The Old Oak Tree

The Old Oak Tree

One Last Update

MawMaw is feeling better. She has some bad days, but is having more good ones. She's pretty weak from being "down", but is getting stronger. Keep praying for her. We're so thankful she's better.

She has new appliances coming tomorrow, so I was over there much of this evening getting things ready for the deliveries. Her current refrigerator is 29 years old -- that probably tells the story of why she's getting new ones.

Dad's grave is coming along. It wasn't growing any grass yet (after 1 1/2 years), so I dug up 4-6 inches, turned the soil, raked and put down grass "patch". It has to be watered twice a day, and that has been a real chore, but it's paying off -- there's actually little green sprouts everywhere. This is pretty miraculous since Bob is the one with the green thumb -- not me!

Also, Pam's mother-in-law, Eulah, is in the hospital and not doing well. She's 83 and is going to need lots of additional help if she's to continue living in her home. So pray for Pam and Kenneth's wisdom and strength in mind and body as they make some very difficult decisions over the next several days.

Momma K

The Old Oak Tree

The Old Oak Tree
UPDATE IN MICHIGAN

Baby Annie, Jill and Mike Ponstein's 9 month old has surgery tomorrow (Wednesday, May 31) to fix her cleft palate. It's just breaking our hearts to think of that little girl having to undergo this, but it must be fixed.

If you weren't aware, she was born with a cleft palate, but just inside her mouth. She doesn't have the split lip or nasal involvement that some are born with. She looks perfect from the outside, but has had to have special bottles ($52) each, and it's difficult for her to eat because food tends to go up her nose -- and she hates that! We are thankful that it can be fixed and she has an excellent doctor.

Jill has been pumping her breasts since Annie was born to provide Annie with mother's milk. Her dedication has been phenomenal and you never hear her complain.

Please pray for Annie especially, along with Jill and Mike and the 2 sets of grandparents and for the doctors and nurses who will be performing the surgery and taking care of her.

I'm not sure how long her hospital stay will be, but I think it's scheduled to be 2-3 days. She will have elbow restraints on for 2 weeks, so it will be a very trying time in many ways.

Love, Momma K

The Old Oak Tree

The Old Oak Tree
These recipes sound great. Maybe we can try some next week while Bobby's family is here. I tried (invented?) a new recipe last night that was very good.

Momma K's Chicken & Rice Casserole

2 Chicken breasts, flattened, then cut into 3 or 4 large pieces
or use chicken strips, thighs, drum sticks or even canned
chicken
1 box Uncle Ben's long grain & wild rice (Fast Cook kind)
Additional rice or oatmeal if wanted
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of whatever you have)
1/2 soup can of milk (a little more if adding more rice or oatmeal)
1 c sour cream
1 4 oz. can mushrooms, drained (or use fresh -- even better)

Cook rice according to directions (only takes 5 minutes)
While rice is cooking, mix soup, milk, sour cream, and mushrooms together.

When the rice is done, stir it into the soup mixture. Pour into a 9x13 pan. "Bury" the chicken pieces in the rice mixture and cook for 1 hour at 350. (I think you could cook for 45 minutes at 375, but haven't tried it yet.)

You can always add additional rice and more milk if you need to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it a bit. (Or add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of dry oatmeal instead of rice). If using regular rice, just season to your preferences and cook according to directions.

It was really tasty and made great leftovers. You could always add some chopped broccoli, spinach, shredded carrots, etc. to get some veggies in it -- or serve some on the side.

Let me know if you try it and any suggestions. Enjoy!

Oh sooo good!

I have really been wanting to share some recipes and so I thought that maybe I'd do it here. Since I'm home with Ruby and not working we have been having lots of yummy food around the house--maybe too much! We probably have three or four new dishes each week and one dessert. So, my little recipe notebooks (the ones Momma K helped me get started) are busting at the seams. Anyhow, I've picked out nine great ones (7 from allrecipes.com and 2 not) that we will without a doubt be making again and again. So we'll start with the Allrecipes ones. Just click on the name to get linked to the actual recipe.

