Rhubarb Punch recipe with a long commentary on rhubarb pie.

       I just slid my first strawberry rhubarb pie into the oven. Ohh what I will do to bribe my husband into bringing me home an iced soy decaf caramel macchiato....err, I mean how much I love my hubby!   And he will be thrilled to know that there is not an ounce of coconut oil in my homemade pie crust.  The last pie I made I attempted to make "healthier" with a coconut oil crust.  He was wise enough at the time to not tell me he doesn't really like the taste of coconut but I'm sure his disappointment was bitter as I do not make pies very often.  He has a high affinity for them and alas so do I with very little self control so my only defense is to avoid making them all together.  Ergo this crust is full of crisco and oh so tasty!  And I know my friend Virginia is shuddering right now.  If you want a healthy pie recipe you will have to read her healthy whole food blog here...but first you will have to ask her to post one.  (V, I'd be happy to come and sample if you want to try out some recipes.  I know, I know, I'm such a servant).

Anyways this post isn't really about pies at all and it definitely isn't about eating healthy. That pie which is making the house smell amazing right now reminded me that I wanted to post my MIL's recipe for rhubarb punch!  I'll give you the original recipe which is intended to be made in bulk and then canned.  We cut it way back for everyday consumption and much to my surprise hubby even halfed the sugar without my asking after making an initial super sweet batch. He exclaimed, "Now I know why I loved this stuff so much as a kid, it is loaded with sugar!"  So bring on the sugar and do something with that rhubarb that is overtaking your garden...
Rhubarb Punch - by, Helga
18 cups rhubarb (cut into 1/2 " pieces)
6 quarts water
4 1/2 c. sugar (see what I mean! Hello dentist, just take all my money!)
1  6 oz package of strawberry jello

Boil rhubarb for 15min. until soft.  Strain through cheese cloth as for jelly.  Add sugar, jello and bring to full boil.  You can freeze it or can it.  Pour into sterilized jars and seal.  Process for 10 min.

When serving mix with ginger ale or 7up if desired.

Three Things

We recently returned from spending a week in the Dells to help launch the summer training program for Navs.  We won’t be living there all summer again but wanted to help the staff there get settled in and ready to go.  At first I wasn’t sure if 3 boys added into the mix would add more or take away from what we wanted to accomplish, but in the end we were all glad that we went as a family. 

Our boys had a great time playing with the other Nav kiddos and I enjoyed showing the staff moms around town.  We stopped at all the important places: parks, swimming pool, library and of course the Starbucks drive thru.  Hubby spent his time introducing the director of the STP to some of the local pastors and employers they will be working with this summer and helping train the team leaders.

For those of you who read this blog last summer you will remember that we lived in a little house in the woods during our stay in the Dells.  I learned that living in an older home in the woods = mice.  Between us  and the family living below us I think we caught a whole forest full of them in the 2 months we shared residence.  It wasn’t the nicest place in the world to live but certainly not the worst either.  So when we pulled up to the house where the staff are living this summer I had to take a deep breath and swallow hard.  It is a BEAUTIFUL two story townhouse on the lake…not a rodent in site. 

Let me say first off that I am grateful that they get to live in a beautiful home all summer!  And I recognize they will have their own set of burdens and responsibilities to trust Jesus with.  Yet I admit I had to force myself a little bit to praise God for their blessing and not grumble in comparison. 

God asked me one morning while we enjoyed sharing in their accommodations, “Do I love you any less, Sherry, for giving you that house in the woods and them this townhouse on the lake?”  I had to answer, “No, of course not!”  And then He asked me to give Him Three things.  (“Three things” is a little game we play with the boys whenever we hear one of them complaining that the other got something they didn’t – they have to stop right then and there and give us three things they do have that they are thankful for.)

 God is funny sometimes…using my own parenting techniques on me is pretty humbling.  It wasn’t hard to rattle off more than three because He has blessed and continues to bless us so abundantly.  It is only when I stop to compare myself with others that I lose some of the joy of all He has given me, starting with His Love and salvation.  One of these days I’ll learn not to compare…until then I guess I’ll be coming up with my own list of “three things” on a daily basis!

Would you do me a sweet favor?  Would you take a moment right now to pray for the 7 staff and 3 kids who are “manning” the Dells STP this summer?  And would you also pray for the nearly 40 students who are participating?  And lastly for many of the international workers that our student friends are laboring and living beside in hopes of sharing about Jesus’ love with them?  Thanks!

It Depends on the Day!

Thing 1 and one of his MANY lego creations. 

I finally got around to that Easter craft I mentioned in an earlier post.  We made Yarn Balls with glue, yarn and a balloon. The yarn represented the strips of linen they wrapped around Christ's body, the glue was the spices they dipped them in and in the end after it dries you pop the balloon and you have your "empty tomb"!

Nine times out of ten while chatting with a friend they ask me how homeschooling is going.  I appreciate that my friends and family care enough to ask and offer their support.  But I often have to stop and think before I can answer because I don’t take time to think about it too much, I just do it.  It is like answering about anything else in life, “How is mothering going?”  “How is ministry going?” or “How is LIFE going?”  It is almost too big to sum up without some time to think and process.
 

What I do know is that homeschooling has finally morphed itself into my daily life (for the most part) that it doesn’t feel so much like an add-on to my day.  It is simply an extension of my mothering, ministering to and loving my family.  I think it is like having a kid – after one you imagine how you will ever do it with two.  And then Thing 2 comes along and somehow you figure it out.  Now Thing 3 is a whole ‘nother story but I won’t go there today…

So my fallback response to the question is, “It depends on the day!”  The days that everyone is rested and in a learning (or teaching, ahem) mood – we do great!  The days that we are not, we do not-so-great.  Not that those days are terrible, it is just isn’t the day you would read about in a “Why I homeschool” post.  Those are the days we cover the basic subjects and then call it good for the day.  We might spend more time snuggled in bed reading books than we do practicing a new math concept on a “bad” day.  And if I’m having a realllly bad day it might end with me going for a walk ALL BY MYSELF once hubby gets home, which is great therapy living out here in the country. 

The good days (in my book) include learning something new and/or practicing the basics academically, spiritually and socially.  They end without a headache on my end or a lot of nagging directed to my charges.  They find me glancing over to see my kids voluntarily paging through library books or showing me their latest engineering lego accomplishment. The good days have lots of snuggles and smiles and “lightbulb” moments when they get it.  So far we have had more good days than bad, so we will be finishing out the year without re-enrollment in public education.  Next year is still up in the air – we are praying  (and analyzing) about what will be best for all of us.  We would love your prayers support for wisdom in this area as well!  Thanks!