Asher came to our house for a visit over the weekend.  It is amazing how he has learned to put words together and make sentences.  He is also at the age and stage where he can repeat anything you say.  It is good to be able to communicate with him.  On Saturday, he was playing in his sandbox and I was sitting on our porch swing on the deck.  It was getting hot and I was sitting on the end of the swing that was shaded.  He came and sat beside me but he was in the sun.  I suggested that he move over to the shady side but he liked sitting there like a big boy and holding on to the arm of the swing.  So we sat there and continued to swing and I could see sweat beads popping out on his nose.  Finally, he looked at me and said,  “Baby Hot.”  So then he decided to move to the shady side of the swing.

He can communicate now without talking.  He was sitting on the barstool eating grapes and I was sitting beside him.  They are cut in half so he won’t get choked on them.  He continued to eat them, when he decided he could put them together and eat one as a whole grape.  So he continued to do that for a few minutes and would look at me and smile every time he did this.  When he had complete eye contact from me and knew it, he took two grape pieces, put them together and put them in his mouth.  Then he looked at me, rolled those eyes and just gave me the most wonderful, this is the best thing I have ever eaten smile.  Just too cute.

He went into the garage and looked at Dale’s fishing rods and Dale explained that he would go fishing with Dale and they would use the fishing rods at the beach.  So when Asher was telling us about this, he said, “we will take our clothes off and go fishing.”  That was just too funny and I knew there was some secret society that made fishing so important to men but I never realized it was because they took there clothes off.  I think Asher may have been thinking about getting in the water and he takes his clothes off to put his swimsuit on.  Don’t know but it was a good Asherism.

My favorite summer fruit is nectarines.  I do not even remember them at all from my childhood but we bought some several years ago in Taylorsville at an apple orchard.  They were so sweet and jucy and I have enjoyed them every year since then.  We have even made trips in the summertime to Taylorsville, which isn’t really that far away,  just to buy nectarines.  Earlier in the summer when Dana, Jonathan and Asher were visiting we went over and bought nectarines.  They were the white ones and they were good but not quite as juicy and sweet at the yellow ones.  Dale and I went over a couple of weeks ago and I got a large bag of them.  I really had to think about it a little bit to see if I really needed that many.  Then I thought again about how that might be the last time I get to go over there and get some nectarines.  Last year, I totally forgot to go and did not get any of the nectarines.  They are so juicy and sweet and you do have to eat them over the sink sometimes.  If you don’t know what they taste like, actually they taste a lot like a peach but without the fuzz.

So last weekend we made nectarine ice cream.  I got a recipe off the internet and then changed some things in it before putting it into my ice cream machine.  I have really enjoyed our ice cream maker but at the same time, I have missed the old fashioned churned ice cream.  This recipe is so much like the old fashioned ice cream that I intend to use the recipe again with different fruit.

So here is the recipe and I did use Splenda and could not tell the difference at all.

2 cups half and half

3/4 cup sugar but I used the equivalent amount of Splenda

1 1/2 cups mashed fresh nectarines (peeled)

1/ 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 and 1/2 cups of 2 % milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

I peeled the nectarines, mashed them and mixed them with the lemon juice.  I mixed all of the other ingredients together and added the nectarines.  I put the combined ingredients in our ice cream maker.  For some reason, the ice cream did run over during the process and it could have been because the nectarines were so juicy.  However, the ice cream was delicious.  It melts very fast and if you don’t like your ice cream soft, you probably want to plan to freeze it for a couple of hours before serving.

I think I like it more than Dale likes it but we were so happy to have a yummy ice cream that was good with 2% milk and Splenda.  I am really glad he doesn’t like it quite as much as I do that just means there is more for me.  Actually, I think that is how he plans it, when he knows I like something so much, he will hold back from eating all of it so I can have more.  How Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last week we paid Asher, Dana and Jonathan a visit in Charlotte and took them to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  Asher was fascinated by the cows at Chick-Fil-A and he did explore the play area a little.

I thought it would be a good time to take my camera and take a picture of Asher and Pooh together and post the pictures on the Blog so you could see how they have bonded.  So here are the pictures and they aren’t the best in the world but they are the way Asher wanted me to take them.  He thought it would be a great game to roll around on the bed and have his picture made and he did sit still for about a half a second to begin with in picture number one.  Finally, for some reason, that only 2 year olds understand he had to go get his bucket and let me take a picture of him with the whole Pooh clan.

So, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.  All in all, Pooh seems to have adjusted well and likes his new home with old friends and his new friend Asher.

Asher with Pooh Picture #1

Then Asher decided to roll and tumble with Pooh

Asher and No Pooh To Be Seen

Asher Still Rolling Around and Pooh In The Background

Asher, Pooh, Eyeore and Tigger along with the bucket

Our church made the decision last month to close our Preschool for the coming year.  The plan is to regroup and see what new programs we can offer the community.  We did not have enough children this year to register to justify opening the Preschool.  Our Preschool was just one room and it is where the children ate, slept, learned, sang, danced and prayed.  When I went to work last year at the Preschool, I was very thankful that it was such a small space and it wasn’t hard to keep a head count and that is especially true when you only have seven children. 