1. Amish White Bread - I've overcome my fear of making yeast breads without the aid of a bread machine! This recipe yields two hefty sweet loaves perfect on its own, for sandwiches, or toasted.
2. Fried Empanadas - The filling they suggest is wonderful. I've also done just veggies with the spices suggested and cream cheese, a cordon bleu filling, and fruit filled with fruit, cinnamon sugar and cream cheese. Jared loves the last two variations the best! They are time consuming, but we make a whole batch (about 3 dozen) and then freeze the rest for quick hot pocket sandwiches on the go (400F, 18 mins).
3. Cinnamon Roasted Almonds - Great for fruity salads with a poppy seed dressing or just as a snack food. Easy and delicious!
4. Shredded Brussel Sprouts - Everyone loves these, even those that swear they hate brussel sprouts. Don't even attempt this without a food processor though or you'll go crazy (and probably lose a finger shredding all those sprouts)!
5. Sweet Potato Potato Salad - A great twist on an old favorite. I add some diced red bell pepper and red onion for color.
6. Antipasto Pasta Salad - We have gotten tons of compliments on this salad and it holds very well for potlucks and buffets.
7. Strawberry Cake & Frosting - We brought this to Legoland last week and the Danes LOVED it. They were very skeptical at first because it is a very pink cake, but it really tastes great!

And here are the other two...

Banoffee Pie - I guess this is a big hit in the UK (and in our house too!).

• 1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 2 c. heavy whipping cream (or Cool Whip in the USA)

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and ginger. Press into a 9" pie plate. Cool in fridge.
2. In a saucepan, boil UNOPENED can of milk in water--keep submerged by adding water as needed-- for 3 hours. Remove from pan; cool 10-15 minutes.
3. Open can and pour toffe into pie crust. Allow to cool.
4. Slice bananas over toffee. Whip cream (sweeten with sugar and vanilla as desired) and spoon over banana. Refrigerate before serving. Garnish with cocoa, instant coffee granules, chocolate sauce, or chocolate shavings.

Ruby's Chicken Fingers - This is a twist on a recipe I found for toddlers. Ruby's loves these and it gets her to eat her veggies!

• 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 large apple, shredded
• 1 c. frozen spinach (thawed, chopped, & drained)
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 c. bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• salt & pepper (optional)

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine all. Shape into small sausages. Place on baking paper or greased cookie sheets.
3. Broil 10-15 minutes, then flip and broil 5-10 minutes until cooked through. Cool and freeze.
4. To reheat a few at a time, 1 minute on MED microwave power.

Anyhow, I hope that you all enjoy trying one or two of these! Have a great day!

Love, Bethany

This could be the start of something big . . .

Well, I will be the first -- and start with a big "Thank You" Bethany. It's a great idea. I'm not sure how much you want to hear about our rather routine life, but here goes.

Bob returned last night (Saturday) from a week long trip to Texas and Oklahoma on business mostly. He did go see his brother Sydney and sister-in-law Barbara in Lubbock while he was there. Sydney had a bout of melanoma cancer a few years back and it appears that it has returned. Bob was able to go to the doctor with them where it was confirmed that it was definitely melanoma again, a type they call "mobile melanoma." He has a choice of (1) interferon treatment, (2) chemo -- 1 week on, 1 week off for 8 weeks or (3) do nothing. Bob thinks he is opting for chemo, but we haven't heard for sure. We'll try to keep you up-to-date as we learn more.

I've been working on PawPaw's grave the last week or so, tryiing to get some grass to grow, getting a planter planted and some general cleanup. There will be a memorial service tomorrow (Monday the 29th) at 11:00. If Mom is feeling up to it, we will go for a little while. If it's as hot as it was today, I don't think she'll be able to go.

She's starting to feel some better after a couple of weeks of declining healrth - unknown reasons. It turns out that part of the problem was Lipitor. Supposedly a relatively rare side effect of Lipitor is deep muscle and/or bone pain. However when I looked up Lipitor,side effects on the internet, I found several bulletin boards where people told of their similar experiences with it. So it doesn't seem all that rare. She was in so much pain that she had to take vicodin. That made her "fuzzy" and pretty unstable walking, so I spent many hours with her the last 10 days or so. Her doctor put her on a low dose of prednisone midweek last week and it helped quite a bit.

