Pumpkin Pie a La Autumn

The month of September has somehow almost passed by. I honestly don't know how time can fly by so quickly. I guess I must be having a lot of fun...

So it's officially Autumn in just a couple days! Yay! My most favorite time of the year. Crisp, cool air, visits to the pumpkin patch, spiced apple cider, trees full of red, orange and yellow leaves. I love the way the season just makes me feel like I'm wrapped up in a big blanket of comfort. And, if you know me, there isn't anything more comforting than a big, home cooked meal. Ahh, yes. I can't post about my favorite season without sharing a recipe that only comes out (in my kitchen) during this special time of year. Pumpkin pie. Talk about comfort....

This is a recipe that I cam across last year, and am sticking with for a long time. I love it! The streusel topping is optional, but it certainly adds to the pie, in my opinion.

Pumpkin Pie

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1 (9 inch) deep dish unbaked pie shell

Streusel Topping
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, chilled
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Blend in the cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in chopped nuts.

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, sweetened milk, and egg yolks. Stir in spices and salt. In another bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour filling into pie shell.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. While the pie is baking, prepare the streusel topping. Sprinkle topping over pie.
4. Reduce the heat to 350. Bake an additional 40 minutes, or until set.


So there you have it... one of the many things that sum of Fall comfort for me. And of course, a dollop of whipped cream on top doesn't hurt either! Enjoy the season, and enjoy the pie!

Tweenhood Has Begun

Yesterday we added a tween to our family unit. Well, not really a new family member, just a family member with a new age. Yep, our oldest girl, Lyndsey turned 11. ELEVEN! How in the world does this keep happening? Our kids continue to grow older, and amazingly enough, their dad and I don't age at all. Hmmm. Weird.

Birthday shopping was a little different this year. I found myself putting things back on the shelf because they were too "little girlish." And yet, I couldn't bring myself to get her full-on teenager gifts. Lyndsey's not ready for that. I'm not ready for that.



I must say though, she is definitely maturing and definitely becoming more responsible. Actually, Lyndsey has been responsible since she was about 4. No kidding. By the time she was 7, she could have taken care of her little sisters just about as well as I could. She is extremely nurturing and responsible. I can't imagine Lynds not having children of her own someday. She's just so maternal.



11 years Miss Lyndsey. 11 years of hoping I'm parenting you well. 11 years of cleaning boo boos and applying band-aids. 11 years of watching you learn and being amazed at how smart you are. 11 years of painting nails, shopping for cute clothes, and eating at Subway :) And, let's be honest, 11 years of sending you to your room, praying that God would continue to mold your heart...and mine as well. Love. That's what it is. 11 years of loving you.

Your dad and I love you, Lyndsey Lou!

'Tis The Season...

....for berry picking! Growing up in Ohio, I have memories of picking strawberries. Actually, I have memories of eating more strawberries than I picked...very sweet memories! But it wasn't until moving to Oregon that I realized what berry picking really could be. Oh the varieties! Strawberries, blueberries, marionberries, loganberries, blackberries, raspberries are all waiting to be picked at just the right time, for optimal sweetness. Yummy! And since it is berry season right now, I thought I'd share one of my newest found recipes that calls for fresh, sweet berries. I'll be sharing the recipe using blueberries, but you can substitute any type of berry you please.

Blueberry Cream Muffins with Crumble Topping

Ingredients needed:

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sour cream

3 cups fresh blueberries

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

6 Tbsp cold butter, cut up

2 tsp cinnamon

(pinch above ingredients together with fingers until it forms a crumble)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, gradually adding sugar while beating. Continue beating, while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda.

4. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into muffin cups, about 3/4 full.

5. Generously top each muffin with crumble mixture.

6. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven.

Let cool on wire racks, and enjoy!

***This recipe was originally found online, but I made many changes to the ingredients/quantities. So just ask and I'd be happy to share the original recipe***

I made blueberry and raspberry muffins, and they both turned out incredibly moist, and full of flavor. My husband took a dozen into work, and they were gone even before the lunch hour. I'm not tooting my own horn here...just clarifying that these sweet treats are quite yummy :)

Happy muffin making!!!

Friday ~ Part 1

Last week was absolutely gorgeous! On Friday it actually got into the 80's, complete with blazing sunshine and a vibrant blue sky. Be-uuuu-tiful! All 4 of my girls had the day off of school, so we decided it was a "special day." When the girls and I have a special day, it usually involves some fun activities, and a special lunch out. Our original plan was to have our first visit of the year to the zoo. Portland has such a great zoo...it rocks :) So, the girls and I got up, got ready, packed up some snacks, and headed to the zoo. Little did we know, that hundreds of other families had the exact same plan. We drove around the whole Washington Park area looking for a parking spot. After almost 45 minutes of searching, the girls and I decided we would wait for another sunny day to visit our animal friends. Major disappointment :( It didn't look like our day would be quite as special as we were hoping it would be.


On the way home, the girls decided that we should go to Costco and get samples (love those kids!) and then visit the new, nearby park. The new park has an awesome play area and a huge fountain area that the girls can run through. So after Costco and lunch at Mickey D's, we headed to the store for new flip flops and summer dresses, and then finally made our way to the park. The girls didn't have on their swimsuits, but I figured "What the heck, they can get a little wet just by sticking their hands and feet in the fountains. Just don't get too wet," I warned them. I've been a mom for 10 1/2 years, I should have known better! The result? Soaking wet kids with enormous smiles on their cute little faces :) It was all good.