Why did it close?  Everyone has an opinion but families are smaller now so there aren’t younger siblings to come into the Preschool because their older brother or sister attended.  Preschools added computers and lots of technology and we had that for the children but not on such a grand scale.  St Peter’s is not on a main route from Taylorsville to Hickory and most busy families will not back track to place their child in a Preschool.  A lot of people are out of work and if you don’t work, you can keep your children at home.  The saddest thing to me is the fact that people today do not seek out a school affiliated with a church.  That is one of the least of their requirements and to me that is the most important thing ever.

So, it is a very sad thing for me to drive up to our church and know that Preschool will not be there.  I think it is one of those situations where you can say, If you knew what I now, you would do, what I do.  If the people knew, how hard we worked to prepare those children for kindergarten.  They learned to work together and really became a very sweet little family.  I watched them with their prayer bears at Chapel and how sometimes they would forget their prayer bears but they would not forget to pray.  They learned the symbol for each resurrection egg and learned the story of our risen Lord.  They knew the triune God, the Father who created us, the Son, who died on the cross for us and the Holy Spirit that is all around us.

I did shed some tears when I realized this was to be no more this year.  I think of the 5 children that will start kindergarten and how excited they must be.  I think  of the 2 children that will not be returning to Preschool and how sad it is that we can’t be involved in the completion of that part of their lives. 

And selfishly, I think of me.  If I was going to describe my year at the Preschool it would probably go something like this.  There was a woman that had been thrown away by corporate America.  She had been out of work for a long time and had doubts that she would ever contribute again to the good of anyone.  She called St. Peter’s Preschool and got a part time job working just three hours every day.  She wasn’t sure she could do it or would even like it.  She did know that God spoke to her and told her to call the Preschool so she felt she was on the right path.  Then she met the children and how unique and wonderful each one of them seemed.  She grew in her love for them and they grew in their love for her.  She was loved unconditionally and she returned that love to the children.  She was proud when they graduated because the task for the year had been completed and it was time for them to move on.  So that is something I now have that other people don’t even realize.  I have footprints on my heart from my time at St. Peters and I am sure their are people all over our community that feel the same way.

Maybe heaven is like St. Peters Luthern Preschool and is just oozing with unconditional love.

Yesterday we had oven fried chicken for lunch.  I use the Kraft coating that is similar to Shake N Bake Chicken coating.  We also had fried okra and fresh corn.  I use the previously breaded frozen okra and we like it just as well as we do the kind that is made from scratch.  We used our small deep fat fryer and the only problem we have is knowing when it is done.  It was a little crispy but still very good.

If Jonathan is here, I make creamed corn.  However, Dale likes his corn on the cob and I like it cut off the cob.  So I fixed it both ways and I used my favorite trick which is the microwave.  I have found that it is a great way to fix vegetables.  You can wrap the ears of corn in wax paper and cook them for about 10 minutes for 2 ears.  For the corn that I cut off the cob, I put 1/2 cup of water in the corn and cooked it for 10 minutes.  When I removed it from the microwave, I added about a tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper.

For dessert we had mixed berry yogurt that we had made in our ice cream machine.  I used 3 cups of berries, 1/2 cup of baking splenda and 4 cups of plain yogurt that had been sweetened to taste with baking splenda and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Be sure to crush the berries after you measure them.  We used blackberries and blueberries and the yogurt was very tasty.

My friend Barbara made Peanut Butter Ice Cream last week and it was absolutely wonderful.  So that might be the next thing that I try.

So since Dale is no longer working, he mentioning joining a gym.  There is one gym in Hickory that always interested me and it is Planet Fitness.  They have this huge sign out front that says, “No Judgment Zone.”  I had no idea what that meant.  So we started to consider joining this gym as it is only a monthly fee and there is no contract.  So, I dropped by one day and was told the “No Judgment Zone” meant you aren’t being judged for your size, age, etc.  Well, I really liked that idea as I am at the LOL (Little Old Lady) stage of life and really didn’t want to be laughed at.  So we signed up and really just finished our first complete week of going to the gym consistently.

I do like it and my favorite part is cardio.  That is Dale’s least favorite part and his favorite part is the weight machines.  My legs don’t ache all the time anymore and I do think I have more energy.  I like the atmosphere in the gym and we usually go on weekday mornings so there are lots of people our age.  They do have one section that is for the serious weight lifters and body builders.  However, they are nice and will speak to you in passing.  I really think since they aren’t allowed to show off, groan and grunt that they just come to work out like I do but at a more serious level.

