Updated: "About Our Family" Page

In honor of the New Year, we have updated our “About Our Family” page with all new pictures and updated bios. We hope you enjoy!

 

This is the patriarch and matriarch of our family. Mark and Betsy met each other in college in Ohio. They have now been happily married for 23 years! Mark enjoys cars, trains, flying planes, Boy Scouts, missions, reformed theology, Creation science, teaching at church, and being the Daddy of our family! Betsy enjoys writing, reading, cross-stitching, homemaking, gardening, extending hospitality, supporting Mark’s interests, and homeschooling their five children. Both Mark and Betsy are enjoying their new life in the countryside of Texas.

Bianca is the oldest of five siblings and is in High School. By request of her Daddy, and with his oversight, she designed, built, and also maintains this blog as a homeschool project. When she is not busy with school she enjoys reading, working in her organic vegetable garden, reading (and writing!) blogs, experimenting in the kitchen, learning about Biblical daughterhood and preparing to be a help-meet one day, babysitting, running (especially long distance), organizing and simplifying our home, writing her monthly newsletter, listening to music, playing the piano, and being the errand girl in the family! J She feels called to the foreign missions field and is working to build an orphanage in Haiti (see the “Orphanage Project” page for more details.) She has a very outgoing personality and loves to be around people.

Benjamin is next in the family line-up. He is in High School, and is the “Knight in Training!” He stays busy with school and working around the house. When he has free time he loves landscaping, working in the yard, running with Bianca, cooking (without a recipe!), reading anything and everything about history, playing the drums, learning about Biblical manhood, and playing football, basketball, and baseball. Ben has a big servant’s heart and loves to serve his family.

Rubia and Roma are twins, but Ruby is older by a few minutes! Ruby is in Junior High and is becoming a young lady. She loves anything related to animals (especially horses and dogs) and therefore loves walking our dog, admiring the neighbor’s horses, and playing with the pets. She loves writing, reading, cooking and helping in the kitchen, playing her guitar, babysitting, shooting with pistols, and much more! Ruby is great with little children!

Roma helps our family stay sane! J She too is becoming quite the young lady along with her twin sister. Roma enjoys playing piano, babysitting, photography (especially nature pictures), taking videos, graphic design, playing with and loving on her “baby” Zack (one of our cats), making the rest of us laugh, climbing trees, baking, and drawing. She is very outgoing and funny! Little children are very drawn to Roma!

 

Josiah is the youngest of our family. He is in elementary school and loves to learn! In his free time he enjoys playing, building things, drawing pictures, spending time outside, playing any sport that uses a ball, reading and writing, helping in the kitchen, reading devotions with Mom, taking videos and pictures with our digital camera, and fiddling around on the piano and drums. He hopes to shoot a rattlesnake with one of his guns someday. J Josiah is very outgoing and loves to talk and explain things!

 

The New Has Come!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Recipe--Cracker Brittle

This year has been a very different sort of Christmas season for our family. Since we moved only a couple of weeks before Christmas, our festivities have been kept to a minimum. I think it’s actually been good to step back and have an opportunity to focus more on the true reason why we celebrate: Christ’s birth!

But one thing that is a bit hard for us to give up is Christmas baked goods. The only thing we had time to make this year was Knick Knack Noels and a birthday cake for Jesus. We were really blessed that friends from church gave us about 100 Christmas cookies they had baked (this friend bakes 3,000 cookies every Christmas!)

Since we didn’t have the chance to cook much, I’m hoping to do a few special things for New Year’s. My absolute favorite Christmas treat is cracker brittle! You can see it at the very bottom of the picture below. It’s so delicious and easy to make! I could personally eat it just about any time of year. J

Cracker Brittle

12-15 (2 ½ inch by 5 inch) cinnamon flavored graham crackers

1 cup butter

½ cup sugar

Line a 15-by-10 inch jelly roll pan with foil. Arrange crackers over bottom of pan, making sure to pack them tightly. Combine butter and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour and spread evenly over crackers. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Watch it so it doesn’t burn. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Enjoy!

Christmas Day Flashbacks

I think that one of the favorite holidays for our entire family is Christmas. My siblings and I will always have special memories of celebrating Christmas with family. I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane and look at some of the family Christmas photos from years past . . .

