow a mouse within only a few minutes!

I like handling rat snakes, even though they may be hot tempered when first caught. Black rat snakes can become very gentle after a few days of handling. Gentling rat snakes is a fun job if you like snakes, but it takes a lot of self-control and bravery!

I use different ways of gentling for different kinds of snakes. To gentle the big 6-foot black rat snake, I take the snake, which is generally in a bad mood, and sit in a rocking chair on the back porch. Once seated, I release my hold of the snake and let it slither around all over me! I’ll try to do this in the morning, when it’s still cool out. Since all reptiles are cold blooded, the snakes are colder in the mornings which makes them slower, so they generally lie still enjoying my body heat.

The snake will just lie there for a while warming up, then it will start to slither around flicking its tongue in and out constantly. The tongue of a snake is its way of smelling! When the tongue is flicked out, it collects the chemicals from the environment. When the tongue is pulled in, it touches the Jacobson’s organ which helps the brain recognize the chemicals as smells.

Being cold blooded, snakes are whatever the temperature of their environment is! They can’t live in cold weather, but need to stay warm. The warmer the snake gets, the more active it becomes. Once it starts moving around, I must hold very still! I have been bitten many times on the hands from moving too much! The snake is just curious and does not bite unless frightened. If I am bitten on the hand however, it is very important that I do not jerk away! Black rat snakes have a very powerful bite force. If you jerk while it’s biting you, the snake may lose a few teeth in your hand! I’ve had a snake tooth stuck in my finger! It does not feel so good. Out of all the snakes in the world, the king snake has the strongest bite force for its size!

I guess I haven’t always liked snakes. Although I don’t remember, I imagine that I used to be afraid of snakes when I was little! With more than 3,000 snake species, I find it interesting that about half of the world’s population feels anxious about them. About one-third of the adult population is believed to have an intense fear of snakes! There are only 600 venomous species, and only 200 of those, can kill humans. I am certainly not afraid of snakes, but I do sometimes feel a little anxious and alert when handling an ill-tempered snake. I have respect for the reptile.

I think snakes are some of the most amazing creatures on earth, not only because they can move without legs, but because they can smell with their tongues, their venom can kill and cure, they can feel vibrations with their jaw, they can slip out of their old skin, and climb trees without legs or arms! Different species of snakes can see heat, fly, rattle their tails, live under water, live under ground, or swallow full grown alligators whole! Those are just a few of the many amazing things that snakes can do. Snakes are sure wonderfully made!

~Samuel

Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch

You may be vaguely familiar with the tune “Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch,” but just what is a pawpaw? Many have never seen or tasted the fruit, even though it is the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States. Pawpaw’s have a sweet, custard-like flavor similar to a banana or mango and grow mainly in central/eastern United States and Canada.

The trees are a patch forming understory tree that grow up to a height of 35 feet in a variety of soil types. The yellow-green to brown large seeded fruit can be up to six inches long and four inches wide, weighing up to 18 ounces. The fruit is sweet and is often eaten raw or used to make ice cream or baked desserts. It is not a common fruit found at the grocery store, as its shelf life is only around 3 days once ripened and picked from the tree.

Our personal calendar has September 8th marked down as the best time to pursue the fruit in our southern Illinois location, although the third Thursday in September has been designated as National Pawpaw Day by the National Day Calendar. On a recent trip to Ohio, numerous fruits were found at my brother’s house near Cincinnati at a family reunion. Youngsters were constantly returning from the forest with loads of the delicious fruit in their pockets reliving the words to the tune “pickin’ up pawpaws put‘em in your pockets.” They were a constant treat and heaps of fun for the little ones.

De Soto in 1541 gave the first report of pawpaws when he found Native Americans cultivating the fruit. It is also said that Lewis and Clark practically lived on the fruit for a period of time. Having never found a pawpaw on our farm, we transported the Cincinnati seeds to Providence Prairie and are attempting to propagate the seeds for a future harvest.

Restoration plantings of pawpaws are also underway across the United States, as the deep-rooted thickets protect against erosion and runoff. The native species are non-invasive with their large leaves adding to the under-canopy’s beauty.

The pawpaw seeds are in the ground awaiting the winter freeze and thaw. They are all marked with flags to remember their location. 

Pawpaws begin to bear fruit in three to five years. With any luck, we may one day find the delicious short-lived beauties here on our own homestead!

~Mark

The Tale of Two Instruments

My tale begins last fall, when our family was singing at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A gentleman from the audience came to us after our performance and asked us to sing for a revival in Ohio in the spring. He sweetened the offer by promising my little brother an electric bass if we came. When spring rolled around, we found ourselves at the Allensburg Church of Christ.

True to his word, Bob Stevens pulled the bass out soon after we arrived, and it was beautiful. Before long, the instrument was hooked up to the amp. Samuel’s playing around on it sounded good for not having played a bass before. He liked it right away.

Prior to the revival, we had been watching an old 1955 T.V. show called “What’s My Line.” We decided to change our usual family introduction to one like that of this old game show, where each member on the panel introduced the panelist to their left. As such, it would prove to be more interesting, not knowing what crazy thing the person next to you had in mind to say. Samuel introduced Unique as being very talented, knowing how to clog, yodel, and play the ukulele. Many people came up later that night stating their hopes of hearing her play the ukulele the next day. As she hadn’t brought hers, we were off to find one in the morning.

As we entered the music store, my dream stood there looking right at me. Dark and beautiful, it brought to mind all the beautiful sounds played by its kind. It was a gorgeous cello, but it had a pretty price tag, too. We all looked around, admiring the instruments in the shop, but I kept coming back to that cello. While everyone meandered here and there admiring everything that was offered for sale, Dad and Mama were looking for a good ukulele. Mama found a beautiful mahogany tenor ukulele that she would claim for her own. It was a good quality instrument, and she was pleased with it. Leaving the store, I was sure that poor cello was going to miss me. As I walked out the door, I believe I heard the cello groan a low disappointed bass note.

That night as part of his introduction, Samuel presented me as his big sister Jayla who was currently unattached. With a big smile, I told the crowd that I had just fallen in love that day. Everybody let out a sweet, “Aww!” I continued “…with a cello in a music shop.” Per request, Unique accompanied herself on the ukulele while yodeling a great song for the crowd.

In the audience that night sat one of Mama’s cousins along with his granddaughter who loved Unique’s song so much. She had always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. Roger got to thinking about his cello and suggested a trade proposition for Dad. Were we actually going to have a cello? Before I knew it, there in my hands was a cello, I was really holding it, and it was possibly going to be ours! Both the look on his granddaughter’s face and my excitement was enough to ensure the value of the trade on either side.

Straight away we had a new addition to the family, a beautiful cello that currently stands sentinel in a corner of the house. I am thankful for it. I’m no cellist…yet, that is, but I am working on it. While my tale of two instruments may draw to a close, the story lives on in every note played on either instrument, whether in practice, performance, or the composition of beautiful pieces of music.

~Jayla