So what is my goal?  To feel better and trim my waistline a little.  I weigh the same as last year but I am bigger in the waist.  I thought middle age spread was a joke but now I realize that it is absolutely true.  I can tell with my posture that I can stand up straighter and don’t have a lot of aches all over.  However, my legs are extremely tired at the moment.  I am realistic enough to know that I will never look like a 20 year old or even a 30 year old anymore.  I will never be a gym rat and I don’t intend to become so paranoid about my diet or fitness as to let it control me all the time.

I had someone I used to work with that told me how many calories everything I  ate had and how long I would have to exercise to burn the calories.  What a boring, unhappy person she was as all she thought about was how she looked and how healthy she had to be.  She never ate anything that she enjoyed eating.  I can honestly say that will never happen to me.  I love food too much and I do have every intention of enjoying food when I eat it. We have to watch what we eat because Dale has Type 2 Diabetes and we are at the age where our immune system will weaken and we are more prone to disease.  However, I have never heard anyone on their death bed say they shouldn’t have  eaten a piece of cake or a cookie.  Why deny ourselves something that we enjoy and being unhappy all the time?

I do look forward to going back to the gym on Monday.  Oh and it is time for lunch now and I really look forward to eating lunch and going out to eat with friends tonight.  I will not bring up calories, carbs, the gym  or anything like that and just live in the moment.  That is the reason it is the present.

I love to hear Asher laugh.  It just gives you a good feeling all over. I had a video of him laughing that I wanted to post with this but it was too long.  I guess that just means he laughs too much.  Asher does have a good sense of humor and he loves to tease people.  The other day he was very tired and I was reading him a book.  It was a book of all kinds of cars and trucks.  Of course, he knows the difference in all of the cars and trucks.  He started laughing and calling everything a fire truck.  We would turn the page and he would call everything on that page a fire truck and laugh hysterically every time he said it.  What fun and it made me wonder.  Does it make God happy to see us laugh and touch his heart the way our grandchildren touch our heart?  I have always heard that when we are sad, God is said with us so I would think when we laugh he laughs with us. 

So, I will try to remember to laugh more and if I really can’t think of anything to be happy about, I will remember Asher’s laughter and that should just be the best medicine ever.  I will also remember that God loves me, even when others don’t love me and even when I don’t love me.

Asher Finishing An Ice Cream Cone

 I have given Asher 2 ice cream cones during visits to our house.  He really likes Ice Cream and that makes me happy as Dale and I enjoy it so much.  So the first time he ate ice cream, he looked at me and asked for a spoon as he could not understand how to get the ice cream out of the cone.  The second time, I showed him how you take a bite of the cone and then eat the ice cream out of the center.  As you can see from the picture, he hasn’t quite mastered that yet.  When he eats his ice cream, I have him to sit down and I sit with him until he is finished.  I will not let him take the ice cream all over the house to eat it and that might make me a mean grandmother.  However, I know if he sits in one place you are exactly right, he will not mess up the whole house. At his age, he would also be focusing on other things and completely lose interest in the ice cream.

So, as we set together, I had a true ephiphany.  I remembered how Granny, who was my grandmother, always got me an ice cream cone every time I went to town with her.  She would always be patient with me as I ate all of it.  Wow, you always wonder what people will remember about you and one of my happiest memories was eating ice cream cones with my grandmother.  So hopefully someday, that will be what Asher remembers about me.

Eating the ice cream cone is just something we will keep practicing while he is at home.  Oh and by the way, he loves chocolate ice cream.  Hmmmmmm.  Just like me.

On Saturday, we had a “Meet and Greet” at our house for Dana, Jonathan and Asher.  We had lots of friends to drop by to see our family and it really made the day special.  Here are some pictures and Dale did a good job of taking pictures of the people that attended. 

Our Special friend Susie Reitzel

Our Family with our Neighbor, Linda Price

Cassady Frye with her Grandmother, Dixie

Dale's cousin, Rick Harris and his wife, Kathy

Asher, Is Mommy Saying, No?

I may share more pictures later in the week.  We had a great time and how special it was to have so many friends to drop by and for Dana, Jonathan and Asher to meet people that we have mentioned to them before but they have never met them.  It was also good for them to renew friendships with people they met before they left for Africa.

So today, we made a quick visit to Charlotte.  We visited with Dana, Jonathan and Asher.  They had some things stored in our garage and we are having termite treatment next week.  So, it was good to get their things out of the garage and to make sure they don’t get damaged next week. 

It was good to see them and we haven’t seen them in over a week.  Asher was fascinated with his Tricycle he got from Jonathan’s Mother and he is now sleeping in his own room.  He laughed and played and showed off a little.  We only stayed for a couple of hours and returned home.

We stopped and ate lunch at a great Greek restaurant in Huntersville and made a quick stop at the Fresh Market.  All in all, it was a fun day.  To top all this off, we are going to Blowing Rock tomorrow with our new friends, Vince and Barbara.  So we are looking forward to a fun weekend.

Next weekend our family will be visiting us again so we have a lot to look forward too.