 

I just want to reach in and pinch Josiah’s little cheeks. J

Our first Christmas at our home in southeast Michigan.

Everyone is growing up and growing older.

Everyone is excited to start opening gifts!

Celebrating Christmas with our Mom’s family in Ohio.



Our first Christmas with Mikey!

I wish Mikey looked as white now as he did in this picture. Since we moved out to the country, his coat is looking less white and more grey. I think it’s time for him to get a good grooming!



10 Ways to Care for Orphans

This is a repost from the Hope Hill blog. I thought it would be appropriate to post right now as we contemplate about the Christmas season and giving gifts, as well as look towards the New Year and make resolutions. I encourage you to pick at least one item off this list and make it a priority this year!

In the midst of unpacking all our things in our new house, my Dad handed me a flyer that he had picked up at church. The flyer had two sides. One said “10 Ways Every Christian Can Care for the Orphan and Waiting Child.” The other side said “10 Ways Christians Like YOU Have Cared for the Orphan and Waiting Child.” It was a very inspiring list, full of practical ways to serve. I thought I’d re-post the list here, but I also encourage you to read the whole flyer by clicking here.

 

1. PRAY for them. (Matthew 7:7-8)

·         Tape a waiting child’s picture to your dashboard and pray for the child every time you’re in the car. Visit www.AdoptUsKids.com or www.RainbowKids.com.

·         Organize an evening prayer vigil at your church and pray for children in foster care or an orphanage overseas.

2. SPEAK UP for them (Proverbs 31:8-9)

·         Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home.

·         Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care. Visit www.NationalCASA.org for details.

3. PROVIDE for their needs (James 2:15-16)

·         Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid needed by orphans. Visit www.HelpOrphans.org for more information.

4. SUPPORT those who support them Hebrews 10:24)

·         Mow, babysit, or organize meals for a week for foster parents. Pray with them and tell them you appreciate what they do.

·         Encourage a family adopting an older child by hosting a shower for them.

5. PROTECT them from harm (Psalm 146:9)

·         Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent.

·         Raise money to build a children’s home to help remove children from the streets. Visit www.WorldOrphans.org for details.

6. VISIT them where they are (James 1:27)

·         Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family. Visit www.GainUSA.org or www.HelpOrphans.org for information

·         Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.

7. GIVE sacrificially to them (2 Corinthians 9:7)

·         Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis.

·         Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs. Visit www.ShaohannahsHope.org or www.LifeSongForOrphans.org.

8. ENCOURAGE them to press on (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

·         Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters. Visit www.VisionTrust.org to learn more.

·         Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.

9. ADOPT them into your family (Psalm 68:5-6a)

·         Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption.

·         Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

10. MOBILIZE your church for them (Matthew 28:18-20)

·         Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry. Visit www.HopeForOrphans.org for resources and to learn about attending a Your Church and the Orphan™ workshop.

 

 

*List published by Hope for Orphans.

 

Life Group Christmas Party

On December 17, we had a Christmas party with Mom and Dad’s Life Group from church! For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the term, at our church we have Life Groups instead of adult Sunday school. The adults meet during the week for an in-depth Bible study that digs deeper into the topic preached on the prior Sunday. In Mom and Dad’s group, there are 18 couples. There is a great mix of families with babies and young children, to older couples with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

 

We had a delicious potluck with lots of southern comfort food and LOADS of Christmas cookies. The leader of Mom and Dad’s LG bakes 3,000 Scandinavian Christmas cookies every year to honor his mother and grandmother.

 

I think the families in our Life Group have some of the cutest kids I’ve ever met! I was in babysitter’s heaven with all the little babies and young kids. J

Before we ended our evening, we all gathered in the living room to sing Christmas carols. It was so beautiful!

We visited for a while after that before we left. We had a great evening fellowshipping with fellow believers and getting to know some of the people from our new church better!

 

Immanuel

“‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Christmas Time is Here



Christmas time is here

Happiness and cheer

Fun for all that children call

Their favorite time of the year

 

Snowflakes in the air

Carols everywhere

Olden times and ancient rhymes

Of love and dreams to share

 

Sleigh bells in the air

Beauty everywhere

Yuletide by the fireside

And joyful memories there

 

Christmas time is here

We'll be drawing near

Oh, that we could always see

Such spirit through the year

 

Oh, that we could always see

Such spirit through the year...

