Foody Friday - Mini Pies

There isn't anything fancy about today's food post other than offering up an alternative for pies. The boys asked for pumpkin pies the other day and since they tend to eat anything better when they don't have to use a fork I made mini pumpkin pies using muffin tins. They are also easier to pack in their lunch boxes this way.



I just cut the pie crust into large circles using a large plastic cup and tucked them in and added the filling. I did bake them about 15 minutes less for than what the recipe called for if I had been making a full size pie.

Here's the recipe I used;

Pumpkin Pie Filling

4 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 T flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. salt
2-15 oz. canned pumpkin
1 c milk

Beat eggs, sugars, flour spices and salt. Add pumpkin and milk. Pour into 2 pie shells and bake at 350 for about an hour until pie puffs up in center. For mini pies in muffin tins bake for 45 minutes.

Photo Thursday- Boots

Why does anyone need this many boots?

Marvel Who?

I have some awesome in-laws but one brother in law of mine in particular is a super uncle in the eyes of my boys. Why? Because their uncle is a Marvel comic junkie. Not so much a junkie though that he couldn't separate himself from all these Marvel superhero toys he sent to us last week.


I'm pretty sure all these toys were my BIL's when he was a kid. Wow, pretty cool he's sharing his old toys with my kids isn't it? I bet his report card read "plays well with others" when he was younger.

Yip and Yap love these toys, so do I. The only problem is we don't know who they all are. Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? I didn't grow up watching or reading Marvel comics and since my boys don't watch tv (gasp!) we are a bit befuddled over some of the alliances of our Marvel pile.

Of course I know Hulk. I thought he was green? I do remember that show from my childhood.
And thanks to Yip's obsession with this one (and one hunkie Mr. Hugh Jackman) I know Wolverine too.

But who's this one? I'm tempted to say he must be a good guy. I think it's the bright colors of his underwear, I mean, supersuit that sways me towards his valor.

Wow, this guy has to be a good guy. Only a good guy would be brave enough to head out to a fight in purple and pink. Or maybe he's just a really badass bad dude and doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Then there are the few women action heroes. Are they virtuous or vile? I'm betting the chick in the red number isn't to be trusted. Would you trust any woman in a tight red hoochie outfit like that? And the one in the green shirt and shoes.....does she really have super powers or is the bad 80's fashion statement enough to drive away evil doers....or good doers?

Okay, I know Storm. (Thanks Halle Berry.) See she's one of those good guys but dressed in black like a bad guy. She's kind of like Johnny Cash that way.

Red, white and blue jammies. See, this guy has to be a good guy...like Uncle Sam. Of course, Storm up there had that dark outfit...but....she's a good guy...so....maybe this guy has the whole patriotic outfit ...but...maybe he's really a bad guy!

See, this is just too confusing to figure out on my own!!

Now this guy, I'm pretty sure he's a bad guy...maybe it's the hair. He has hair like James Dean. It just screams "REBEL" doesn't it? But I like him anyway. Any dude who can keep his threads that nice, straight and clean while kicking that high has to be admired.

Thanks my BIL Marvel Comics Fan.

Good or Bad, we are sure enjoying our new toys.

Shooting Sports

It's 4-H time! I'm happy to say I was a 10 year 4-H member in Indiana! But I'm even more happy to have started my kids in 4-H now too. Kansas 4-H is very different from Indiana I am finding out. (Sometimes things are even different from one county to the next in Indiana.) Even though Yip and Yap are only 6 they can participate in 4-H activities here but can't technically exhibit as a 4-Her until they are 8. And while the boys aren't too cracked on the idea of attending (boring, sit down) 4-H meetings, they were more than stoked to attend their first shooting sports meeting last week.

Wait!! You can't shoot yet boys! Time for some safety lessons first.

They are required to learn the parts of their gun, safety rules in handling their gun and the various shooting stances before they are allowed to shoot at meetings. And of course they have to put those safety rules into practice or they won't be allowed to participate.

Kneeling

Prone

Sitting

Standing

The boys were more excited to after school to study their shooting sports than do their schoolwork. And schoolwork was easier!

I'm an advocate for 4-H shooting sports for a couple reasons;

First, my boys are excited about it along with lots of kids around this country. There is a growing population of young girls excited about shooting. Hence, all the pink guns now being offered in gun stores. Whenever a kid is excited about anything it becomes a great learning opportunity when he or she is guided by wise, knowledgable and caring adults.