I got her some new guinea double impatiens baskets for her porch and a hibiscus plant for her little back deck. She really hasn't felt up to picking anything out, but these will look nice. I put red geraniums at my dad's grave. They don't require a lot of care and will usually come back if they go without water a little longer than they should.

In other family news, Amanda (Jared, your cousin, Terry's daughter in Memphis) and her husband, Carl, had their baby Wednesday; a little boy named Cash, about 7 pounds. Carl looked so proud in the pictures Terry had. Terry and Dave are going down there Wednesday of next week to see them and help out for a few days.

Andrew and Wendy's new little one, Karleigh, is due June 22, but McKenna was 3 weeks early, so they have been feverishly painting and trying to finish the nursery.

I think I broke my little toe on my right foot this past week. Little bugger sure has been sore and since I don't like thong shoes, it's been kinda hard to find anything comfortable that doesn't squeeze it a little. At least it's not black and more -- mostly blue now, so I guess majenta, then yellow are next. I've also had a bad toothache. Got to the dentist on Thursday and have to go back Tuesday for a couple of fillings to start with, then he'll evaluate further. I have a bit of a phobia about dentists -- ever since I was 12 years old and a dentist hit a nerve. After my Thursday appointment, the scheduler said she could get me in next Wednesday. Then she said, "No, actually I can get you in Tuesday or Wednesday." I said "Tuesday!" Then I thought to myself, "I can't believe I'm wanting to go back to the dentist as soon as possible.!" That just goes to show how painful it has been!

Yesterday was a very special day -- Kaley graduated. She was Salutatorian, so she had to give a short speech. She was so good!!! She is just so beautiful inside and out and we are so proud of her. She received many awards at award night as well. Full ride scholarship to Saginaw Valley State University, the hospital scholarship, the music scholarship, best senior girl athlete, the math award, etc.... They had a wonderful open house for her and I bet at least 150 people attended. It was also a nice opportunity to see their new house. You guys are going to love it! It's so roomy and well designed. Mom made it to graduation and the open house -- maybe that's why she's not feeling so good today. But she wouldn't have missed it for anything. Just before we left the house, she started tearing up a bit and said that when Kaley was born, she and Dad had said they hoped to live long enough to see her graduate.

I've been having to water the grass "patch" on my dad's grave twice daily. So yesterday I went over there right after graduation (didn't have time to go before) and the whole time I was watering there was a bright yellow butterfly that stayed right there around the grave. It was beautiful. This probably sounds silly, but it seemed kinda like a sign from Dad that he, too, loves and is so proud of Kaley. I probably sounded psycho, but I talked to the butterfly and had a nice one sided conversation. I felt so peaceful after being there. So, late evening, I went back over there to water again, because it was quite warm yesterday. Guess what! The butterfly was there again the whole time I was watering. Then I went back today -- no need to water since we had a lot of rain early this morning -- no butterfly.

I'll close with that. Hope this isn't too long.

Love Momma K

Scattered Like Leaves

"One Of These Days" - Neil Young
One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
And I'm gonna try
And thank them all
for the good times together.
Though so apart we've grown.
***
From down in L.A.
All the way to Nashville,
From New York City
To my Canadian prairie home
My friends are scattered
Like leaves from an old maple.
Some are weak, some are strong.

A few years ago, one of my friends in Moscow told me a story about a letter. Chlea Gregory had been sending a "round robin" letter to her family for about 50 years. About once a month a very special envelope would show up in the mailbox. It wasn't a bill, credit card offer, or sweepstakes package, but an envelope filled with newsy tidbits from the lives of her beloved family members spread out like leaves from an old tree. Every time she recieved the envelope she would remove her letter and quickly read one letter from each of her family. When she was done, she would scribble out her own update and send it with all the other letters to the next one on the list. You see, back then, without the ease of telephone and internet, this really was the fastest and easiest way to keep in close contact with her family.

Here we are in the fancy shmancy 21st century and I don't think we have a CLUE what is happening in each other's lives. I know that not everyone has time (or the desire) to create their own blog and post once or twice a week... but what about if we had a blog for the WHOLE family? Our very own "round robin" letter that we could come to to catch up, vent, and just get closer. Well, now we do! I sure hope that I won't be the only one posting here because I really can't wait to hear (and see) what you all are up to!