 

A Great Light

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
 

Recipe--Maple Pecan Biscotti

As I mentioned last week, I have wanted to try some biscotti recipes for awhile, but never got around to it. I needed some recipes for the blog, so I tried several biscotti recipes since we had the ingredients.

 

This recipe makes a slightly sweet biscotti with a delightful hint of maple. This would make a great afternoon snack accompanied by a hot drink.

 

As I said previously, Biscotti would make a great Christmas gift for friends or family, especially coffee drinkers. We stored some of ours in a wide-mouthed canning jar. A nice red ribbon tied around it would make it the perfect gift!

 

Maple Pecan Biscotti

 

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

¼ cup butter

2 Tablespoons maple extract

2 medium eggs

2 cups toasted pecans (I used walnuts because that was all we had, and they turned out great!)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

 

In a bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add maple extract, eggs and pecans. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder; add to pecan mixture. Divide dough in halves or thirds. On a well-floured surface, shape into logs.

 

Ok, so I didn’t exactly follow the recipe. I confess! I just shaped it into one big log.

Transfer logs to a parchment paper-lined or lightly sprayed baking sheet; bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes.



Cut logs on the diagonal into ¾-inch slices. (I cut some of the long slices in half.)

Return slices to baking sheet, leaving space around each slice, and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes or until desired crispness.

 

Cool completely on rack. Makes 18-24. Enjoy!

 

Tips:

 

If the dough is too sticky to handle when it is time to form it into logs, chill it in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 hours and then work it into logs on a well-floured surface.

 

Do not crowd the biscotti slices on the baking sheet for the second baking. They need room for the hot air to circulate.

 

To make the biscotti crisper, flip it half way through the second baking.

 

Babysitter

We kids with M, our babysitter.

When we kids were little, we had two main babysitters. They were homeschooled sisters. We all have so many fond memories of our times with A and M! It’s a little strange; they were in high school when they babysat us, but now A is married and has her own little boy!

 

Now I’m the main babysitter in our family, but I still miss the days of having our favorite babysitters over!

 

Bad Doggies

No folks, you’re not seeing snow in Texas (I kind of wish it was snow. . .)

That white stuff is the stuffing from our porch furniture cushions. During the night, our very suspicious neighboring dogs decided that stuffing would make a delightful midnight snack.

What do you think? Does he look guilty?

First NFL Football Game

On December 16^th, the three guys and I went to the Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers football game in Dallas! Dad’s company has 4 season tickets, so the boss gives them out to the employees so they can go to one game each. We were very excited, as we probably wouldn’t have ever gone to a game had it not been for the gift of the tickets.

Although we were going to the Cowboys' stadium, we’re actually Steelers fans (Dad grew up in Pennsylvania.) Ben and Josiah are the biggest Steelers fans in our family, so they were absolutely *thrilled* to have the opportunity to go to their first NFL game.

We arrived at the stadium around 2:00 p.m. We had to walk a good distance from where we parked, but the weather was really nice that day. What this picture doesn’t show is the thousands of tailgate parties going on before the game. Some of the barbeques smelled really good!

After going through security, we finally made it to our seats. The game was completely sold out, and thus the stadium was packed. Apparently, the Cowboys and the Steelers are big rivals so there was a large turnout for the game.

Ben and I waiting for the game to start.

At the start of the game, they had all the players run out amidst fireworks. There was certainly a lot of fanfare over the beloved Cowboys. J

We were very excited to have some of our favorite players play including Roethlisberger (number 7 above) and Polamalu.

The game was very well matched. They both had the same record going into the game. One team would score and then the other would follow to tie the game again.

This was the view from our seats. You can see how packed the stadium was!

By the end of the 4 quarters, the game was tied 24-24. They went into overtime! The Steelers had the ball, but the Cowboys intercepted it. They ran to the 1- yard line, and then kicked a field goal to win the game 27-24. Although it was disappointing to have our favorite team lose, I have to admit that it was a very good game.

What you don’t see on TV: members of both teams taking a knee at the end of the game.

We kids in front of the stadium on our way out.

It took a good hour to get outside of Dallas due to all the traffic. We stopped at Wendy’s to get a snack and then continued home. We really had a great time, and I’m grateful that we were able to experience an NFL game!