Secondly, shooting sports teaches responsibility and safety not just for themselves but for others. Yes, guns can be dangerous when not handled properly but safety is the cornerstone of shooting sports. When handling a gun kids are taught not to think only for their own safety but for the safety of those around them. In this "me, me, me" culture our kids are being raised in, shooting sports requires them to be aware of their actions towards others and others actions towards themselves and to take responsibility for those actions. I've seen young kids call out older kids because the older kids weren't being safe with a gun. Shooting sports gives those kids a voice to hold others and themselves responsible for their actions. That sense of responsibility reaches other parts of their lives and then kids aren't always "me, me, me" but are turning their thoughts to the idea of "us, us, us".

I was raised around guns my entire life. Shooting and handling guns has taught me life lessons I'm glad to have. I'm happy to offer the same opportunity to my own children.

Marker Monday - Kids and Candles

The boys have wanted to make candles, the old fashioned way, for a long time. Now the only way I'd ever made dipped candles was outside over a fire. Nope, can't pull that off this time of year. But with a bit of thinking we worked out a way to dip candles inside with minimal mess.

It took a few hours but using my roaster I melted the wax in tin cans that sat in the hot water.

We tied the wicks onto pens and pencils and suspended them in canning jars.

Overall candle making has been pretty successful! They've made candles on and off for the past couple weeks.

The only obstacle I had was making poured candles. I had forgotten to buy any containers when we were at Hobby Lobby. When we got home I had to improvise because I couldn't find any suitable containers anywhere in my house. Go figure!

Orange candles. They look nice and the peels have lasted a lot longer than I expected!

Sunday Devotions - Sharing Creations

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

My son Yap is a Lego junkie. It's not uncommon to see him huddled over a large pile in his room concentrating as he slowly builds his creations. He'll work without talking or eating or even hearing anyone else. Finally when emerges , wearing a big grin, he proudly parades his new sculpture through the house showing everyone and pointing out all the special details.

Yip isn't into Legos but he draws little books with all sorts of characters. Of course he shows them to me proud of his accomplishments. But Yip has started to give them away to complete strangers because he wants to share his creations he is so proud of. He even waited until he saw a teenage boy,with just the right shirt on, in Hobby Lobby to give his drawing of a skull and crossbones.

For me as a mother, it is so enjoyable to just stand back and watch my kids create. It gives them such joy to make something out of nothing and pay particularly close attention to the details of their creations. Sometimes for them the little things mean more than the overall design of their work.

I think it must have been similar for God when He created our world. How joyful he must have been over every idea and detail! I doubt he rushed over anything but gave particular attention to the smallest things and how they contributed to the whole design.

And he shared it with us! Can you imagine how much he loves us to share such a wonderful creation with us? All the work he put into this world only to give it away. I wonder if we really appreciate the world around us as we should.

Thank You Lord for Your wonderful world and sharing it with us. Help us see the wonder in the little things today God; the parts of your creation You most want us to enjoy. Amen.

Hoosiers! A book for you to read!

One of my Christmas gifts this year was the book So Cold The River which is set in French Lick and West Baden Springs, southern Indiana!

In case you aren't familiar with the history, West Baden and French Lick are full of natural mineral springs. In 1902, Lee Sinclair opened the West Baden Hotel, which until 1955 sported the largest free spanning dome in the country and offered baths in the "healing" springs. West Baden catered to the upper class and many hotel guests (like Al Capone, FDR, Bing Crosby) would come from Chicago on the Monon Train to bask in the mineral waters of the area. At the time the mineral waters were touted to cure just about any ailment.

Not only did West Baden sport a plush hotel complete with casinos, billiards, a pool but outside there were vast gardens, golf courses and hiking trails among other amenities. Although not as lavish, a mile down the road French Lick also had a hotel.

Interior 1993 (photo courtesy of this site)

West Baden hasn't always looked so nice though. During the depression the hotel was finally closed and sold to an order of Jesuit priests in 1934. And through the years the hotel deteriorated until the early 90's when interest in restoration of the building began to grow.

I was able to tour West Baden in December of 1998 in the midst of restoration. I know I took pics but for the life of me I don't know where they are. Even then however I remember being in awe of the size of the hotel's atrium.

The winter of 2006/07 DR and I spent the weekend at the French Lick Casino, only a mile from West Baden. West Baden is now a fully functioning hotel but high priced! It is fabulous! I don't even have the words to describe it!

But this is how it looks today! Gorgeous!!

Anyway, back to my book. So Cold the River is a mystery about a man from Chicago who has come to West Baden to film a documentary but in the process is "bewitched" by some of the mineral water. He begins to see visions of the past and ghosts and one particularly evil ghost returns to the present.

Not only do I love this book because it is a well told story full of suspense but it's full of Indiana history and geography too. Larry Bird, Upland Brewery, the love of Indiana basketball are all mentioned through the story.

If you have ever been in southern Indiana or heard of West Baden/French Lick or just like a good ghost story you would enjoy this book.