It was just a super fun day. We didn't really go anywhere too spectacular, the food really wasn't that great, and the girls' clothes did not stay dry. But there were lots of laughs had by all, and definite memories were carefully tucked away inside this mommy's heart. It was quite a special day after all.

Meet Chloe

Someone is coming to our house this Saturday...!!!! But it's a surprise for our girls, so DON'T TELL!!!

Perfect People

Never let 'em see you when you're breaking
Never let 'em see you when you fall
That's how we live and that's how we try
Tell the world you've got it all together
Never let them see what's underneath
Cover it up with a crooked smile
But it only lasts for a little while

There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

Suddenly it's like a weight is lifted
When you hear the words that you are loved
He knows where you are and where you've been
And you never have to go there again

Who lived and died to give new life
To heal our imperfections
So look up and see love. Let grace be enough

By a perfect God

Be changed by a perfect God
Be changed


These are the lyrics to one of my current favorite songs, "Perfect People" by Natalie Grant. It's somewhere in the music player at the bottom of my page, if you want to hear it. Just click on the song title, and it will play.

I think one of my favorite lines in that song is "Come as you are, broken and scarred. Lift up your heart and be amazed, be changed, by a perfect God." I love that! In myself, I am nothing. In Christ, I find forgiveness, perfect love, constant acceptance, unending grace, and a safe place to say "I'm a mess, Lord!" Who wouldn't want that?

But, that's not the end. The last part of that lyric says to lift up my heart, be amazed at who He is...and to be CHANGED. Be transformed by God. It is not enough to just recognize that there's a God somewhere out there just doin' His thing, and I'm just doin' my thing. No. He wants a relationship with me. And it is only through that relationship that God, in His mercy, can transform my heart and my mind. I am so far from perfect. So far! But this One that I keep getting to know more and more is perfect. And I can trust Him to change me from the inside out, as I lift my heart up to Him. As I surrender my will to the Lord...His perfect will. The result? Complete joy for me, and He gets all the glory! Let grace be enough.... 'cause we're not perfect people.

A Kick in the Pants...It's a Good Thing

Weariness. Frustration. Anger. Brokenness. Guilt. Sadness. Frustration (did I mention that already?).

These are some of the emotions that I've been struggling with lately. No, this is not going to be a funny little "pick me up" post that will leave you with a smile on your face. But, it is raw honesty. Honest talk about how even a pastor's wife can struggle....and many times give into the struggle. Gasp! Yes, it's true.

Over the last several weeks, I've been encouraging my small group of high school girls to "be real." I've encouraged them to avoid the typical response of "I'm doing good. I'm fine.", that we are all so guilty of (when we're not doing well at all). I want the girls in my small group to have the freedom and security of telling me where they struggle and how they're hurting. I assure them that they will be loved where they're at, as well as encouraged to take the next step forward, with Jesus' help. I guess it's time for me to listen to some of my own advice.

Just yesterday I came upon a new website designed specifically for Moms http://www.heartsathome.org/. There are several resources there that encourage Moms to stay focused on the Lord through the trials and craziness of motherhood. I spent a good hour pouring over all the blog posts and articles, encouraging me as a mother, a wife, and a child of God. It was so refreshing. So today, I visited that site again, not knowing if there would be anything new to check out. There was. The first thing I clicked on had me in tears before I even finished the third paragraph. Do you ever have those moments when it seems God has literally taken you by the hand and lead you face to face with something He specifically wants you to see? This was so one of those moments for me. Instead of trying to explain what it said, I'll just encourage you to head over there and read it for yourself. I can't copy and paste the article itself, but check out the above website and search for the post entitled "Thankful for Family Trials" written by Jim and Lynne Jackson (no relation).

Did you read it? The line that stuck out so boldly to me was "What's concealed gains power, what's revealed can be healed." Oh yes. I have felt the ever loving, swift kick in the pants! I so often beg God to take away the obstacles in my life; to take away the pain. It is especially in my pain and my struggles that He is showing me AGAIN my great need for Him. It is a mirror that I don't really want to look into. When I fail in my relationships, I often see only my faults. It's then that the guilt, shame, and anger start to flood in. Instead, I need to see how I need to be conformed more into His image. It's amazing how that perspective changes things. Instead of being stuck in those awful feelings, I run back into His arms, knowing He loves me completely, and wants me to take the next step in trusting His instruction. Never easy, but so much easier when I know God loves me right here, right now, in all my ugliness (struggles). He accepts me in my "real" moments, and encourages me to take the next step, with my eyes fully focused on Him. It is only in my admission that I need His hand constantly shaping my heart, that there is healing for me. If I just simply move on from my mistakes, without reflection, all that "junk" will just stay inside....and simmer....and is certain to show its ugly head again in the future. Such a good reminder for me.

It is only because of God's incredible love and grace, that we get those "kicks in the pants." So, be encouraged! "What's concealed gains power, what's revealed can be healed." He's faithful friends and family!